My Hero Academia – Under Pressure – Season 3 – Episode 13 – The Date

The night following the two-day training event was one of the tensest times in Class 1B's history. As Tonen and Kuroda had promised, they attempted to fix the problems that the boys and the girls had caused to one another.

As one could easily suspect, it wasn't an easy thing. Outside of Goya, everyone was affected by the "antics" of the groups. Goya happily proclaimed this as they attempted a "group therapy session" and noted that he never needed the class before, and this was no different. So he left.

"Dick," said Kuroda and Tonen together, which got a small smile from both.

With their leaders in charge, the session began, and it was very loud to say the least. The guys and the gals yelled many things at one another. The boys didn't like what the ladies and done, and girls didn't appreciate the lads' electrical retaliation.

Even the more level-headed people of the group were getting fired up to either call out one side or explain the others actions. In short, Kuroda and Tonen had their work cut out for them, and they knew it.

Over the course of the next two hours, they worked out their issues and came to an understanding. Both sides still were mad at the other for various reasons, but they had gotten what they wanted to say out of their systems.

The girls apologized for the invasion of the rooms and starting this whole ordeal, and the boys apologized for retaliating like they did and enjoying their pain. As the majority left for their rooms, some from each side talked with one another, showing the walls had come down.

That included the "rejoined" Twins, who waved to Kuroda and Tonen and said in unions, "Goodnight!"

The leaders waved back to them and waited to be alone. Tonen then sighed and said, "That was exhausting."

"Yep, perks of being a leader," joked Kuroda.

"Well, on that note, I'm off to bed."

"Tonen, wait."

He paused and looked at her. Her expression was one of serious conflict, "What's wrong?"

"We were moderators during that, we still need to rebuild our relationship," she replied with honest eyes.

"I agree…but we can do it tomorrow morning. I'll meet you here bright and early? Before everyone else wakes?"

"Ok."

With a nod to the other, they departed.

The next morning, before even the earliest of students awoke, the main teachers held a small meeting for themselves.

Angels Wings was the last to enter the room. The sadness from the previous night was still ripe on her face, "Sorry if I'm late."

"You're right on time, Tsuru," said Principal Ayatsune with a kind smile to try and lift her spirits.

It didn't work, but she sat next to the rest of the teachers, which led the principal to start the meeting.

"Well then, I'd say that test was worth it for 1-B."

"I don't agree."

"I know you don't, but you're not unbiased with your viewpoint on them."

"We set them up for failure, Rinoda!" Angel Wings exclaimed angrily. "We put cheese in front of a mouse, and expected it not to eat!"

A snicker got her attention, and she look next to her to see Zaba failing to restrain his amusement, "You do realize that part of this is your fault, right?"

"Choose your next words carefully."

"Or feel an angels' wrath? Hehe."

Tsuru stood up and extended her wings to loom over him menacingly. Rinoda stood up too, but to get her partner's attention, "Tsuru, not here."

Zaba continued to snicker as she reluctantly sat back down, "No need to get so tense. I meant what I said, though. You were the one who opened their big mouth and said that Class 1-B was above such 'trivial acts.'"

Uyeki groaned a bit as she leaned on the table they were at and looked at Tsuru, "He's got you there, as much as I hate to admit it. Him and I were just talking about pranks we used to do to our classmates, and how each gender did things differently."

"And then YOU came in and said that Class 1-B wouldn't do that under any circumstances. So we just wanted to show you were wrong."

Tsuru struggled to keep her composure, "That may be true, but we still didn't have to do it! It was mean-spirited and we're supposed to be above that. We're supposed to impart wisdom, and yet we just proved we're willing to do tests to drive wedges between them!"

"As their main teacher," chimed in Abaru as she petted her cats, "I understand why you would say that. But as I am the oldest here, I can say with certainty there was a lesson to be learned. A wisdom to be imparted, and I believe all but one in Class 1-B will learn it."

"What wisdom is that? That trust can be broken easily?"

"When foolish acts are done, yes. I have children, grandchildren and many students that I have watched over. I've seen many of them be great people, but we all have our…childish impulses. Class 1-B is unlike many classes we've taught because they mostly have an intrinsic trust with one another. They've saved each other's lives, helped each other overcome obstacles, and so on. I've seen how many look at Tonen and Kuroda especially. They look at them as though they're "above reproach" and can "do no wrong." But they can, because they're fifteen! Kuroda and Tonen both gave the go-aheads for their schemes, and others egged them to happen. They had to swallow a bitter pill, but it was one they needed to take, Tsuru."

"Conflict comes in MANY forms," Armed Guard added. "Physical wounds are hard to heal from, but mental and emotional ones? Those are another matter. If you believe in your class as we know you do, Tsuru, you will let them grow from this, and let them be stronger for it."

Big Brain typed on his chair and brought up some holographic projections, "The odds of this happening down the line were almost 100%. So it was honestly a boon to them that we instigated this versus—"

"Stop!" cried out Tsuru, struggling to keep it together. "Just…stop."

"Give us the room," asked Rinoda from her spot.

The others rose up and left. As they did Zaba held out his hand to Uyeki, "Bet's a bet, the girls threw the first stone, just as I said."

"Yeah, yeah," answered Uyeki, annoyed as she handed him some money, "but you only get half because the guys responded in a physical manner, just like I said."

"Fair enough. Pleasure doing business with you. Armed Guard, you want to get in on the next bet?"

"Pass," he said bluntly as went by them.

"Did you take the listening devices out of the common area and hallways as we agreed?" asked Abaru to Big Brain.

"Of course," he replied with some resentment that he wouldn't fulfill a task. "Tinkerer was quite brilliant in how small yet effective they were. Once the mission was done, they sparked out of existence."

"Hopefully we won't have to eavesdrop on them again like that."

"Given that class? You never know, Abaru."

The room emptied save for them, Principal Ayatsune went over to Tsuru, who was still shaking in her chair, "Let it out, Tsuru. Why are you so mad?"

"Because you let this happen!" she said with pain in her voice. "You're my partner, now, Rinoda. I trust you more than anyone. When Zaba and Uyeki did their little prattle I chimed in because I believed what I said. That 1-B would be above that. When Zaba made his bet I fully expected you and the others to bat it down. But you didn't! The others were all for it, and I looked to you to be the voice of reason and instead you approved it! That hurt, a lot. I needed you to have my back in that moment and you didn't. Then they acted just as you all said that would, and that hurt just as much. You know I don't like to see people I care for suffer, and yet I had to because of this "test." A test you sanctioned."

Principal Ayatsune let out a long sigh. She knew she had hurt her partner, but there was a reason for what she did. To shore Tsuru up, she gently cupped her face and kissed her. They two held it for a while before breaking apart.

"Is that your way of saying you're sorry?"

Ayatsune giggled a bit, "Yes and no. I'm sorry that this caused you to feel this way. But I'm not sorry for doing this test. As I said before, you're not unbiased when it comes to that class, and I'm not just your partner, I'm the principle of this school. It's my role to teach the students whatever lessons I feel will make them better Pro-Heroes, and that lesson did that in my mind. And not just mine."

Tsuru shook her head, "Just because everyone wanted it, didn't mean it was right."

"Sometimes, that's true. If it was just Zaba, Uyeki and Igasato, I probably would've swatted it down. But then Hirota said he was fine with it. Then Abaru! While I always go to you for support, it's Abaru I trust above all with advice, you know that. She does nothing out of malice when it comes to her teachings. She felt those kids needed to be brought down a peg, so I allowed it."

"You're not making me feel better, Rinoda."

"I don't know if I can make you feel better in this case, Tsuru. This pain you're feeling…it's about more than just this test…isn't it?"

Tsuru wouldn't meet her look, so Ayatsune grabbed her hands and held them in support of her partner. This time it as Tsuru who sighed. Her eyes started to well up as painful memories returned.

"I've been having some nightmares recently," she said, voice on shaky ground. "About…what happened to us at the school that day…"

Images flashed through her mind. Ones of her and others she knew when they were younger, inexperienced, and forced to endure the impossible.

"What brought those on?" asked Ayatsune with worry.

"I don't know. I have them occasionally; I've learned to live with it. But recently, they've been more frequent. We shouldn't have had to deal with that back then, but we did. And now, I look at Class 1-B, and I see us through them. Tonen was kidnapped. You had to lead a raid on The Deck base with them. Then Mythical had to stop The Deck invading a district! It's only a matter of time before The Deck makes another move that you or Tonen or the others in Class 1-B will get drawn into and I don't want that! I don't want them hurt like we were, like I was…I just don't…so I'm sorry if I seem overprotective of those kids. But it's because I adore them and I refuse to see them suffer like I had to watch our classmates suffer…"

The tears flowed from her eyes and she couldn't contain her emotions anymore. Rinoda immediately grabbed her partner and brought her close so she could let it all out in the comfort of a loved one.

When she felt Tsuru was in a better spot, she released her slightly and cupped her face once more. "I understand that fear. I never wanted Tonen or the others or any in this school to know about my connection with The Deck, yet here we are. We can't close Pandora's Box now that it's open, Tsuru. But you know what we can do, right?"

"What…?" she said still choked up.

"We can prepare them, in any way we can. Make them stronger, make them smarter, make them more united. They'll be counting on each other one day in the biggest of ways. So if we need to test them to show their resolve, or show that they can overcome differences to do better? Then we need to do it. Because while shielding them from harm is fine, not preparing them when danger inevitably comes will cripple them. And they'll suffer much more then than what we did. Do you understand?"

The two looked at one another for a while, then Angel Wings slowly nodded her head, "Yeah, I understand. I still don't like it…but I understand."

Principal Ayatsune smiled, "I'll take it. Go back to your room and clean yourself up. You'll have to be ready for your class soon enough, and they'll definitely want their shining teacher to help them through what's coming."

"Thanks, Rinoda."

She turned and headed for the door. Ayatsune leaned against the table she was near and watched her in a teasing way before saying, "Are we still on for tonight? Or did I just ruin our date?"

Angel Wings stopped just in front of the door and looked back at her partner with an expression of playful annoyance, "Oh, we're still on. Unless you support Zaba over me at some point today…"

With a small wave she departed, and Principal Ayatsune couldn't help but laugh at the remark. If nothing else, her partner was back on solid ground, and that was enough.

Not too far away, in the common area of Class 1-B's dorm, both Kuroda and Tonen got up early so they could meet and talk things out. They both met in the area at the same time, sat down and went right to it.

"Where do you want to start?" asked Kuroda.

"Uh…" started Tonen, "I guess my biggest question is why you went with it. I know you like to have fun, and you can be quite…evil…when you want to be, as Chuya can attest to…"

"Splat."

"Exactly. But this? That was a line I didn't think you'd cross."

Kuroda leaned back a little in her chair and sighed, "Well, I wanted us to have a 'bonding' session of sorts. At first, I was against it. Really, I was. Mainly because Fenella had such a look on her face that I thought we were going to prank your rooms or go through them like a tornado. But then she said she just wanted a look and I guess I…didn't see the harm. Some class rep, huh?"

Tonen chuckled, "Yeah, not your best moment."

"Look, I know I play the 'classic leader trope' to a T, not unlike you at points. But I have a little Cheshire Cat in me. Sometimes I like to tiptoe the line…it can be fun, and it was…until you air blasted us."

"Be grateful that's all I did."

"Oh, I am!" assured Kuroda with hands in a surrender-like pose. "Alright, my turn. While your reaction was…understandable…it felt like you were more hurt than you should've been. Why was that? Did you view your room as a temple? Not to be violated unless invited into?"

That image got another laugh from Tonen, "That's a bit much, but you're close. The guys were honest in how we said we didn't want you to look into our rooms because we didn't know what you would think or say. Shield Hero and Azu specifically come to mind on that line of thinking."

"Iha did tell us not to go into Azujima's room. We thought she was overselling things in her usual blunt manner."

"I'll remember to thank her for the attempt. But it wasn't just that. We…no, I won't say we. I…wanted to have you in my room—"

"Oh, did you now?" Cut off Kuroda with a very Cheshire grin, "You that forward with all the ladies you call 'sister'?"

Tonen paused and laughed once more, "That was a good one."

"Thanks, you have to be quick with the barbs where I come from. Your phrasing set you up."

"Fair enough. As I was saying. My goal was to…invite you all into my room. It took a long time to get that art up on the walls. Lot of planning, lots of predicting how it would look on the large scale. I was waiting for a chance to invite you all to shock you and maybe make you a little happy during that day. But now…I can't do that. Not with the girls, anyway. Even if I tried…I'd just remember this…and I don't want that. You robbed me of a potential happy memory, and that hurts."

"I'm sorry, Tonen," Kuroda said with obvious honesty and intent. "We really didn't mean to affect you all like that. We took our fun too far, and we won't do anything like that again. I promise. I'll stop anything that I think gets even close to that."

"I'm grateful."

"Ok, your turn. Anything else you want to know?"

"Yeah," he replied after a brief pause, "why didn't you go into Goya's room?"

"Because he's a dick and he didn't deserve our time or attention!"

"Preach, my sister!"

They bumped fists and shared a laugh. Then Tonen motioned to her to show it was her time to go once again.

This time, Kuroda got much more animated as she thumped the table and leaned in a bit to show her somewhat frantic eyes, "Electricity? Really? You could think of anything else!?"

Tonen stifled another laugh as he saw Kuroda's expression, "I think it was brought up in the group session, but that was Ryu's idea. I honestly couldn't think of anything, and the others were going WAY too big in their thoughts for the time we had. So when Ryu said he could rig your doorhandles to shock you in a way that would hurt and not kill? It…seemed like fun. Sorry it hurt you."

"Oh, it didn't hurt me."

"Why not?"

"Is that your official next question?"

"Sure."

"I was in the common area waiting for you all to come back to try and smooth things over. I sent everyone away…and then the screaming started."

"That must have been…an unexpected experience for you," mused Tonen.

"It was, very much so. But it was funny seeing Fenella's hair standing up like that," admitted Kuroda.

"Oh, she deserved it."

"She did, and we all did. So, my final question…are we good now, big brother?"

"Yeah, we're good, big sister. Let's both try and be…well, kind of mature, going forward?"

"I think we can swing that."

Content with their new promise to one another. They shook hands on it and then rose from the table, as they did, Tonen's phone went off, which he wasn't expecting, "Who's messaging me at this hour?"

He pulled it out and his eyes went wide when he saw a message that read, "Date. Tonight. 6pm at the diner around the corner. Don't be late or I'll drag you out of your dorm. Signed, your future girlfriend, Mai."

Tonen's face contorted and twitched in a way he was very unfamiliar with. Kuroda was just as surprised when she saw that look, "Tonen? Are you ok? Is someone in danger? Is it The Deck?!"

Hearing his enemy's name snapped him too and he did his best to put a blank face on, "No! No, it's not, I promise. I, uh, I really shouldn't tell you who it is…it's embarrassing."

"Oh, it's Sparky's sister. Did she ask you on a date or something?"

"How did…? I didn't… She kicked me—"

"No she didn't," Kuroda cut off while wagging a finger. "That was a good lie, but she didn't do that to you."

"And you know that how?" wondered Tonen, still in disbelief at her insight.

"I saw Azujima's face. Whatever that girl did to you? It made him go beat red. What's more, he was more stunned than anything. If you got kicked between the fork he would've been racing to your side, not telling us to let you 'handle it.' Though judging by his look, I think she might've been handling you."

Tonen shivered in disgust as he recalled the memory of his meeting Mai. Kuroda laughed when she saw it.

"I thought it was something like that. One of my cousin's during a family get together found one my uncle's…uh…mature magazines…and the look he had when he saw its contents was just like Azujima's. So what did she do? Flirt with you to the extreme?"

"Something like that," Tonen said with intentional brevity. "And to follow up on what you asked before, she didn't just ask me out on a date, she basically forced me to accept a date from her when we 'met'. This text told me when it was…it's tonight."

"Oooohhh," Kuroda replied in a faux girlish way. "You gonna dress up nice for her?"

"No! I'm going to do this 'date' and then hopefully not see her again."

"Dang, Tonen, she's got you riled up. She not your type?"

"I don't even know what she is!" exclaimed Tonen, face full of confusion. "She treated me like we were already a couple and then when she did…uh, the flirting, it was like I was her toy. To be played with at her leisure. It was…unnerving."

"Hmm, I see."

"No, you don't. Not this time. You only saw her mask. I saw the real thing."

Kuroda nodded in acknowledgment, "Fair enough."

"Oh, and don't ask what my type is…I honestly don't know."

"Never had a girlfriend?"

"Never tried," he admitted with a shrug as he leaned against the table. "There was one girl that I liked when I was young. But she moved away. After that? I didn't think much about relationships. I wanted to be a Pro-Hero, that was it."

"So you don't have a crush on someone in the class?" teased Kuroda with a poke to his shoulder.

"If I did, I wouldn't tell you, big sister. You'd do the sisterly thing and try to see if they were interested!"

The two laughed and Kuroda again nodded to show he was spot on, "Probably. Look, I don't know what to tell you about Sparky's sister. Maybe she is crazy, or maybe she just wants you to think that so she can shatter your expectations. Do the thing you like to do, give people a chance, and then make your judgment."

"Thanks, K-Rep."

"Not a problem. I'm heading back to my room for a bit before the others start to come down."

"Cool," he said as he headed to the opposite entrance. But before he got there, he stopped and called out, "K-Rep?"

"Yeah?" she answered back.

"What about you? Did you ever have someone special before UA?"

She paused for a while when asked. Not unlike with Tonen before, her expression changed to one that he never seen on hers before. It was one of true hurt, and arguably longing. But just like Tonen, she fixed it before responding.

"Yeah, once."

"That bad, huh?"

"Something like that. I really liked him. I thought he liked me. Then one day…he was gone."

"I'm sorry," lamented Tonen at seeing his friend relive a painful memory.

Kuroda waved it off and tried to show off her strength, "It's your fault. Not every guy, or girl, we meet is good, we both know that."

"True, but it still hurts when they hurt us."

"Yes, yes it does."

With a nod to one another they departed, both lost in very different sets of thoughts.

The day that came was almost like a reset for many involved. The guys and the gals did their best to be their best for each other, and for Angel Wings. Their teacher gave a small lecture about the previous night's events, but also spun things to ensure it was a positive message by the end.

Tonen and some of the others could see the conflict on Angel Wing's face, but they also could see she was also trying to be her best for them. It was that focus on making them better which made the class adore her. Most of the class, at least.

Once the school day ended, Class 1-B went back into old patterns and hung out with one another before slowly making their way to the dorm.

For Tonen, he was hanging onto every minute of fun that he got with his friends. Because with every minute that passed, he drew closer to his date with Mai.

The only other person he confided in about it was Azujima. Naturally, his friend was worried about him. He even offered to serve as a "way out" for Tonen if he needed. But Tonen shot that down as he knew that Mai wasn't dumb. She likely expected him to "find an exit" for their date, so he knew the only way out was through.

Plus, the idea of her breaking him in half via her Quirk for going back on their "agreement" wasn't appealing to Tonen. So he decided to do the honorable thing and go through with it…consequences be danged.

True to his statement to Kuroda, he didn't dress up for the "date." But he did at least attempt to look better than normal. He didn't wear his typical relax outfit, but a dress casual ensemble that no one in Class 1-B would call out as he passed them by.

Sure enough, when 5:30 PM came, he did his best final prep for the encounter. Mainly, he did mental exercises to prepare for whatever Mai would throw at him. Given their first "meeting," anything was on the table, almost literally given they were to meet at a diner.

He did everything he could think of to get calm, and once he was even keel, he left his room. Tonen went straight for the entrance to the dorm, only passing by a few other members of his class as he did.

None of them wondered what he was doing, so that was a small relief for him. The last of what was likely to come.

As he headed for UA High's front gate, he paused. He quickly wondered if he could back out, but he felt his parents in his ear.

"You gave your word, Tonen!" echoed a memory of them. "You can't be a true Pro-Hero if you go back on your word!"

Tonen sighed at their wisdom, "Dang morality."

Last ditch effort squashed, he made for the diner.

He arrived there with five minutes to spare. Tonen recognized the place as he and the others had gone by it various time for various reasons since coming to UA. It was a quaint little place with an outside and indoor area for sitting and eating.

The place was slightly packed. It wasn't quite the dinner rush, but business was good. He started to gaze at the customers when a high-pitched whistle caught his ear.

He begrudgingly turned to the source, and sure enough, it was Mai, waving at him with wicked glee, "Right here, Tonen."

Tonen waved back smally and proceeded to her, then thought to himself, "This is the day I die."

"It wasn't, in case you were curious. But death did seem like a welcome release multiple times that night."

As he went to the table he examined Mai. She was in her school garb the first time they met, but this time she was dressed much more stylishly. Mai had very chic slacks, a classy top and a very flamboyant-style jacket. All of which was punctuated by the heart-shaped shades she adorned on her face.

She lowered them slightly to gaze at Tonen as he sat, "Hmm, dress casual look, very nice. To be honest, I wasn't sure how you'd dress. I thought you might dress trashy to insult me."

"It crossed my mind," he said bluntly.

"Oh, I bet. How about me? How do I look in your eyes? I'm sure you had radical notions of how I'd dress tonight for our date."

"I had no expectations, because I have no idea what to expect from you at any given moment!"

Mai went blank faced for a moment, then laughed slightly, "That's good! I like to keep my boy toy guessing."

Tonen slightly pounded the table in anger, "I'm not your 'boy toy,' and I'm not your boyfriend. This whole thing is a farce. So let's get this over with and be done with each other."

"Be done? Oh Tonen, I like you too much to let you go."

"Like me? You don't even know me!"

Mai put her glasses on top of her forehead, and gave him a very different look from before, one of being smarter than he is, "I know you're reliable. I know you like to do the right thing every time even if it's dangerous to yourself. You happily will defend others without a moment's hesitation. You fight for your friends and will protect them with all you have. What's more, when it comes to Pro-Heroes, you have a very altruistic vision of what they should be and how they should act. Which makes you very humble and noble."

Tonen was taken aback by her words. She may have made it flowery in nature, Mai had gotten his key qualities.

She picked up on this and leaned in a little closer, "Also, just between you and me…you're pretty hot. Your six-pack is particularly impressive."

Her "return to form" got a big groan from Tonen. Mai reverted back to looking at him like a plaything.

"You should take the compliments when they come."

"I've been complimented by the wrong people before," noted Tonen with a serious look, "it was hard to swallow then, and it's hard to swallow now."

"You won't say that as you get to know me."

"That assumes I want to know you. I didn't ask for this date, I didn't ask for that over-the-top introduction that was wrong on so many levels, and if I didn't think you'd stalk me and harm me for not showing up today…I wouldn't be here!"

"You're right…you're right…" Mai said with a sad nod.

"Really…?" replied Tonen as he wondered if he got through to her.

"Yeah...I totally would've stalked you and hurt you for reneging on the date."

She laughed loudly and Tonen buried his face in his hands in embarrassment and again thought, "Yep, I'm going to die today."

"Still didn't. But you feel my pain now, right?"

Mai looked over to the restaurant and noticed a waitress near the entrance, she waved her over. The waitress came over and pulled out a notebook and a pen, "Ah, your date's here, are you ready to order?"

Mai smiled happily at the waitress, "We are! I'll have the chicken parmesan with a salad. Ranch dressing, please."

"Of course, and you, sir?"

Tonen fumbled out of his state as he had forgotten he was at a diner for a moment, "Oh, uh, sorry, I haven't looked at the menu yet. Do you have a burger here?"

"Of course!" she replied, "Big one, too."

"Great, I'll take that well done, side of fries, and if you have a milkshake back there make it chocolate in the biggest size possible."

"You got it! Oh, and because you're both from UA, it's on the house!"

With a bow to the two she took the menus they had and left.

Mai looked at him teasingly, "You have a big appetite, good to know."

Tonen shook refused to look at her, "I figure if I stuff my mouth with food I won't have to talk with you."

"How cold! You wouldn't talk to my sister like that."

"You're not your sister! Your sister is nice, and actually hears me when I speak. I'm sure when you hear me repeatedly shoot you down you think of it as me playing 'hard to get.' I'm not."

"Oh, I know," she admitted with a sly grin on her face, "that just makes it more fun for me. Because I'll get you to like me. Then I can poke fun at you for this sour attitude as you 'not realizing what was right in front of you.'"

"Ah, but I do know what's in front of me," corrected Tonen with a gentlemanly tone.

"Really?"

"Yes, a total psycho."

"Oh, what a fun game this is."

"For you and you alone."

Silence grew between them. Tonen could feel his anger growing, and he didn't like that. With Goya, it was a kind of righteous anger. He knew Goya was a jerk and he would always stand against him when the situation arose. With Chuya, it had been an annoyance kind of anger. She had a limited way of thinking and it showed. The Dealer brought out a fury in him because he was a villain.

But with Mai, it was different. His anger toward her was hard to describe. It was a kind of emotional anger. He was being manipulated by her, arguably tortured, yet his morality and nature denied him the opportunity to get out of it. At least, at the moment it did. So he bit his lip and endured, even though he didn't want to.

For Mai, she looked at Tonen and felt nothing but joy. In her eyes, he was a delicious snack waiting to be devoured…and she would savor every second of her "meal."

There was one thing that still made Tonen confused, so he reluctantly looked back at her and asked, "How could you know so much about me if we've only met once? Your sister couldn't have told you all that."

"You're right, for real," she acknowledged, "my dear sister did give me her best impression of you, and it did make me swoon a bit."

"Grow up."

"Pass. But I knew she could sugar coat things so I looked you up. You might not have realized it, but your coverage in the Sports Festival was extensive. Your fights with that water girl, the psychic and the teleporter showed me a lot. As did your actions outside the ring like when that material girl got wrecked and you went to her aid instantly."

Tonen tensed up a bit at her description of Kuroda's defeat from Goya, but knew it wasn't something to press.

"So between all that, and some light…spying…I may or may not have done, I had a good picture of who you are. So your little temper tantrum aside, I know you're a good hero-in-training. I'm curious about what you do next in your journey, and I will be watching."

Tonen again resisted the urges that were boiling in him, he knew it's what she wanted and arguably would make her happier as she would be the reason he's so wound up.

"In that case…" he began as he tried to keep his voice calm. "Allow me to ask you another question."

"By all means. I want you to get to know me better."

"Why do you want to be a Pro-Hero?"

"You saw my punch. I'm good at hitting things."

"Answer honestly or I'm out," he warned.

Mai made a sound and motion of fake worry and then twirled a fork that was near her, "Fine. It's because I love my sister."

This answer surprised him. He checked her expression and could tell she wasn't lying, or saying what she thought would "make him happy."

Tonen knew to be cautious given her…erratic…nature, "Go on."

"If you insist. I don't know how much my sister told you about our family, or if she told you anything at all. But our mother is a unique woman, and that led her to meeting our fathers. Both were fine, but eventually they both left. Mother was…difficult at times. So I relied on my sister a lot."

"I'm sorry your family wasn't more stable."

"Thank you," she said sweetly. "It was rough when I was younger, as I didn't know what was going on. But eventually Risami told me the truth. It was then that I saw her in a heroic light. She was still in school at the time, but you could tell, she'd be a shining light for people."

Tonen smiled as he recalled his first day with Sparky, she very much was like that, "Indeed."

"As I watched her grow through UA and then into her first Pro-Hero assignments, I idolized her. I wanted nothing more than to be like her. But then, I realized I could do more. She pushes herself really hard sometimes to be a good Pro-Hero, and it weighs on her. So, I'm going to get as strong as possible, and then help her run her agency. Together we'll be an unstoppable force. 'The Sisters of Sae," they might call us. That's our mother's name."

"I figured."

Mai chuckled a bit and leaned back in her chair, "Risami wasn't thrilled when I told her my plan at first. But that's just who she is. Eventually, she saw how fun it was to work together, as sisters, to help the people of Toyama, and so the plan is made. Once I graduate, I'll work full-time at the agency. I'll be the best partner my sister could ever have, and it'll make us even closer. Now tell me, dear, sweet Tonen. Is that a bad motivation to be a Pro-Hero?"

Tonen shook his head, "Not at all. Wanting to help family with your Quirk is a very common desire."

"But…?"

"But I hope you don't act as you are with me with everyone you save."

"Ha! They aren't that lucky."

"Wow…"

"Roll your eyes all you want. But ask my sister if you don't believe me. I'm a true professional when it comes to saving people in the field. They have my complete focus."

He wasn't sure whether he could believe her or not, so he scanned her intensely, but her face didn't crack one way or another, so he relented, "Ok. I believe you. For now."

"Yay! Progress!" she said gleefully as though she had won the lottery.

Tonen rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Thankfully, he didn't have to hear her speak again as the waitress from before arrived with their meals. He thanked her for it and immediately went to eat.

Mai watched him for a bit to see what he might do in between bites, but he remained focused on his meal.

As such, she went and ate her meal and gave him a true gift by doing so silently.

Eventually, they finished eating. Mai tried to pull a fast one and summon the waitress for dessert, but Tonen stopped her and made it clear that he was full, and that he was heading back to UA. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop him, so she got up and the two headed back to the school.

Once they were within the grounds, Mai playfully tugged on Tonen's arm, "You know, now that we're at the end of our date, it would be very gentlemanly of you to walk me back to my dorm."

Tonen gave a shrug and nodded, "You're right, it would be."

"Great! It's over here, let's—"

"BUT! That wasn't part of the deal. You forced me to go on a date with you. I did. We talked, we had a meal, and we are now back at our place of residence. Date is over. Night."

With a mocking smile he turned to leave, thinking he was finally rid of her.

"I wasn't, not by a long shot."

A hand appeared just within his eyesight, clutched his chest and then drove him back until he hit a wall. It was Mai, standing just inches in front of him. Her very evil, yet very flirting, smile back on her face, "You sure know how to leave a girl wanting more, Tonen."

"Back up, now," he replied with venom.

"I will. But I wanted to make something clear to you. What we have? It's not over, because I'm more interested in you now than I was an hour ago. So you'll see me around whether you want it or not. Understand?"

"Well…in that case…"

He leaned forward and tilted his head. Mai thought he might kiss her, and leaned into it.

"Oh please, like I was going to kiss her then!"

Just before their faces touched, Tonen exhaled sharply. A blast of air poured out of his body and flung Mai backward several feet. Her loosened stance helped with that. She was so unprepared that she hit the ground hard and rolled a bit.

When she was able to look up, Tonen was standing a few feet in front of her, eyes and expression full of displeasure, "Now it's my turn to make something clear. You want to 'haunt me' because you're into me? Fine. Whatever. But you will not get another date out of me by forcing my hand. And if you even think of trying something like the class thing again? I'll make sure the others know about you, and stop you. Like I told another girl who likes me. You want to ask me out? Do it properly. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to get some rest. I've had a very exhausting evening."

Without another word to her he left and headed for his dorm. To his surprise, Mai didn't call out after him, or make any other moves. She just laid there in the same spot as before and watched him depart.

Eventually, she got up, dusted herself off, and smiled, "I see why you set me up with him, Risami. He's going to be a lot of fun to be with."

With a small laugh to herself, she went in a different direction toward her own dorm and vanished from sight.

At his dorm, Tonen was basically sulking as he went back to his room. Some of the others noticed his atypical expression and asked him what happened. He waved them off or said a basic excuse to get away and went right to his room.

Once inside his humble abode, he went right to his bed and put his pillow over his face…and screamed into it. Satisfied for the moment, he relaxed on the bed and looked up at his colorful ceiling.

"Many people like to think of me as unflappable. I'm usually very kind, collected, focused, and a rock that people can rely on. I'm flattered they think of me like that. But there are a few ways to get under my skin as you've seen. But with Mai? Yeah, it was something different, much different. So what do you do when you're in mental anguish over someone you don't know how to deal with? You call for help."

Tonen sighed, then pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Eventually, someone picked up.

"Hey dad," he began, "I need advice on how to deal with a crazy girl."

*credits*