Hey guys! Happy Canada Day to my fellow Northeners and a happy 4th of July to our neighbours! Have a great time celebrating and blow things up responsibly, you hear?

Borderlands is owned by Gearbox and 2KGames and My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Funimation. Please support the official release.

Please rate and review!

"This means someone is talking."

'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'

This means it's a flashback.

*This means it's a sound effect!*

{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}

Angel in a Gilded Cage

It was early the next morning, a gentle, brisk breeze whistling through the branches of the trees. The sun was just beginning to peek over the pointed tops of the mountains, casting its rays down on the valley below. Slowly, the sounds of birds filled the air as the avians began to leave their nests to find the first meal of the day.

At the foot of one of the mountains lay the Wild Wild Pussycat's training lodge. Nary a sound came from the building, save for the gentle snores coming from the student dormitories. Inside the girl's wing, the feminine third of the class were all tucked away in their sleeping bags, blissfully dozing, the sounds of nature and the waking wildlife around them filling their heads with calming dreams.

Undetected by the slumbering teens, the door to the room eased open and the mystifying tranquility was suddenly punctured with an ear blasting honk.

Angel's eyes shot open and she woke with a start, alarm bells going off in her sleep-addled brain. She immediately tried to pull herself upright to face possible threat, but forgot that she was in a fabric cocoon. When she attempted to jump to her feet, she only managed to throw her body up and promptly flopped over onto her side. Judging from the pained screams and yelps coming from all around her, it appeared the rest of the girls fared no better.

"Sloppy. If this had been an attack, you would all be completely overwhelmed within a minute." Aizawa berated them, lowering the air horn as Angel came to terms with what just happened.

'That's rich coming from the guy who spends half his day napping.' She thought spitefully, not daring to actually vocalize her comeback. Rubbing her eyes, she fumbled around on the floor and found her phone. A quick tap informed her it was just a little past five in the morning. This was earlier than even when she woke up to go running with Moxxi.

"Get yourselves up and dressed in your PE uniforms. Training starts in ten minutes. Latecomers won't get breakfast." Their teacher declared and shut the door.

Angel faceplanted into her pillow and let out a muffled groan. She should have expected Aizawa, ever the pragmatist, would make sure not a second was wasted.

It was, afterall, the first real day of training.

Ten minutes later, Angel and the rest of the girls were outside in the slowly warming air, yawning and still shaking the sleep from their eyes. They were promptly joined by the boys. Judging by their drowsy expressions and disheveled hair, she assumed they got the Aizawa treatment as well. They all stumbled to the clearing in front of the lodge from the previous day, where Aizawa was waiting.

"Looks like everyone's here. Hope you got a good night's rest, you're going to need it as we are starting your first course of developmental training. The goal of these exercises will be to strengthen your abilities in hopes of achieving your provisional hero licenses, as well as prepare you for the unfettered aggression of the League and their ilk. This will require absolute focus and drive." He explained, the serious edge in his tone making Angel swallow in trepidation.

"Before we start, I want to conduct a little experiment. Bakugo." Aizawa reached into his pocket and tossed a small orb to the boy. It was one of the balls from the quirk apprehension test.

"We're doing the ball throw again?" The blonde asked, looking over the familiar device.

"Your previous record was 705.2 meters if I recall. I want you to show us how much you have improved since then."

The class started chatting excitedly as Bakugo stretched and got ready.

"Oooh! This is going to be awesome!"

"It's been three months since the last test, I bet he gets over a kilometer this time!"

"Kill that ball Bakubro!" They cheered, looking forward to the demonstration. Angel couldn't help but feel interested herself. The class had been through so much since the first day of classes. Surely he could clear one of the mountains at this point.

Just as before, Bakugo wore a malicious grin and pulled his arm back.

"EAT SHIT AND DIE!" He roared, sending the ball flying in a spectacular blast and soaring over the trees. Angel covered her ringing ears. If she hadn't been awake before, she was now.

And the results?

"709.6 meters."

Bakugo's face fell and the whole class gaped in shock.

"Huh?! That's not much farther at all!" Sero muttered aloud.

"You all have come far in three months, I will give you that." Aizawa shook his head. "But most of that maturity has been skill based or changes to your mindset. Your quirks have only gotten the tailend and thus, that's what we are here to change. That is the point of this training camp to develop your powers and bodies. For the next six days, the training you will be undergoing is going to be harsh, physically demanding and will push you to raise your limits."

Turning to the class as a whole, he gave them a smirk. Angel shivered.

"So try not to die, that's a lot of paperwork to deal with."

With that ominous declaration, Aizawa led the class down a path into the forest. He didn't say a thing, leaving them all in silence and dreading what awaited them at their destination. Angel tried to theorize what the exercises would be, images of torture racks and other pain inducing mechanisms getting drudged up by an irrational part of her brain.

She knew logically it definitely wouldn't be anything like that, but Aizawa had that habit of putting the fear of God into her and she'd wager she wasn't alone in that.

Mercifully(from a certain point of view), they excited the trees and entered another wide clearing, this time at the bottom of the mountain that loomed over the lodge. The soft dirt gave way to solid stone and gravel under their feet and there was ample space under the bluffs against the natural barrier, the perfect location for a slew of superpowered training.

"Here we are. You will be assigned a zone for you to train in and will be given drills specialized to each of your abilities." Aizawa stated. Yaoyorozu raised her hand.

"But there is only one of you, Sensei. Are you really going to be able to monitor all twenty of us all by yourself?"

"Not exactly."

"That's where we come in!" A new, female voice called, making everyone turn to the familiar sight of Pixie-Bob and Mandalay dancing about.

"Together we shine and dazzle!" Mandalay started, immediately getting joined by a third woman.

"Where there's trouble, we'll leap and pounce to your aid!" She sang, dressed in a yellow(Angel gagged discreetly) version of the Pussycat uniform. Long, straight, emerald hair flowed behind her and her big round eyes flashed with joy, one encircled with makeup and a couple stripes on her cheek.

What followed next gave Angel tonal whiplash.

"Land, sky and sea! We will be there, just you see!" A huge, broad shouldered man leapt onto the scene. He reminded Angel of Brick in a brown variant of the team's costume, hightop, tutu, ears, boots, gloves and tail together, performing a flawless pirouette. His steely eyes glinted under stripes of black makeup.

"Cute! Adorable! Catty!" Pixie-Bob stepped in and together they posed. "WILD WILD PUSSYCATS!" The team cheered.

The class stared in apparent shock once again, with the exception of Midoriya gasping and hopping about eagerly, the hero fanboy that he was. Angel was still feeling too tired to really process what was happening now, just becoming acclimated to the absurdity that was this school.

"Nice to finally meet you all!" The yellow Pussycat greeted. "My name is Ragdoll! My Search quirk allows me to monitor about a hundred people at the same time!"

"With my Telepathy, I can instruct any of you from anywhere, giving you advice! So don't be afraid to ask for help!" Mandalay gave them a thumbs up.

"And my Flowstone ability will allow me to mould the perfect training area suited for each and every one of you!" Pixie-Bob said, levitating a blob of fluid earth over her head, as if to prove some point that her demonstration at the cliff didn't make.

"And I am Tiger!" The large man flexed his thick bicep, a hint of cordiality in his deep, rumbling tone. "I will be your instructor for more… physical training. Punching and kicking and stuff. I hope we all get to know each other… really well." He let out a guttural growl, much like his namesake as his eyes glinted menacingly.

'Please don't tell me I have to fight with him!' Angel fretted.

"Alright, with introductions over with we will now get this started." Aizawa said, holding a clipboard. "When I call your name, come forward and you will be assigned a zone, your instructions and whatever else you'll need for your exercise."

Over the course of the next several minutes, the training got underway. One by one, each student was sent to their designated patch of wilderness and got right to work, any changes to the terrain or materials getting provided by Pixie-Bob. It wasn't long until the air became heavy with their screams of exertion or agony, mostly both.

All of the emitter types expelled as much of their specific creation or element as fast as possible, likely to increase their capacity. Ashido kept the acid gushing from her hands, shooting it at a stone wall like a waterhose with Mineta a few feet away flinching every time he plucked one of his hair orbs off his head, despite how much blood oozed from his scalp, just to name a couple.

For the enhancement types, it was mostly the same, training their bodies to withstand the overuse of their quirks. Sato looked like he was about to puke with how many sweets he was scoffing down, trying to fight off the impending sugar crash. Uraraka was on the hill behind him, bouncing down the slope in a plastic ball, looking greener by the second.

Some student's regiments were simpler in contrast, mostly the mutants just needing to train their bodies. Ojiro and Kirishima had been partnered up to help each other out, having the former continuously smack the latter around with his tail to improve both of their durability.

Amidst the maelstrom of suffering stood Angel, mouth wide as she watched on in horror. Aizawa really hadn't been kidding when he said that their training would be brutal. It was downright spartan, bordering on inhumane. With every turn of the head, she could see her friends and classmates, their faces contorted in pain, but also focus.

That made her wonder. Shouldn't she be training too?

"Am I the only person that hasn't gotten their thing yet?" She asked aloud.

"Oh I didn't forget about you, Hodunk-san."

She squeaked and jumped in terror as Aizawa came up from behind, a hand gripping onto her shoulder as if to prevent her from running away. Not without reason, considering the display before her.

"Your quirk is one of the most versatile out of the entire class. That means you also have the most areas to improve. You think they have it tough?" He chuckled. "We'll see about that."

Angel broke into a cold sweat.

She really should have kept her mouth shut.

"We'll start off with your endurance. If we raise your energy output, you'll be able to go longer before you knock yourself out. That will be a great improvement across the board. So that means keep shooting."

"Y-Yes Sensei!" Angel croaked. She fired off one phasebolt from her left finger gun, then her right, then back again. The shots traveled only a few feet before impacting against the stone wall erected by Pixie-bob, its surface already peppered with dozens of scorch marks. A metronome sat on a stump nearby, its pendulum clicking back and forth at a methodical two beats per second.

She flinched with each tick, accompanied by another shot, a steady undercurrent of pain pulsing under her scalp. It was a feeling that gave her no shortage of discomfort, but it wasn't at the level that it would cripple her, which was Aizawa's intent. He forced her to keep shooting at a steady rhythm, one beat, one bolt, one hand at a time. This simultaneously kept her pushing herself while also giving her body enough time to recover so that she could keep herself going, sort of like a superpowered version of jogging.

A particularly large twinge hit her on the brow, making Angel suck her teeth dry and halt in her repetitions to press her wrist to her head. She felt a moment of clarity, her senses expanding just far enough to catch a hint of something. A blip.

"Hey!" Aizawa barked, making her jolt. "No breaks Hodunk or no lunch! Get back to work!"

"Y-Yes Sensei!" She yelped and fired again.

No sooner had two hours passed that Angel was dragged away to the side for her next bout of training. A minute later she found herself struggling to keep herself floating in midair, hovering several meters over the sparkling blue waters of a manmade lake. On the shore, Aizawa watched with binoculars.

"Next exercise." His voice echoed in Angel's head, their minds linked by Mandalay's telepathy. She had to concentrate in order to hear him as his words kept getting drowned out by her pounding migraine. "This will be some more endurance training, for your quirk as well as the rest of your body. You are going to keep yourself up there as long as possible in order to push your capacity even further. At the same time you will be strengthening your overall musculature so you can carry more. Let me know if those weights start to slip off."

The weights he was referring to were the heavy cuffs wrapped around Angel's wrists and ankles. The same ones worn by the teachers in the end of term exam, they pulled her limbs down, making her grunt and wheeze as she tried to keep herself in the air. With how she was getting pulled in two different directions, she felt like a piece of gum getting stretched apart. The muscles in her arms and legs screamed at her and it was taking everything she had to not just let herself plummet to the water below.

Not to mention there was still the strain being put on her by the circuit in her body, each pulse of energy going to her back slammed against the front of her skull in turn. She sucked in air in quick, frantic puffs, the act of even breathing making her lose an inch of altitude if she wasn't careful.

"I(huff)-hate this! How(huff)-much(cough) longer?!" She coughed out.

"Another half hour." Aizawa quickly answered.

Angel let out a moan, her eyes rolled back and she fell. A pair of eyes followed her abrupt crash landing in the lake, burning with curiosity as the girl was fished out.

A while later, Angel stood in the middle of another clearing. Sitting around her in a circle were six electric camping lamps.

"O-On!"

Angel clapped, sparks shooting out in a wave around her. The lamps flickered on.

She wobbled on her feet, taking in a labored breath and calling more power to her hands.

"Off!"

She clapped again, another wave and the lights turned off.

"On!"

Clap. The lights were on.

"Off-f!"

Clap. The lights were off.

All except one.

She let out a pained groan, hanging her head. With a quick flick of her hand, she shot an innocuous phasebolt at the defiant lamp and turned it off.

It was an hour since the last exercise and her subsequent dunking. After getting out of the water, she had been forced by Aizawa to start again, which had proven to be even more difficult from before thanks to her soaking gym clothes weighing her down. It at least had the pleasant side effect of cooling her off, for all of two minutes before the sun just heated her up again.

Now here she was, feeling muggy on top of the constant headache and stinging limbs. It hurt every part of her with every burst of power she made.

Speaking of, she was now on her third exercise, this time to improve her ability to control her output. Namely, by using her "Phasewave" as she called it, to turn the lamps around her on and back off again.

According to Aizawa the reasoning behind this particular drill was that through the repeated gathering and expulsion of power in this manner, her body would gradually acclimate to the constant shifting and make it easier for her to gather and manipulate her energy.

Was any of that actually plausible? Angel didn't know and at this point she hardly cared. She was too tired and sore to think about it, choosing to dwell on the fact that she was finally alone. Once she had received her instructions and the training was underway, Aizawa left her alone to attend to the other students. Something about needing his quirk to retrieve Tokoyami from the cave he was meditating in, as Dark Shadow was proving too hostile thanks to his invigorated state to let his host leave.

That left Angel alone in her thoughts, a fraction of them considering various methods of getting revenge on her teacher for what he was putting her through today. Heck, there was still five more days of this torture, was she even going to survive to that point?

She sighed, shaking her head. There was little point in worrying about it. This was what she signed up for, coming to Yūei. Moxxi and Nezu had made that abundantly clear. She might hate it now, but it will all be worth it in the end if it means she will become stronger, able to stand on her own. She couldn't depend on others to keep her safe forever. If she wanted to be free, she needed to earn it.

So she straightened her back, licked her chapped lips and brought her hands back together. Her power, the pitiful amount she had at the moment, gathered in her hands and clasped them together.

The white light washed over the ground and her targets and once, they blinked on. The sight made her smile, a tired, but satisfied one.

*Crack!*

Despite the fatigue, Angel whirled around at the sound of a snapping branch hidden amidst the trees.

"H-Hello? Sensei, is that you?" She got no reply, rather a sudden rustling which began to get further away. Stumbling to the edge of the clearing, Angel leaned against a tree and peered into the brush just in time to get a glimpse of a red ball cap.

Kota. But what was he doing here? Was he spying on her? But why? He had made his disdain for heroes abundantly clear the day before, surely he would have no interest watching her sweat all day.

"Attention everyone!" Mandalay's cheery voice intruded Angel's headspace, causing her hand to slip and almost sending her to the ground. "It is now nearing 4 PM! Your training is now over for the day! Please reconvene in the main clearing and we will get right on to dinner! Plus Ultra!"

Angel immediately sagged in relief. Finally, the training was over, for now. She was getting hungry too.

She made her way out of the clearing, only pausing once to glance over her shoulder and consider the newly discovered questions that she now had.

A moment later, the classes were gathered outside of the lodge. Pixie-Bob and Ragdoll were there to greet them, standing next to some picnic tables laden with food, utensils and other cooking supplies. Unlike yesterday however, all of the ingredients were raw and unprepared, giving Angel a foreboding sense of what was going on.

"Great job out there today kids! You must be hungry!" Pixie-Bob smiled and wagged her paw. "But remember yesterday when I told you that we weren't going to hold your hands during the rest of the week?"

"Surprise!" Ragdoll cheered. "You get to make your own dinner! It's curry night!"

A chorus of groans rose in response.

"Aw man, you serious?!"

"I'm dead on my feet, how am I gonna cook?!"

Ragdoll giggled. "Hey, hey! You're all nearly adults, you should know how to cook at this point! We can't baby you guys all the time you know? Think of it as a learning experience!"

"A learning experience… of course!" Iida said, rubbing his chin. "In the event of an emergency, preparing vital sustenance to those who cannot for themselves is paramount in ensuring their survival! Truly a heroic skill!" He turned to the class and chopped the air. "Everyone, let's make the best curry in the world!"

Either out of the class president's energy or just desperation borne from hunger, the students gave a half hearted cheer, including Angel who waved her arm with a smile.

"First things first, who knows how to cook?"

"I do! I'm a pro at improvising on a budget!" Uraraka proclaimed, hopping on one foot.

"Me." Bakugo grunted, coming forward.

"What?! Seriously Bakubro?!" Kirishima gaped.

"Why are you acting so damn surprised?! I'm the fucking best at everything!"

"Watch the language, but excellent! Anyone else?"

Angel slowly raised her hand at Iida's request. "I help my, uh, mom prepare stews and stuff like that. I've never made curry before, but I could probably help."

"The more the merrier! Everyone else, start lighting the fires and gather wood for fuel!"

The class split up and got to work. While Uraraka debated with Iida over precise measurements for water versus rice to put in the pots with serving twenty people in mind, Angel started prepping the vegetables. After washing the produce in a basin she brought them to the cutting boards armful by armful. Much to her shock, by the time she was done bringing all of it over Bakugo was nearly finished trimming the meat, expertely severing the fat from the muscle with a practiced flick of the knife.

Why wasn't she surprised that he was so adept at using a blade? It would be impressive if he wasn't so scary.

"You're… r-really good with that." She muttered. He immediately spun and scowled at her.

"Yeah yeah, my old lady forced me to learn growing up. What, you think it's weird, huh?!" He yelled, all while he continued to chop, the knife picking up speed as it reduced a filet of pork into mincemeat, the action of which made Angel quiver.

"W-What? Oh, no-n-no. Just…" She shrugged. "Do you have any advice?"

The knife stopped. He froze as if Todoroki had hit him with an ice attack. "What."

"For cutting potatoes." She added, holding up a spud. "I-I've always had problems with them."

His eyes flicked up and down, as if the act of someone asking him for his expertise was causing his mind to crash. After a few seconds he finally rebooted.

"Guh, seriously? You don't know how to cut a… for fucksake. Fine. Come here and pay attention, I'm only going to show you once, Angel girl." He spat, snatching the tuber out of her grasp.

Angel was taken back for a second, reacting to the caustic pyromaniac's acceptance to help her and the nickname. She had long since noticed how he never called anyone by their real names, choosing instead to assign monickers based on physical attributes or their powers. It was one thing to be called "Sugar" by Moxxi all the time, but she seemed to use that petname with everyone she was friendly with. It was different coming from someone her own age, let alone one tailored to her.

"You know, you could just call me by my name. You were halfway there." She pointed out, moving her cutting board closer so she was standing to his side.

"I don't give a shit, now shut up." He grumbled and their lesson began.

Thankfully, as reluctant as he was, Bakugo proved to be an efficient tutor. He expected no nonsense and Angel gave him none. Before long she was peeling potatoes with ease and nary a scratch. Soon enough, the fires were lit, the rice and curry boiled and they sat down to eat.

The meal was satisfactory. It wouldn't be competing against any restaurant fare, but for their first attempt as a group and especially after the long day of training, it was more than enough to cause Angel and the others to moan in relief.

Shortly afterwards, the class made quick work of the piles of dishes left behind before heading into the lodge for another dip in the hotsprings to help their bodies recover so that they would survive the training the next day. To prevent another "Mineta incident" as Aizawa put it, the girls and boys took baths at different times, with the latter going first. Angel for one, appreciated being able to soak and relax without out fear of getting peeped on, taking the opportunity to enjoy the water to the fullest.

Once their time was up, the girl's toweled off, changed into their sleep clothes and returned to the dorm.

The moment they stepped into the room, Angel, dressed in a tank top and sweatpants, made a beeline for her mattress on the floor and collapsed, relishing the cool sensation of the sleeping bag and the softness of her pillow.

"Ahhh… much better." She groaned, taking a second to pull her hair out of her usual ponytail. She gave her head a shake, letting the damp tresses tickle her back.

Asui flopped down onto the bedroll next to her. "You said it, kero. My tongue hurts so much." She croaked, letting the bruised appendage hang out her mouth. She was wearing light green, cotton pajamas decorated with little cartoon frogs.

'Cute.' Angel briefly noted.

"They really worked us hard today. I swear, I pumped out so much acid I felt like my hands were going to melt off!" Ashido agreed, holding up her hands for them to see her swollen palms where the skin had begun to get burned off.

Angel gave her a sympathetic nod. "Aizawa-sensei wasn't kidding when he said he was going to push us. Makes me wonder if this is all it's going to be for the whole week."

"It's all for the sake of our development as heroes, we should be grateful." Yaoyorozu said in defense of their teachers, shuffling in her fine silk nightgown.

"Cheer up girls!" Uraraka sat down in the circle, running a brush through her hair. "Now we get to relax! Slumber party!"

"Oh my gosh, it's been forever since I had a slumber party!" Hagakure cheered. "What do we wanna play first?! Truth or Dare?"

"How about studying?" They all turned to the door as it opened, Aizawa standing in the hallway with Kaminari and Tokoyami wrapped up in the hero's capture scarf, the blonde boy lying on the ground while the other was standing upright. "Uraraka, Hagakure, I'm afraid it's time for your remedial lessons."

Both girls paled (at least it was assumed the invisible girl did) and cowered together. "No! No, please!" They wailed.

Their protests went unheard as a loop of fabric fell over their heads and tightened around their shoulders, binding them together.

"Now, now, these are the consequences of your failure. The least you can do is face it with dignity like Tokoyami." He chided as he reeled them in. He glanced up at the rest of the room. "They'll be back in four hours. Get some sleep."

"Heeeelp us!" Hagakure screamed as she and Uraraka were dragged out the door.

"Well that just happened." Jiro muttered from where she was reclining on the windowsill, the light of the moon against her back.

"Poor Mina and Ocha-chan." Asui lamented.

"It's the way things are unfortunately." Yaoyorozu shook her head, setting herself down. "It's for their betterment, they'll be fine."

"Hey Yao-momo, I noticed you disappeared halfway through dinner for a bit. Where'd you go?" Jiro asked.

"Ooooo~! I bet she was seeing someone!" Ashido squealed, raising some excited gasps from the room. Angel raised a brow, taking a moment to realize what the pink girl was referring to.

The heiress laughed a little and shook her head. "It wasn't anything like that, Mina-chan. Rather, I was approached by that odd blonde girl from class B. What was her name?"

"Baha Tina?" Angel offered.

"Right! Yes, her! Thank you!"

"The explosion girl? What did she want from you?" Jiro questioned

Yaoyorozu beamed. "She claimed that her class required something in order to finish making their dinner. And of course I couldn't refuse her! If we can close this gap between us and our sister class, we would be all the better for it! So I helped her!"

"What did she need?"

"A hand drill!"

The room went silent, all of the girls glancing at each other to confirm that yes, they were all confused too.

"A hand drill..?"

Yaoyorozu nodded happily. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Um… Momo, I'm not sure how to put this…" Ashido hummed awkwardly, tapping her fingers together. The rest of the girls, Angel included, struggled to find a way to break the news with their cheery, innocent vice class representative looking at them like that. Their savior came in the form of Asui being her usual straight forward self.

"Momo-chan, we think she lied to you."

The taller girl's face fell. "W-What? Why do you say that? I've never actually cooked before, is a hand drill not a necessary tool in the kitchen?"

"Maybe for something, but not curry."

Yaoyorozu sat there, looking betrayed and baffled.

"So if it wasn't for cooking, why would she want it?"

"Who knows?" Angel shrugged. "The only thing I know about that girl is that she can only be described as chaotic."

Ashido walked over and gave Yaoyorozu a sideways hug.

"Best not to think about it girl. It'll probably be fine."

"Hah… if you say so. But I just know this is going to bother me tonight."

"Don't worry, we'll keep you distracted tonight, right girls?"

The other three girls voiced their affirmations, making their friend's smile return.

"Thank you all, truly. What then?"

"A-Actually…" Angel interjected nervously. "I was hoping to talk about something that happened today. I-Is that okay?"

"Shoot."

"Okay, cool. Um… so, do you all remember Kota? That little boy from yesterday?"

"The kid who punched Midoriya in the nuts? Little hard to forget." Jiro answered.

"Poor Izuku-kun. He didn't deserve that-kero."

"Yeah… anyway, he's been acting kind of weird around me."

Yaoyorozu tilted her head.

"How so?"

"Well, yesterday he kept looking at me strangely. He kept turning red and stuff. But the weirdest part was that he, well, was spying on me today."

"Hold up, spying on you?" Ashido leaned forward with interest.

Angel nodded. "Yeah, he was hiding in the bushes while I was training. I recognized his hat. When I called out, he ran for it. What do you think it all means?"

Ashido immediately started to snicker before she broke into a full belly laugh as she fell over onto her back. Meanwhile, the other girls smiled amongst themselves. Angel looked on confused, feeling a bit indignant at their apparent amusement.

"What's so funny?" She demanded.

"Oh poor Angel-chan! So young to the world of love!" The pink girl hollered, wiping a tear from her eye as she pulled herself back up. "S-Sorry, this is too funny! Kota has a crush on you!"

She sputtered. "W-WHAT?! What do you mean?!"

Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "A crush is slang for a sudden, burgonding-"

"I know what a crush is! Just, why me?!"

"Who knows? He might have just thought you were pretty." Jiro suggested.

"AND THEN HE SAW YOU HALF-NAKED, BWAHAHAHA!" Ashido howled, falling over again.

Angel flushed. "S-S-S-Shut up! Stop laughing! What do I do about this?!"

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's a short lived burst of infatuation that usually dies just as quick." Asui assured her. "My younger brother Samidare had a crush on this one girl in his class one day, then another a week later."

"So… I do nothing and it'll sort itself out?"

"Most likely. Mina-chan, that's enough." Yaoyorozu patted their laughing friend on the knee, who was beginning to wheeze.

"Ha ha, sorry. I-I couldn't help it. Let's do something else. Who wants to tell scary stories?!"

The rest of the girls stammered and tried to come up with excuses out of that particular activity. Except Angel, who sat there deep in thought, trying to make sense of the wild situation she found herself in.

One thing was for sure, she wasn't likely to get much sleep tonight.