Sweet Cute Green Obsession

by guyNumber23

Love is a very complicated thing. It changes the way one sees the world around itself, and push us past our limits. But there is a thin line between burning love and crazy obsession, and Uraraka Ochako may have crossed it, and not only her. One by one, they all fall in the charms of a certain green-haired teen. Can he take on all that "love"? Rated M for the lots of lemons.

32. Triple Trouble

Hi everyone, I'M HERE! Took me too long? Probably. After almost two weeks of zero production, I managed to finish the other half of this chapter, in a mere two days! Good days and bad days, right? Well, without further ado, to the story!

Triple Trouble

The classroom door slid open, signaling the students that the teacher was present. Everyone sat in their places and the noisy classroom went silent. Aizawa looked at them with his tired eyes, then at the watch on the wall.

"Oho, less than four seconds, I'm impressed. Now, I'm going to skip the boring parts. As you all must be thinking, UA won't just keep going after the last attack. Unfortunately for you, this means some things will change around here"

The students of 1-A were somewhat used to these kinds of news, way more than they should, considering their age. Such was the number of events that they already went through.

"Ne, do you think we'll be moved to a secret facility at a hidden island?" Ashido asked Kaminari.

"Can UA really do something like that? I mean, they're the best but-"

"If you two stop interrupting me I can tell you" Both students winced once they felt the tired gaze of their homeroom teacher focused on them. "About that, no, we don't have that many resources. For the same reason, increasing the number of pro heroes to act as guards is out of the question. We may know their objectives in this attack but the League can strike on other schools"

The students tensed up. The League of Villains successfully launched a large scale attack at UA and the persons responsible for that were still out there. It was only a matter of time before they gathered another army and struck again.

"This means basically that we have to use what we have right now, and that means you, the students. You're training to be heroes in the future, but some prefer to say that the future is now. This is the situation we're facing and you'll have to adapt to it quickly. Yesterday the classes were canceled due to an emergency reunion. Each principal of all the schools with the hero course were called and in a conjunct decision with the police department, we're implementing a new system of groups"

"Eh?!" The class said in one confused voice.

"Groups? But don't we already have the dorms?" Tokoyami asked.

"So we'll have to share rooms now?" Sero said to no one in particular.

"S-sharing rooms? It doesn't have to be only boys, right?" Mineta spoke out loud.

"No, considering our situation this will be a means of safety where the villains can't get us isolated" Iida pondered with a hand on his chin.

"Oh, it makes sense. But we have to be in groups all the time?"

"Ne, the groups can be mixed, right?!" The midget said already drooling a bit, which earned him a slap on the back of his head, courtesy of Tsuyu.

"~sigh~ If I had a coin every time they interrupt me… Listen up, I'm going to explain exactly how this will work so be quiet" The students quickly obeyed. Then, the blackboard flipped and a large screen lit up. "Iida is correct. Keeping you in small mobile units will turn things more challenging for anyone who tries kidnapping and considering your history, you're already capable of defending yourselves, perhaps even winning a fight. However, this is not the goal, so don't be stupid and try to play the pro hero. We had to take in count the students that didn't get their Licenses so you can only act with authorization of a pro and that's final" Aizawa's glare directed to a certain group of students, the explosive blonde, the half-hot half-cold, and the mop of green hair.

"Tsc. I'm going to play the babysitter of a bunch of extras" Bakugo said, gritting his teeth.

"I pity the person that's gonna team up with Bakugo" Kaminari whispered to Sero, who nodded in agreement.

"Now, the groups will be selected based on your performances. This way there won't be unbalanced teams" Aizawa said and then five squares popped on the screen, quickly sorting names.

"Oh no. Why do I have a bad feeling about this…?" The electric blonde said as he watched the names appear one after another.

Unit Alpha: Asui, Shoji, Sato, and Yaoyorozu.

"Hey, we're on the unit, Shoji" Sato said, reaching out to fist bump the tall teen.

"It seems we'll stick together from now on" Shoji replied, mimicking the other muscular boy.

"Let's work hard, Tsuyu-chan"

"Ribbit"

Unit Beta: Iida, Kyoka, Tokoyami, and Uraraka.

"I'm counting on you, Iida-kun" Uraraka said.

"Me too, Uraraka-san. Let's work hard together" The tall teen replied energetically.

"This will be interesting" Tokoyami calmly said.

"Yeah, agree" Kyoka replied in a similar manner.

Unit Gamma: Kaminari, Kirishima, Bakugo, and Mineta.

"I knew it! I knew that would happen!" Kaminari shouted as some tears ran over his cheeks.

"Yosh! I'm in the same unit as my bro. Isn't that awesome, Bakugo?"

"Tsc, whatever. Just don't stand on my way. That goes to you too, grape head and spark plug!"

"Why am I on a men-only team?! Damn it!" Mineta also cried.

Unit Delta: Todoroki, Koda, Aoyama, and Ojiro.

"L-l-let's do our best, guys" Koda shyly said.

"Oui, mon ami. Our time to shine is near"

"Somehow I feel a little better having Todoroki on the same team" Ojiro said to no one.

"Is that so? It's nice to team up with you too" Todoroki said in his normal cool self.

"Wait, really?"

Unit Epsilon: Midoriya, Ashido, Sero, and Hagakure.

"Mina-chan, we got on the same team!"

"Yeah, isn't it great?!" They exchanged glances (A/N: well, kind of). Someone else was in their team.

"I think I know how Ojiro felt… Count me to anything, Midoriya"

"Me too, Sero-san"

With the teams selected, Aizawa continued.

"The units were picked up based on your stats and abilities. Keep in mind a set of rules, Attack, Defense, Mobility, and Support. This will be important to improve the teamwork as a unit. From now on you have to stick to your Unit at all times, except during sleep hours. To ensure that, you'll receive a tracking device that you must use at all times. If a member of the unit leaves a thirty-meter radius from the other members, an alarm will be triggered and we'll receive an alert with its current location. So I don't think I need to stress out about false alarms" The whole class shivered under the stare of the teacher with scruffy hair.

At the end of the classes, they received the devices but before Aizawa could leave, Midoriya went after him.

"Sensei, I have a question"

"What is it, Midoriya?"

"Umm..." He hesitated a little, looking to the sides and scratching his head.

"If you're not sure of your doubt, come to the teacher's room later on-"

"No, I… I just don't know how to put it. Umm, what… what about Toga? Do the rules apply to her too? She didn't show to classes today, so I was wondering-"

"You seem strangely worried about her situation, even more considering your history with her" Midoriya tensed up. Aizawa was right. Why bother if Himiko would be alone or not? Yet, he couldn't help but imagine what she was doing during class one or another time.

"I know I shouldn't bother but, I don't know, I just thought that…"

"I didn't say you shouldn't bother. She is a valuable asset to us, after all. We simply didn't consider her like a normal student. Originally we would move her to a different place and keep retrieving info but since you mentioned it I'll speak with Principal Nezu and allocate her on your unit"

"E-Eh?! On my unit?! I don't think this- I mean, I'll do it if needed but I was just-"

"I'm aware this can cause you some discomfort but I can't deny she's a lot more talkative since we let her be around you. I suppose this would put her in… ~sigh~ a 'good mood'" Just how tired Aizawa was? Well, it was he who accompanied Tsukauchi during the interrogations so Midoriya could only wonder. Rather, he probably had a precise idea of what happened to someone after being exposed to Himiko's personality for a long period.

---

Earlier that day, a similar thing happened at the next class of the first year.

"EH?! Groups?!"

"Yes. Putting it simply, we want the students divided into small mobile units to reduce the chances of kidnapping. Also, you'll further enhance your capabilities of cooperation. Unlike a certain person, I think it is as important as individual development" Kan said the last part to himself. At the other class, Aizawa sneezed.

Following the same steps, Kan-sensei showed the students the screen and the team selection started.

Unit Zeta: Kaibara, Tsuburaba, Fukidashi, and Kuroiro.

"Heh, doesn't sound bad"

"So we're sticking together now, Kaibara" said Tsuburaba.

"The gears of destiny are shifting..."

"Chuuni as always, Kuroiro" a smile emoticon popped on Fukidashi's balloon.

"Oi"

Unit Eta: Kamakiri, Honekuni, Tsunotori, and Tokage.

"Yay, we're on the same team, Tokage-chan!"

"No need to be so overjoyed" the lizard girl was actually surprised with her short friend's reaction.

"Actually, it's good to have you on the team. Consider yourself the leader" Honekuni said while Kamakiri nodded in agreement, prompting the green-haired girl to scratch her head with a simple smile.

Unit Theta: Shishida, Shiozaki, Yanagi, and Rin.

"Fate hath brought us together again, o beast of the apocalypse"

"You really need to stop calling me that..."

"I like how it sounds. Don't you think, Yanagi?" Rin said as he turned to the pale girl.

"I'm more into the deep nuances of cosmic terror but it has a classical charm to it"

Unit Iota: Kendo, Komori, Bondo, and Monoma.

"Hahahaha! I can't wait to see what second-class team-ups 1-A got and-"

"It's too early for that" Kendo quickly knocked the blonde out, something common even to the teacher by now.

"You okay, Komori? You seem a bit nervous" The tall teen with holes on his head asked the brunette, who apparently snapped out of an inner monologue.

"Oh, n-no, not at all. I'm fine" She did her best to put up a bright smile but deep inside Komori was a nerve wreck. "I had to end in Kendo's team, didn't I?"

And finally Unit Kappa: Tetsutetsu, Awase, Shoda, and Kodai.

"Yahoo! Let's train together from now on, bro!" Tetsutetsu said as he wrapped his arm around Awase's neck with a little too much strength.

"I don't know if I can follow you on your training..." Awase said between small winces.

"This will be… interesting" Shoda said to himself, not sounding very enthusiastic with the team up as the metallic teen. He simply was a more quiet person. At least having Kodai on the team would make things more even. Said raven-haired girl simply looked at the screen with the names sorted up in teams and then looked outside through the window. The sunlight showered her as she rested her chin on her hand, eyelids half open and an expressionless face glancing at the green grass of the campus. It was like an alive painting. While Shoda wondered what could she be thinking, Kodai let her mind wander free.

"I wonder… if we formed a team..."

---

With the squads formed, classes went on as usual. During lunchtime, the students sat with their teams, even if it wasn't really necessary, but everyone was just so hyped about it that they had to stick together and talk about it. The problem was that it stopped a certain group of girls from having lunch with their dearest Izuku, except for Ashido and Hagakure. Just for today, they would let it pass. Meanwhile, the green-haired cinnamon roll was busy chatting with his squad about how pro heroes were forming teams lately and how that affected their status and rankings on the national level. Mina and Tooru listened to their heart's content while Sero… well, he did his best to follow the mumbling train.

The next thing to change was the hero training. In addition to the usual extremely tiresome Quirk training, each team had to dedicate some time training together to know each other's abilities better, discover flaws and weaknesses, and how to compensate them, overall finetune their teamwork. Aizawa even went a step further and asked his students to come up with at least two Special Team Super Moves.

And during the training, All Might walked around giving advice to the heroes in training, while Takeyama helped some of them in a more physical way. She might not be as experienced as the Symbol of Peace but she knew damn well how to fight and exploit the enemy's weak points. In the middle of class, she discreetly sneaked upon Midoriya and pulled him to a hidden spot really quick. The first thing she did was pick him off the ground and plant a deep long kiss on his lips, which he quickly returned after recovering from his surprise. She put him down after breaking the kiss but kept holding him close to her chest, gently stroking his green locks.

"~sigh~ I missed this so much..." Said the blonde.

"Me too. We didn't have any time to catch up since I came back, right?"

"Hah~ I'll tell you, UA takes everything so seriously. I mean, the invasion was a big deal for sure, but do we have to deliver four different reports? Nemuri and I pulled an all-nighter to get it done"

"I imagined you two would be busy. Anyway, I never asked before, what do you think of working here at UA? Sure, it's not as awesome as being full time on hero duty but still..."

She laughed lightly before answering.

"Always taking care of us… well, it's nice. The assistant teacher's payment isn't enormous but I can use some extra income. Also, I don't get into action all the time and being on the same team as Kamui Woods makes my job even easier. But the best part is... " She said looking down at him, lifting his chin so she could stare into his green eyes.

"The best part is…?" He asked back, getting his face closer to hers.

"The best part is being near you, sweetheart~ What else could I ask for?" Their faces were almost touching, both longing for the taste of each other, when suddenly a voice came in, completely breaking the mood.

"Ooooh, what is happening here?~" That voice. Midoriya knew it too well, but it wasn't time to be mad. it was time to slightly panic.

Midoriya and Takeyama let go of each other and he took a large step back, looking shocked at the source of laughs at the end of the hallway they were. Takeyama's face was pale and her eyes were wide as dishes. Meanwhile, Toga kept laughing lightly.

"Hahahahaha! Oh my, Izuku, you smooth-talking naughty boy~"

"H-Himiko?! What are- why are you here? I thought Aizawa-sensei was going to-"

"Yes, he talked with Principal Mouse and he said I could stay with you. Isn't it great?" She said as she jumped and hugged Midoriya like a plushie. Then her amber eyes turned to the taller woman present, who was still kinda lost. "But I have to know. Just what were you two doing here, all alone and hidden?~"

"I, uh… erm… ahem, we were just… practicing. Yes, Midoriya was training with his squad and he… hurt a muscle, so I was helping him with that. Yeah, that's what happened"

Himiko, still holding Midoriya, looked at Yu up and down with a skeptical face that soon turned into a bright fanged smile.

"I see. Izuku, dear, you have to be more cautious. We don't want to-" Himiko gave a long lick across his cheek, giving chills to the green-haired teen. "damage that body of yours now, do we?~"

He quickly pushed her aside, getting near Yu by instinct and adopting a more defensive stance, but he quickly recovered and fixed himself.

"I didn't expect principal Nezu to take this decision so fast… Whatever, we have a lot of training waiting for us. You better behave" Midoriya said, exchanging a reassuring glance to the worried woman next to him. She nodded in agreement and walked the two students back to their squad.

Needless to say, Himiko didn't get exactly a warm welcome. Even after explaining the situation Mina complained and kept mumbling with her arms crossed. The blonde simply pissed her off.

"Oh, hi there Flex Tape! Pervy-chan, Bitch-chan~"

"I swear I'll melt her down!"

"In due time, Mina-chan, in due time..."

"I'm just kidding, geez. It seems someone didn't get her morning fu-"

"You really want to pay a visit to Recovery Girl, don't you?" Midoriya covered Himiko's mouth before she could complete that sentence. Just to prevent, Sero also got his tape ready in case of Mina or Tooru exploding. Himiko pushed his hand down to speak.

"Only if you carry me there~ Okay, okay, enough joking around. What are we going to do today?"

One thought crossed the minds of the rest of the squad. The following days would be very, very long ones. While Unit Epsilon tried to explain the situation to the grinning blonde the second class of the hero course joined them. Ground Gamma and Beta were still under repair so it only left Gamma Gym for them to train for a while. Before he could say a single word, Kan-sensei got his field of vision blocked by a few students of his, all pretty eager to do whatever they had in mind.

"Kan-sensei, may I ask to train together with class 1-A?" Shiozaki asked, pretty straightforward, her hands clasped into a prayer pose and her eyes glimmering with excitement.

"Huh? We are going to work on your team tactics. Focus on knowing better your unit and-"

"Actually sensei, I believe it could benefit us a lot. The guys from 1-A can tell a lot about our abilities, things that even us wouldn't imagine ourselves" Kendo added, joining her vine haired friend. The teacher deadpanned. Sure, they weren't talking about class 1-A in general, but a certain green-haired kid with the impressive analytic powers.

The tall man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Deep down it upset him, mostly because one of Aizawa's students was drawing the attention of his own students, which made things a little more personal, kind of.

"They'll keep insisting anyway, won't they...?" "Umm, sure. But remember the main focus of your training. And I want you to create- they're gone ~heavy sigh~"

The next moment, Units Iota and Theta joined the unique unit of 1-A. Kendo and Shiozaki didn't waste any time and went straight to Midoriya, who got quite surprised to see them here.

"Hey, guys. So you're also working on the Unit system?"

"Yes, and we thought that you could help us, Midoriya-san" Shiozaki said, almost too eager.

"Sure. I guess we can all learn something from each other"

"I totally agree! Let's all be friends!" The blonde said, jumping on Midoriya's back suddenly, which drew the attention of the remaining students that just arrived.

"Umm, Midoriya-san, are you okay with… that?" Rin asked cautiously, looking at the girl clinging to the green teen.

"Well, umm, you see… I'm learning to ignore"

"Hey, don't do that!" Himiko said, releasing him only to quickly get in front of him. "Don't focus on them, focus on me. Teammates are temporary. My love is eternal"

The other units stared confused and unsure about how to react to the scene unfolding while Midoriya slapped a hand on his forehead out of frustration. Indeed, long days awaited him. Meanwhile, Kendo and Shiozaki glared death lasers at the blonde, doing their best to disguise the inner inferno of anger and hatred directed to her.

"Lord, forgive me, for I want to choke her with my vines..." Shiozaki murmured to herself.

"You said something, Shiozaki-san?" Yanagi said, startling her vine haired friend who didn't think she was heard.

"O-oh, no, no, I was… umm, the weather is nice today. My vines are stronger than ever" Well, she didn't lie. Her vines were incredibly strong and flexible due to sunlight and extra hydration.

"I see… but we're inside a closed building"

"Ah… ah hahaha… the truth that is… haha..."

On the other side, Kendo tightened her fists so hard her knuckles were getting white.

"Umm, Kendo-chan, is everything alright?" Komori asked shyly. The orange-haired girl snapped out of her death glare and turned to the shorter brunette, luckily with a softer expression.

"Yes, I'm fine"

"Really? I mean, no offense but… you looked a little scary just now" "Of course she would be mad! There's a psycho clinging onto her boyfriend!"

"Oh, did I? It's fine, I'm just not used to the situation yet. You know, training with a villain- I mean, ex-villain. I think I'm feeling tensed up"

"Tensed up? I'm feeling tense here. I confessed to your man, Kendo. And judging by your death sentence with glares, I might have made a huge mistake" Komori glanced to the sides, seeing her white-haired friend, who looked back at her. Yanagi saw her confess to an unconscious Midoriya, yet she didn't say a word about the topic, neither to her or Kendo, which she was pretty glad, to be honest. Yet, she knew about this embarrassing event, which was a problem itself. "Yeah, mistakes were made"

As Himiko kept joking around and the students did their best to cope with it, a pair of gray eyes watched the group from afar, specifically the green-haired boy.

"Kodai-san… Kodai-san"

Kodai turned to the rater chubby teen close to her. His expression was one of slight worry, though it was only Shoda's usual timid nature. He looked at the direction of her gaze, letting out a sigh.

"I'm sorry that you ended being stuck with me on the team., Kodai-san. My Quirk could be an awesome offensive but as you can see I'm not exactly the definition of athletic..."

"What are you talking about? Your Quirk is no problem, neither your physical condition. I was just distracted" She said in her normal tone, walking calmly to the rest of her unit. Shoda followed her closely.

"But you could have better match-ups, don't you think? Maybe if we talk with Vlad-sensei-"

"There's no need, I trust you guys are more than capable to act when the time comes. Isn't that right?" She asked the two other teens, who were doing push-ups, one of them much more energetic than the other. Said teen immediately got up.

"Hell yes! You bet, Kodai! Now, let's start this training already! You done warming up, Awase-bro?"

"~heave~ Warming up?! How can- ~pant~ fifty push-ups be a warm-up?"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't even begin to sweat. Man, since I started training with Kiri-bro it's kinda hard to get into it. You know what I'm saying?"

"I have- ~pant~ no idea" Awase said as he slowly stood up.

"Come on, don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The rush. Your blood pumping hot on your veins, the muscles burning. Your heart pounding hard like it'll explode!"

"Man, you're almost describing a heart attack..."

While Awase tried to raise Tetsutetsu's concern about his health, Kodai pondered about what the silver-haired teen just described. It sounded quite interesting.

"A rush, huh… and when he's with Kirishima. Hmm, it does seem familiar to what I felt at that time… Did my heart beat faster? Though the situation is different. Perhaps if I..." "Say, Tetsutetsu, do you only feel that rush when you're with Kirishima?" The sudden question stopped the two teens.

"Hmmm… I guess not, but my bro sure helps a lot. Heh, you can say we catch on fire when we're fighting each other" He said raising a steel covered fist. "Speaking of which, Awase! Let's begin this training for real now! Wield me if you can!"

"Slow down, Tetsutetsu! Let me at least-"

While Awase and Tetsutetsu engaged a weird game of tag, Kodai let herself think a little further about that feeling.

"Catch on fire… well, they say things as burning passion, I guess. As I imagined, I'll need to be closer to him to know for sure"

---

After a long and tiring class of training, Yanagi let the warm water wash away her tiredness. Nothing like a bath after a busy day to make her feel refreshed. That and some binge-reading at some of the many horror story blogs she followed. The pale girl could be found most of the time reading when she wasn't studying or training. It had always been like this, little Yanagi sitting at the dinner table with a large tome that definitely wasn't written to children of eight years. At such a young age the mysteries of things that lurk in the shadows fascinated her. The only problem was that the didn't feel so comfortable in the dark veil of her room anymore. It brought back frightening memories, which was another cause of her lack of sleep. But the cosmic horror had to be read in complete darkness. If not, what was the point?

Not feeling in the mood anymore, Yanagi left her room and walked to the common room, where she decided to simply slouch on the couch. Such was her boredom that she failed to notice the person next to her, even though the said person had vines for hair. Shiozaki looked away from whatever weird braids she was doing to her hair and turned to her pale friend.

"Oh, out of your room this evening, Yanagi-san?"

The silver-haired girl turned her head, finally acknowledging the unexpected company.

"Ah, yeah. Not in the mood to read now"

"That's a rare thing to see. Whenever I look at you you are reading some of these weird creepy books. No offense"

"Nah, they're supposed to be creepy and weird. I tell you, you don't know what you're missing. The intricate mysteries of the creatures that lurk in the shadows, beings of unknown age and origins, confined in the realm of thoughts, yet real and very present-"

"I don't want to interact with anything that hides from the light, thank you very much" Shiozaki said somewhat indignant.

"But Shiozaki, the dark… it beacons. It's calling for me. You can't help but look into the abyss, and when you do… the abyss looks back at you"

"Which is one more reason for me to avoid such things. Sometimes I feel really concerned about what occult things you mess with"

"Rest assured, my friend, I would never underestimate the power of the Dark Side" She knew how the girl could take these things too seriously so from time to time Yanagi would provoke Shiozaki a little by pretending to "throw herself into the dark abyss". But instead of a lecture about good deeds and staying in the light, Yanagi found the vine girl with a legit face of worry.

"How have you been doing?" She asked carefully.

"...You know, it's pretty recent, I..." Yanagi hesitated. "... I didn't get much sleep last night. And… I feel like tonight won't be different" She felt a hand land on top of hers.

"It's okay, it'll pass. You're pretty strong, Yanagi-san"

Strong. She was called that sometimes, but the contest was another. Most kids couldn't handle films of terror, even some adults, but Yanagi liked them. Perhaps it was her nature, to be drawn to what usually terrified others. That was what she believed until she found something that really scared her. Coming to think about it again, if it wasn't for Midoriya… If he wasn't there if he didn't act she would be…

This mere supposition was enough to send a powerful chill down her spine, one that robbed all the warmth from her body, and perhaps a little from her soul, so she recoiled into a ball, hugging her legs and looking down. She felt Shiozaki moving by her side, getting closer to her.

"It must have been a terrible experience. But you're safe now, Yanagi-san. There's nothing to fear here"

"Yeah, if it wasn't for him saving me… I… I don't think I thanked Midoriya properly for saving me back then"

"Don't worry, there's no need to"

"But he saved my life and-"

"I know, but he wouldn't ask for it. In fact, I bet he would say something like a-ah, t-there's no need to thank me, Yanagi-san! I was just doing what a hero should do!" Shiozaki said, doing her best impression of the cinnamon roll, which earned a chuckle from her pale friend.

"Heh, I guess so. Hmm, you seem to know him well. Coming to think of it, you were the first one to break "the wall" between the two classes. You asked for Midoriya's help, which is why you're making these knots on your hair" Yanagi pointed to the many vines entangled in curious ways.

"If I know him… well, you can say that" Shiozaki said nervously. "Midoriya is a real genius. He came up with many ways to use my vines, but they are all theory until I test them. I'm going to show him the results later" She sounded rather eager with the idea.

"Huh, aren't you afraid? I would be if I was in your position"

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Not what. Of who. It may not be official yet but he's Kendo's boyfriend, and I think she's the jealous type of girl"

"What makes you think that?" Shiozaki contained her laughs and smile.

"I don't know, but I get that vibe from her"

"If only she knew..." "Well, Midoriya and I… we help each other a lot. I mean, he helps me a lot with training and… other stuff"

"Like what?"

"What what?"

"What other stuff does he helps you with?" Yanagi looked at Shiozaki with a mildly suspicious look. The vine girl wasn't really good at lying.

"He, uh… when… sometimes I feel a little down or when something bothers me, he listens to what I have to say. It helps a lot"

"So you do that thing, what's the name again…? That thing with the person inside the box..."

"Oh, a confession?"

"Yes, that. So you confess to him or something?" Yanagi sounded really curious. She was sure Kendo would feel at least a point of jealousness knowing that another girl was this close to him. Then again, there were the girls from 1-A, but this had already been dealt with right? Meanwhile, Shiozaki thought about it.

"Well, I can't deny I'm completely sincere when we're together, both body and soul. And I do say what's going through my mind… and I do feel lighter and relieved afterward, so..." "I guess you can call that a confession, sort of..." Technically, Shiozaki wasn't lying.

"And… does it work?"

"I-if it works? Yeah… yeah! It works wonders"

"I see..." Yanagi returned to look down, making her friend worry about her again.

"Perhaps… you should talk to him one of these days? You will be impressed. Midoriya is an awesome listener"

"You think? I mean, I don't want to bother him, and there's Kendo too, and-"

"He won't mind, I'm sure, and neither will Kendo. It's just a talk, it won't hurt"

Yanagi let the idea wander a little inside her head. She supposed talking with someone would help to vent out these feelings. She should do that before things got worse. Recovery Girl even recommended a few sessions with the psychologist but she refused on the spot for who knows the reason. Maybe she was afraid of fear itself since she wasn't used to this feeling at all. The psychologist seemed too much, but perhaps someone closer to her would be easier to talk to, someone that was there when the thing happened. Someone that had already been there in the same dark place. The boy endured some pretty ugly situations, so she thought he would at least have a good idea of how she felt. Yeah, it could work out.

"It won't hurt to at least try, right…?"

---

"Ne, Tokage-chan, did you notice what happened today at training?"

"What? Kendo knocking Monoma out in record time?"

"No, no. We barely started and we already got mixed with 1-A"

"Oh. Yeah, so what?"

Tsunotori turned on her side and looked at the green-haired girl inside a sleeping bag on the floor next to her bed. They didn't have to stick together at all times as the teachers explained, but Tokage insisted that they had to do this at least once to know each other better. The short blondie didn't mind at all since she was quite a fan of sleepovers.

"You know what is more curious about it?"

"What?"

"There was this huge group around Midoriya"

"Yeah, so?"

"Don't you think it's weird? Or at least surprising?"

"Why? They like him"

"Like him? Why?"

"What's not to like…" Tokage said dreamily as her mind wandered. "I mean, he's pretty smart and really strong too. And after what happened during the attack, that was to be expected right?"

Tsunotori looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow, then turned to look at the ceiling again.

"You are probably right, still it surprises me. Did you see the other day? Suddenly Midoriya was in the middle of a manliness dispute with Tetsutetsu"

"Tetsutetsu didn't give him many options"

"I know, but still… You would think that by now he and Kendo would stick together all the time, but it's not happening. It's like there's nothing going on between them"

"And your point is?"

"I… don't have one"

"Look, maybe they're waiting for the right moment, or they'll focus on the studies and marry when they graduate or something"

"~gasp~ Do you think they'd do that?! Oh, I want to be the bridesmaid" Tsunotori said, already imagining her friend in a white dress with a long tail, entering a church with a big bouquet and- scratch that, an open field in the meadows, or maybe a traditional Japanese house with a large garden. Suddenly the idea of Kendo using her martial arts uniform popped into her mind. "Hmm, not impossible..."

"Hey, slow down, girl. I was just saying for the sake of it"

"But doesn't this make you wonder? I mean, Midoriya looks like a timid, nerdy guy but he's actually quite popular. If Kendo doesn't speed things up at least a little, someone else could try to make a move on him"

"I wouldn't worry about that" Tokage rolled her eyes. The naive blondie…

"Oh yeah, do you still ship Midoriya and Todoroki, Tokage-chan?"

"Oh… hmmm, nah, not happening"

"Really? But you liked that one the most"

"I realized it would never work"

"What do you mean?"

"For this ship to sail the way I fantasized, Todoroki-kun had to be the more… aggressive of them, but Midoriya, well, let's say there's more to him than you can see"

"I don't think I get it"

"Relax, it is much easier to imagine KiriBaku sailing. These two do all the work for us. Oh, there's TetsuKiri too"

"Hehehe, this would be fun to watch"

"What? The tsundere explosive blondie or the two hard-headed guys?"

"Both. Try to imagine this..."

"Holy shit, that's a hell of a love triangle, Tsunotori. I like how you think! Very bold, innovating~"

"Hehehehe, okay, let's sleep already. Something tells me the training and homework will increase from now on"

"Okay, good night then"

"Goodnight"

And with her eyes closed, before falling asleep, Tsunotori let her mind wander to her memories of the green teen. If what Tokage said was true, there was more to this boy than the shy and socially awkward person she saw stuttering around and saving others heroically. This made her think, made her feel curious. What could that boy have that made everyone get close to him?

"Hmm, guess everyone has their own secrets..." She thought as she fell asleep.

---

Days went on and the next generation of heroes kept working hard both on studies and training. Well, some more than others in the studies part, as right now Mina, Tooru and Shiozaki struggled against the numbers, receiving help from the young genius Hatsume Mei. She didn't have any problems with maths, or physics, or chemistry, or anything related to the field of exact sciences. History, however, was her weak point. The pink-haired teen simply refused to remain focused on the subject as her brain constantly outputted ideas and schemas for new inventions. And trying to fight this attention span was Momo's current mission as she tried for the third time to explain the Edo period.

This small study session came to be by the suggestion of the green teen, who was currently doing his own homework. After finishing everything, Midoriya went out for a walk. Something has been bugging him but he knew what, neither the source of it. He just felt kinda weird, like when you feel you're being watched. Well, he was sure someone had their eyes on him most of the time, considering his current situation. The many problems he and his friends got through gave him some low key awareness, like a feeling that something is not right or something bad will happen. Until now it didn't fail so he learned to trust more on his feelings.

The cold air of the night brushed against his face as he tried to clear his mind. Tuning out of his normal routine would help to detect anything that shouldn't be here, at least in theory.

"~sigh~ A lot of things happened lately, huh..."

Indeed there was a lot to tune out, namely the attack at UA, his kidnapping and the psycho next door, and let's not forget the massive harem he got. If nothing, that storm his life was going through would help him carry the burden of being the next Symbol of Hope. I mean, when you have a life as intense as this, most things felt much less overwhelming. So for a moment, Midoriya wiped his mind clear, taking the cold air into his lungs and letting out slowly. His heartbeat was slow and steady, his pace loose as he wandered with no certain direction. It was only him and the night sky with a few clouds here and there. And this… a nagging sensation of someone watching him, almost invading his personal space.

"Could this be someone's Quirk-"

Well, now it was only him, the night sky and whoever he bumped into right now. He shouldn't really wander around looking up, but he honestly didn't expect to find anyone out there. Maybe this person was also trying to clear his/her mind.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was- M-Midoriya?!"

Hearing his name, Midoriya sat up focused on the person he bumped into. The brown bobbed haircut was familiar but the bangs covered the eyes. It kind of resembled him of a mushroom.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention either. Umm, Komori-san, wasn't it?" He said and asked as he got up, offering a hand to the girl still sitting on the floor. She stared at it and at his face for some seconds before holding it. She dusted herself off and stood there for a long awkward and silent minute until he decided to say something.

"So… enjoying the night?"

"... A-ah, uhh, yes. I felt like walking a bit" She seemed to regain her focus after some time. He couldn't see her face entirely but judging by her slightly wavy voice and fiddling with her hands she was at least a bit nervous. "You just… decided to walk this time? Every time I look at you, you're training or something like that… not that I look all the time, or that I- aah… umm..."

"I should just shut up and leave before I spit out anything more embarrassing, but… aaw, he looks so beautiful under the moonlight. I could drown in there green polls and-"

"... Komori-san? Are you okay?"

"Hah?" "Shit! I zoned out again!" "W-w-what were you saying?!" She asked, already feeling her cheeks burning. It only got worse when she heard a soft laugh from him. "Great, he must think I'm an airhead. Well, I do feel in the clouds with him being that near to me and… WE'RE SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER!" There was like half a meter between them but this was much closer than the average distance in her memories, and no, she didn't keep track of this specific data.

"Nothing important. I just said that I do train a lot. I guess it's natural to me now"

"Yeah, you have been training since before the Entrance Exams and- ah!" Komori slapped a hand over her mouth but not before some incriminating words slipped from her lips. Luckily he wouldn't notice.

"Yeah… yeah, you're right. I have been working out like crazy for some time. Heh, when I started this I could barely finish one session, or run three kilometers without stopping to breathe... "

"Thank heavens, he didn't notice"

"But I'm a little curious. How did you know that?"

"Ah, shit! Me and my big mouth!" "Umm, well I..."

Komori simply lost the ability to form a sentence. How could she explain that to him in a way that wouldn't embarrass her and probably make him think she was some kind of creepy stalker? Her instincts kicked in and she looked down, holding at the hem of the light blue hoodie she was wearing. Her hands would shake whenever she was in this type of situation and her social awkwardness would show up, making things, even more, embarrassing on a feedback loop that once ended with her fainting. But before she could reach this critical level, our green-haired hero got that feeling that something wasn't right with her, his "hero sense", per say.

"If I'm not bothering, wanna walk a bit?" The offer effectively threw her out of the loop as she suddenly perked up and looked at him with a surprised face. Oh, he could see her face better now. "Her eyes… kind of remind me of Mei"

"Walk? You mean, t-together? You and me?"

"If you don't mind. I understand if you prefer to be by yourself, sometimes we need some time alone to-"

"YES! I mean- sure, I would loo… like to, umm, have your company" Komori was using all her willpower to stop her face from opening the biggest of the grins.

If she was nervous before, now she was internally freaking out. Komori looked around from time to time, but her head never once turned towards the green-haired teen next to her. She even tried to walk a bit ahead of him to block some of her peripheral vision. The brunette was currently in an internal fight against herself as one half wanted to hug him right here and there to never let go and the other wanted to run away without looking back. The result was this silent walk across the campus. . Silence…

"So-" Both said almost at the same time.

"You were going to say-"

"No, no, you say it" Komori cut him short, mentally beating herself for being so rough.

"Okay. How are… how are you guys doing? I mean, after the whole deal with the League and the invasion. I heard something from Kendo but I was wondering… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I was just, umm… a bit worried"

"Worried! Midoriya is worried about me! It might be because he's just that kind, and he may not be only worried about me, but still… I ain't complaining!" "We're fine. You know, carry on and these things. I know it's not every day that you get teleported to a secret hideout full of villains but… all in a day's work, I suppose?"

"Yeah, I know that feeling. Mom would object against it but it's kind of bound to happen when you aim to be a pro hero"

"Your mother must care a lot about you"

"Oh, she sure does. Lately, I have been thinking, and I feel I understand her a little better now. That's why I asked"

Komori, for the first time since they started to walk, looked at him directly, admiring his relaxed expression for a moment before his eyes met hers and she quickly looked ahead again. Maybe opening up a little wouldn't be that bad and dangerous, right? She was just talking to him. Just talking while walking in the night with the boyfriend of her friend whom she totally supported and wished the best in her life.

"Actually, maybe we're a little less than fine"

"Bad night of sleep?"

"How did you- umm, not exactly..."

"It's okay, this is the most common thing to happen" He said as he looked forward. She glanced quickly and his eyes seemed to be focused on somewhere else as if he was distant, then they focused on her, again and again, she looked away.

"I'm not the worst case, I guess. I think I'm handling it pretty well" She wasn't lying. The reason for her lack of sleep was another one, and it was casually walking by her side.

"One of your friends?"

"Yes. Yanagi-chan"

"Yanagi… Yanagi… She's the girl with silver hair and… the telekinetic power"

"That's her, and Poltergeist is the Quirk's name"

"Cool, we didn't talk much. So, about this sleep thing, it varies from person to person but usually talking about it with someone helps a lot"

"You seem to know a lot about it, Midoriya-san"

"Well, I guess I'm always absorbing some information, even during the sessions with the psychologist"

"Oh..." The brunette felt like she hit a delicate spot and she cautiously looked at him, not sure about what to expect. To her surprise, but a welcome one, he seemed pretty fine remembering of it.

"The best thing is to at least let her know she's not alone. Trying to deal with it alone can be pretty hard, trust me. And don't mind if she doesn't respond at once, in time she'll open up" He reassured her with a small smile that was enough to warm Komori up, despite the chills of the breeze.

"Maybe you should go talk to her, Midoriya-san"

"Me? Oh no, I'm no specialist, I'm just reproducing what I heard"

"But you have already been through a lot. To me, if someone could understand how Yanagi-chan feels, that person is you. Besides, you're so kind and gentle that- ah! I mean, not in the way you're thinking! Not that you're not kind- I just wanted to say- hnngh..." Komori covered her face and walked a few steps ahead of him before slowing down so they were together again. Silence fell between them until She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You know, I used to live in another prefecture, all the way to the other side. My parents bought a house in Dagobah since it was closer to UA, so my last year in middle school was basically the weirdest thing. Lots of people I've never met, and that I probably wouldn't see again. Honestly, I've never been very good at meeting people and making friends. I always preferred to look for mushrooms since I learned about my Quirk… pretty weird, right?" She looked at him with an uneasy smile. He returned a small gentle one to her.

"I know what you mean. I too wasn't very good at making friends. I'm still a pile of nerves whenever I get to a new place or see new people. And I don't think it is weird that you like mushrooms"

"Really?"

"It is part of who you are, isn't it? Besides, I know it's hard when you don't quite fit in the group..."

"It's hard to imagine you not being popular, Midoriya-san"

"Heh, I don't believe it either, but it's extra hard to fit without a Quirk..."

"You didn't have a Quirk?" She asked incredulously.

"A-ah, yeah, you probably don't know. I'm a… ahem, I'm kind of a late bloomer"

"I see..." There was so much of him she didn't know yet. "Well, anyway when we moved I discovered something really awesome. I was just minding my own business one day, looking for some fungi friends. I heard about this huge dump and I thought it might be a good place to look at, and you won't believe it, the dump was nothing like in the images I searched. Like, it was an endless mountain of trash, and when I got t the beach it was much, much cleaner"

As she spoke, Midoriya connected the dots. She was around when he was cleaning the beach. This could be a problem so he decided to keep listening with even more attention.

"I asked my aunt and looked around, but I couldn't find out who was behind this. Not a single group of volunteers, or any corporation making some good marketing, still every time I came there the beach was cleaner. Someone is working really hard, I said to myself"

"It seems like that, hehe..." He felt both proud and embarrassed but still managed to contain his emotions.

"Then, the day after the Entrance Exams, I came to the beach and guess what? It was completely clear! Spotless. Then I thought, wow, he did it"

"He? Who is he?" Midoriya faked ignorance.

"Oh, there was this person I found out. At first, I didn't believe he was doing it by himself but every time I saw him, he looked so into it, making the biggest effort to achieve his objective. He must have worked so, so hard every day. I wonder if he felt exhausted the entire time. During the Exams, I wondered if he managed to clean it all..."

"Oh… well, this person seems pretty determined"

"He sure is. Because of him, lots of people can use the beach again and they even began to collect garbage from other places, and no one throws trash on the beach anymore. His effort made a huge difference in many lives. You can say he's kind of a hero, right?"

"I suppose..."

Komori then took a step ahead and started to walk backward in front of him, eventually mustering the courage to look into his face directly.

"He also changed my life"

"R-really?"

"Yes… Before I didn't feel like talking to anyone much. I was so shy, I still am, but now I feel that I can win over it and go talk to others, kinda like we're doing now"

"I-I see… that's pretty nice, Komori-san"

"..."

"..."

"... I..." She stopped, then he stopped right in front of her. She looked down again in silence. "I want to say it so bad..." "I… I owe you a lot, Midoriya. Even if you didn't know, you inspired me to go further, do more than I thought I could. It may sound a bit lame but I have been following your lead for some time now… What I really want to say is… … thank you, Midoriya-san" Komori did a small bow, never cutting her sight from his face, then stood in front of him like she was expecting an answer. Midoriya supposed he should give her one but what to say? She didn't seem to recognize All Might, or if she did, she didn't think much of it to make any connections so… he was safe?

"I, umm… well, that's a little embarrassing, I confess. Anyway… I'm glad I could inspire you in that way. Honestly, I wasn't doing that entirely for the sake of the environment or something. That was my training for the Exams and since I was a late bloomer, I had to learn fast how to use my Quirk. It didn't end pretty well, as you may know, but at least I passed"

"Yeah, I saw the footage and man, that was so cool. But between us..." She hid her face behind her bangs for a moment, then raised her head. He could see her eyes, and it had some kind of gleam to them. "to me, you looked more heroic carrying those tires around the sand"

Midoriya didn't know what to say or where to put his face, but he refused to avert his gaze from her eyes. He let that sink for a moment, then let his body react as an answer, resulting in a shy smile that made her legs feel like jelly. He timidly held on his right arm, rubbing it, but before he could say anything Komori took a step back, hiding her eyes behind the bangs again. Spinning on her heels she started to walk off alone.

"Well, I should go back before my team gets worried. Thanks for walking with me, Midoriya-san"

"O-oh, it was nothing, I liked to walk with you too. I should go back now. So, see you tomorrow… perhaps?"

"Sure, perhaps. And Midoriya-san"

"Yes?" She didn't turn around much, she just spun her head around a bit, but he could swear he saw something glistening.

"You were right. Talking helps a lot"

And just like that she made a light jog back to her dorms, leaving the green teen alone under the moonlight.

She didn't stop on her way back, coming across the common room and greeting whoever she met or called her quickly. She went to her room, closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a minute. A few sobs escaped her lips. Then she took slow steps towards her bed, spinning and letting her body fall on the soft mattress. Her pillow would be soaked the next morning again, but this time it would be for a good cause. These confused tears rolled free over her cheeks, clashing against the smile crossing her lips.

I owe you a lot… I love you a lot…

I have been following your lead for some time now… I have these feelings since the start...

What I really want to say is… … thank you, Midoriya-san… I love you, Midoriya-san...

"Aaah~... I said it"

---

Suffocating. That was the sensation she woke up with. Each day, without fail. Another restless night, another wake up with a gasp for air. Good thing she wasn't one to scream while dreaming, otherwise her friends would be even more concerned. Yanagi crawled out of her bed and dragged her tired body to the bathroom where she washed her face to wake up. One week of bad sleep was finally taking its toll on her. Her natural dark marks under her eyes now looked like legit eyebags. Not only that, she was pale but not the usual pale skin of an apparition. It was that pale skin of sickness or extreme fright. She was absolutely terrified by her last dream.

The more she tried to fight it, the worse it got. Not sleeping proved to be the wrong tactic since she would go to the next night even more tired and it would affect her dreams, not to mention the increasing difficulty to focus during the day. The fourth handful of cold water didn't make her feel or look less tired so she decided to use bring out the big guns. Getting as presentable as possible in the moment, which consisted of getting rid of the bed hair, Yanagi made her way down to the first floor and to the kitchen, were she searched into the dispense for a particular item. A brown can with a red lid. The label around the can read concentrated black coffee. Extra strong, extra caffeine. Original from Brazil. She spent a lot of money on this beauty but man, it was worth the price and shipping. One hot mug of this and she could pull an all-nighter doing homework or, preferably, reading.

As the ghost girl waited for the water to boil sitting on a stool next to the balcony, she eventually fell asleep leaning on her hand. She woke up with a jolt when she felt a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Huh?! What?!"

"Yanagi, easy. You fell asleep. And sorry but your water evaporated completely" The orange-haired girl said with an empathizing look.

Yanagi looked at the stove and sighed, letting her head hit the balcony softly as Kendo put more water to boil. Then the silver-haired girl got up suddenly again.

"Dang it! We'll be late!"

She got up and almost felt from the stool but Kendo held her before she could rush up to her room.

"Yanagi, wait"

"What?"

"It's Saturday" The pale girl looked at her as if the information didn't quite go through her processors. "No classes today?" Then it hit her. Relief washed over Yanagi.

Now with a considerably large mug of coffee in hands, Yanagi smelled the hot drink before sipping it, already feeling her batteries charging up just from the act of having breakfast. Kendo looked at her friend with a small smile as she poured some milk into her cup and a few spoons of sugar. Looking at her own drink, she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't get it. How can you drink coffee that strong? And without sugar? I put half a cup of milk and mine still looks dark..."

"I like it that way. My dad used to write to a column in a journal and he would spend nights revising the work. One day I snuck up and took his coffee, then it was love at first sip"

"You're amazing… still, I was wondering why you woke up so early in a weekend"

"Umm, being productive?" She didn't really want to talk about it, mostly because Kendo was well aware of her current problems with sleep.

Kendo sighed, emptied her mug, then stood up and put it on the sink. On her way out she rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"If you need anything..."

"I'll let you know first"

It wasn't like Yanagi didn't trust her friends. On the opposite, it was because she knew they wanted to help that she felt so held back with the idea of talking about it. She didn't want to be a burden to them. For what felt like the umpteenth time, the green-haired teen popped in her mind. Should she talk to him? Shiozaki did say he was a good listener and well, he was Kendo's boyfriend and she wouldn't be with any common person. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard someone mumbling a good morning. Said person didn't have the same preoccupation in dealing with bed hair since her usual bobbed haircut gave place to a quite funny mess, with many bangs and strands pointing upwards. Being the good friend she was, Yanagi offered Komori a cup of hot coffee, which the drowsy brunette accepted probably on autopilot.

"Blegh! Bitter..." Komori said. Then proceeded to sip more of the black drink. "Blegh… how do you do this?"

"You get used to it. Heh, Kendo just said something like that right now"

Silence fell quickly between the two, but it passed as fast as it came.

"Bad dreams?" Yanagi asked.

"No sleep at all. You?"

"Eyes closed but the same as nothing"

The two sighed. This was getting out of hand too fast.

"Why don't you try… talking to someone about it?" Said the brunette.

"I'll go if you go. But honestly, I don't really wanna talk with someone I don't know"

"Well, it's their job and the school is offering it for free..."

"I know but..."

"I understand the feeling, trust me. But, this time I didn't sleep for a different reason"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It was a good one, and I'm pretty sure it was because I talked with someone"

"I'm glad you're getting better but… I don't know if I'm ready to-"

"You should talk to Midoriya"

"..."

"..."

"Where did that come from?"

"Trust me, it'll help"

Yanagi looked down, slightly recoiling into a smaller form.

"Look, Komori, I didn't tell Kendo about… you know what. Whatever happened there, I know you don't mean any harm but I simply cannot-"

"Yes, you can. Yanagi-chan, I'm not telling you to go there and pour down your heart into it. We both know that can be very, very embarrassing and compromising… it's just talk, simple as that"

"But he has his things to do"

"He can spare a couple of minutes"

"He must have his own problems"

"Who doesn't? Listen, just give it a try. If someone can hear you it's him, and I'm sure he'll gladly do so"

"~sigh~ Why are you so sure?"

"It's Midoriya we're talking about. The guy who punched a giant robot to save someone he met during an exam. He's the definition of kindness"

---

So now, with further encouragement from her friends, Yanagi felt more inclined to resort to the cinnamon roll of sunshine. The biggest problem was, how to address the subject? let's take one step back, how should she approach him? Maybe if she asked Kendo to call him, but what would she say to her? Hey, Kendo, can you call your BF so I can talk to him? No big deal, just a one on one, some particular thing, don't worry.

"Yeah, not gonna happen. How to proceed? It's not like he'll casually walk by the dorm's door and-"

"Oh, hey there, Midoriya!"

"Good morning, Tokage-san"

"No shit"

Yanagi poked her head from the kitchen and there he was, the mop of green hair now talking with the bigger mop of green hair, though he wasn't alone. The lean guy with black hair, pinky, invisible girl, and surprisingly the psycho blondie. Said psycho was clinging to him, which he didn't mind much, or didn't let it show. Judging by the laughs of her and the way Tokage started to snarl, the blondie was messing with her and Midoriya was trying to contain the ex-villain. Yanagi still couldn't wrap her head around it completely, though she saw Toga in action when they were kidnapped and she really tried to help the group to escape, even if her reasons were quite different.

Honestly, her image of Toga was pretty different from what she was seeing. She heard of a psychopath in the form of a schoolgirl, a cold-blooded murderer who relished on seeing others bleed and were dangerously good at doing so. Yet here she was, running around the common room, arms up and laughing like a kid as the lizard girl gave chase, followed by Pinky and invisible girl. Meanwhile, Midoriya sighed and facepalmed while the tape boy offered a sympathetic smile. But forget that, back to her problem: Approaching Midoriya. With the extra company, how should she do that?

"Toga-san, are you up to spare session? I have been waiting for an opportunity" Kendo came out of the blue, already dragging the blondie outside with her.

"Wait, hold up, I can't get away from-"

"Don't sweat yet, the grass outside will suffice"

"I don't have any clothes-"

"Don't worry, I got you. I'll lend you some of mine"

Well, there goes the most problematic one.

"Ashido-san, you won't believe what I just read this morning on Twitter" Tokage said, picking up her phone and pulling the two gossip loving girls to another place.

Two down, one more to go.

"Good morning to y'all guys… oh, Midoriya, Sero. What are you doing around here?" Awase said as he came down the stairs.

"Just passing by. Oh, thanks for the tip on traps yesterday. I was thinking of something, and…"

Just like that Sero joined Awase as the latter went to grab breakfast. That left Midoriya alone in the room.

"Quick, before Tetsutetsu comes down from his morning sit-ups" Yanagi felt little push on her back. Komori was behind her and waved a hand to her, shooing the silver-haired girl. Deciding to take the opportunity, Yanagi moved and got near him.

"Hey there, Yanagi-san. Good morning"

"Good morning to you too, Midoriya-san"

"..."

"..."

"Ummm, do you want something?"

"N-no, no, I… yes. Can… can we..."

"Yes?"

"Can we have a little chat… if it doesn't bother you?"

"Sure"

"It'll be quick, I swear"

"Don't worry, I don't have anything planned for today"

"Really? Oh well, then I'll take my time. I mean!- I'll make it count, as in, ummm… ah haha haha ah..." "This… could have gone better"

---

So there she was, leaning on the wall under the shadow of the large building, remaining silent and looking at the floor with a lot of interest. Due to the new tracking system, there wasn't really a way to go far from the rest of her team, neither had Midoriya. At least they were out of the hearing range from her friends. Still, the biggest problem was how to start this conversation. Komori might have convinced her into doing this but she didn't have any time at all to think about it or create a plan of action. As the minutes dragged themselves into a slow pace, Yanagi felt more and more like leaving, more precisely by being swallowed at once by the ground. Then again, being trapped into a dark place would probably be counterproductive and…

"Yanagi-san, did you give my suggestion any thought since last time?" His voice came out suddenly, popping out her bubble. She looked confused at him.

"Umm, suggestion…?"

He scratched his arm.

"Yeah, I thought so. We were in a sea of problems, of course, you wouldn't remember..."

Yanagi made an effort to revise her memories. Did they interact at all before the attack at UA? What could be the talking about-

"Oh, that. No, umm, sorry, I didn't even consider it..."

"It's fine. We had other priorities at the time. I was just curious"

"Curious?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a habit. Whenever I see a new Quirk I instantly start thinking about how they work and what you could do to them. It's pretty nerdy, and probably boring to some extent" He said with a hint of shame or shyness in his face.

"If Shiozaki and Kendo are anything to be based on, your habit must be pretty useful. You could say it's almost a Quirk on its own, super analysis or something"

"Heh, you probably never saw me muttering..." Both shared a light laugh. Yanagi was quite used to not being the definition of a "normal person". Her likings for urban legends, mysteries and dark stories always lead her away from the general direction other kids moved to.

"You know, I kind of like nerdy..."

"You what?"

Yanagi let that slip without notice, causing a faint blush to appear in her cheeks once she realized what she just said.

"A-ah, you know, nerdy things like… umm, ever heard of H.P. Lovecraft...?" She asked nervously, hoping to lead the chat somewhere, anywhere else. Wait, she was too nervous about it, wasn't she? That phrase alone couldn't lead to misinterpretation, right? Right?!

"Hmm, the name does ring a bell..." Midoriya pondered with a finger on his chin.

"Could he be a potential fan? If so, I'm definitely presenting him to grimdark"

"Oh, now I get it. There is a pro hero. She goes by... umm, Nyaruth...? Nyarla! I was doing some research when I came upon the inspiration for her name"

"You're saying there's a hero named after the Crawling Chaos?" Yanagi's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I guess so. The crawling chaos hero, Nyarla. Her Quirk allows her to mess with the senses of people, making them hallucinate"

"Wow, that's so cool! How did I not hear about her before?"

"Well, probably because she's not very popular. Her hero costume is… not very friendly looking"

"Really? How much?"

"It's some Egyptian themed costume, but with a lot of black, and she's pretty tall and lean"

"That's just perfect. I'm definitely searching it tonight"

"Tonight?"

"Oh yeah, I do that a lot. You gotta read cosmic horror during the late hours, with all the lights out and..." Yanagi trailed off as she remembered the whole point if this talk. She sighed tiredly, feeling the energy of the morning coffee slowly draining away.

"I suppose you don't get to sleep much, maybe?" Midoriya asked cautiously.

"You mean the marks under my eyes? It's a family thing, though if I had to be honest… they are quite more evident lately..."

He waited for a little to see if she would keep talking. If not, Midoriya would have to think of another way to approach the subject. Luckily for him, Yanagi seemed more talkative now, even if also slightly sad.

"Have you… have you ever felt afraid of something you always lived with?"

"Like being afraid of heights after growing up?"

"No. Yes… kind of"

Midoriya reflected upon her words a little further. Being afraid of something familiar… yeah, he could relate, thanks to a certain shape-shifting psycho.

"I think I understand. Why? Is that getting in the way of..."

"Yeah, that's right. I barely shut my eyes closed during the last week because… because..." Yanagi hesitated, biting her lower lip. Should she really tell him that? Well, since she came so far… "I am… I'm afraid of the dark… I know it's silly and childish, even more considering that I loved to be in the dark, but- but I..."

Her cheeks were burning hot due to her embarrassment. This was the time where he would laugh at her for such a ridiculous situation. Except she didn't hear any laughter. Instead, she felt a hand leaning on her shoulder. Turning around to face him, her teal blue eyes meeting his emerald green ones. Worry was all over his soft expression.

"It's normal to feel like that. We all went through a hell of an experience and I'm not going to lie, you got really close to death. This kind of thing can mess up a lot with your head so no, that's not silly or childish"

Yanagi stared for what felt like an eternity into his eyes. Did he always have such bright and endearing eyes like that? If so, how did she never notice? Then again, the cinnamon roll was so bright that it probably never passed through her darkness loving mind.

"Well, umm, how was it to you? I-I mean, how did you deal with… this feeling?" She asked with a hint of worry, not wanting to bring back up bad memories.

"~sigh~ At least to me, I'm still dealing with it. These kinds of things never really go away but we can learn to live with them, rather live despite them. But the first nights were rough, I admit. Having someone by my side helped a lot so I definitely recommend that"

"Yeah… I noticed..."

"Huh?"

"I-I… well, you seemed to get much better after you and Kendo, you know..."

"Oh, that… Yeah, Kendo helped a lot, but also my friends were very important. You must keep in mind that you're not alone, even if you have to deal with it by yourself… does it make any sense?"

"Sure… sure, it does. I'm definitely not alone, hehe..."

"What do you mean, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, nothing much. ~sigh~ It's really embarrassing but… actually, Komori convinced me into talking with you"

"No, really?"

"Yes, and I was like, how am I going to get to him? Then suddenly you appeared here and now we're discussing a very embarrassing part of myself"

"I confess, Kendo sent me a message another day and she asked the same thing to me"

"You kidding, right?"

"Nope"

Yanagi sighed again and rolled her eyes, looking up to the sky. She didn't seem so tired anymore.

"See? Not alone at all. I have so many friends that are looking after me I almost feel bad for coming to you talking about it..."

"Hey, sometimes we just need a new perspective"

Yanagi then looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Huh, Komori was right. He understands me a lot. I wonder, if he wasn't with Kendo, then maybe..." She shook her head, moving away from this terrible idea. She wasn't going to ruin her friend's relationship because of a maybe. What kind of friend would Yanagi be if she did that? Yet, the more she looked at him, the more she got to know him, the more tempting it got to the silver-haired girl.

"Well, thanks for hearing me, Midoriya-san. I didn't know I needed that so much"

"No need to thank me, I'm glad to help. Plus, if you ever need to talk again you know where to find me"

"Okay. Let's hope I don't need to do that a lot- oh, sorry. That… didn't come out well..." "Really smooth, idiot"

"Nah, it's fine. But perhaps we could still talk? Like friends?"

"Friends… yeah, friends is cool"

"So as your friend, you can count on me to anything"

Those words get engraved into her mind. Yanagi felt an urge building up inside her, coming from the depths of her heart. Seeing him in front of her, mere centimeters away, caused a need to hug the boy right where he was to grow inside the ghost girl. She fought the feeling with unexpected difficulty but managed to do so. He looked so… huggable and warm. Two things she never gave that much importance, compared to those that crawl in the shadows of the unknown.

"Why don't we go inside? Are you fond of second breakfasts?"

"I shouldn't mess with my diet much but it can't cause that much harm, right?"

"Nice. Oh, I can show you some of the books I got. Ah, do you know anything about the Foundation?"

"Now we're talking"

Yanagi didn't know why, but being near him felt nice. It was like Midoriya was constantly radiating warmth and comfort, which completely negated the chills she had been feeling for the past few days. And she knew he had hard times too, so a big point in common. She usually didn't get to talk in person about the things she liked. Kuroiro was more into a personal vibe, like the chuunibyou he was. Yet here she was, sitting at the balcony, drinking coffee and discussing how an anomalous object behaved. If one looked from outside, he/she/it would probably see them as a couple on a date. Unfortunately, only many hours later that day it would come to Yanagi's mind, causing the girl to have a minor freak out when Tsunotori mentioned it.

---

This turned out much worse than they expected. Worse? Well, relativistic speaking, as there wasn't anything bad at watching a bunch of built-up teens in a challenge of who makes more repeats of whatever exercise they can think of. Not bad at all. This all started as every good story, with a fortunate encounter at the gym lead by fate. Midoriya was doing his exercises, as usual, Tetsutetsu and Kirishima came around and with the redhead came Bakugo. Add Rikido, Shishida and Kaminari wanting to show off and you have all you need to a small tournament. Needless to say, the blonde didn't stand a chance, not that he didn't make a recognizable effort, but it simply wasn't for him.

"Don't cry, Kaminari. You did your best to follow them" Jiro said as she patted the poor thing sprawled on the floor, covered in sweat.

"~pant~ That's not it… ~wheeze~ my lungs are burning... ~gasp~ my everything hurts..." The electric teen said between gasps, droplets on the corners of his eyes. He made a mistake, but probably not as big as what Ashido did. At least on a personal level.

The pink-haired girl couldn't remove her eyes from the heavenly display in front of her. Her Dear, precious, ripped boy, flexing his muscles time after time without losing rhythm. The sweat formed beads on his forehead, dropped from his hair each time he did a sit up and rolled over the well-defined muscles. Yes, the other guys had the same energy. Actually Bakugo seemed even more invested into it, dragging the hardening duo along with his "passion", but the green-haired teen had one advantage above the rest. The lack of a shirt.

"Oh my..."

Ashido though as she kept watching her green boy go, now changing to pull-ups along with the others. She was the one that asked him to remove the piece of clothing, just this time. The gym was full and he wasn't that comfortable, but she insisted and so he did. A minute later and Kirishima came around with a bet on who could make a hundred push-ups without stopping. One thing lead to another and in a matter of minutes there was a crowd and everyone had their favorite. Most of the girls present were rooting for Midoriya, of course, but for the pink-skinned one, it was a little bit more troublesome. Her gaze never averted from his body and her own body began to react to the hypnotizing view of Midoriya flexing. Legs squirmed together and a hand going further down in between as she held the hem of her shirt.

"Oh my~ … I've made a mistake~ A delicious mistake~" Yes. Mistakes were made.

On another side of the crowd surrounding the teens, the short blondie cheered her friends, though the sight left her quite amazed.

"Wow… they are not stopping. It's like they are not humans. What do you think, Tokage-chan? Fight! Tetsutetsu! Shishida!"

"Uh- eh? Did you ask something?" The lizard girl looked at her with a confused face. Tsunotori looked back at her. She seemed to be focused on something else.

"I said that they don't look like normal humans, don't you think?"

"Well, Shishida can literally turn into a beast, Rikido is already pretty tall and large. We have two guys that can harden their bodies, another guy that blasts houses to dust, and then there's Midoriya. Ah~ Midoriya..."

"Tokage-chan? You good?"

"A-ah, sorry, I spaced out. Where was I?"

"Midoriya-kun"

"Ah, right. Well, none of them can be considered normal humans when it comes to strength and stamina. They have to be like that if they want to be great heroes"

"Yeah, sure, but who do you think will win. Tetsutetsu does train a lot. He should spend more time studying, though..." Tsunotori deadpanned.

"If I had to bet, I would go for MIdoriya"

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You need more than raw strength to win these kinds of challenges. It takes a lot of stamina and resistance"

"So you think he's better than the others"

"Oh, he can last for a long time for sure, hehe..."

"What?"

"N-nothing. Just joking" "Note to self: not get too carried away in public"

On another side of the crowd, calm eyes watched the boys now doing squats. Shishida was the next to give up. Out of his beast form, he was just above the average. Rikido also seemed pretty tired. But they were not the focus, neither the hardened duo or explosion boy. No, Kodai looked intensely at the green teen, studying him and thinking in silence. By her side, Kendo also watched with a wide smile on her lips.

"You must be very proud of him right now, Kendo"

"Eh? Proud? I don't know about that..." She replied scratching her head.

"But isn't it good for you that your boyfriend is pretty strong?" Kodai asked keeping her calm tone and her eyes glued on said boy.

"Well, this sure is nice, but it isn't the only reason why I like him"

"I see. He's also really smart and kind… what else?"

"E-eh? What do you mean, what else?" Kendo looked at her raven haired friend slightly shocked.

"Isn't there any other reason why you like him?"

"Well..." Something came to her mind, but it wasn't something she could say out loud. "let's say that once you get to know him better, umm... He's never too tired for you"

"I see..." Kodai then looked at the orange-haired girl. "It must be something personal. Whatever it is, you must really like it" Then she returned to watch the challenge ongoing.

"I-I-I don't like it t-that much!" Kendo said, feeling her cheeks warming up a bit.

Meanwhile, the four teens were finally showing signs of tiredness. Whoever got to clean up the gym today would need extra buckets to dry the huge puddle of sweat on the floor. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were in a personal duel within the challenge, Midoriya simply tried to see how far he could go, and Bakugo focused on surpassing whatever that mark would be. A few more minutes and the hardening duo reached their limit, with a victory for Tetsutetsu this time by three extra pull-ups. That left two competitors remaining. Speaking of which.

"Wow, look at Midoriya!"

"Is he pushing himself by willpower alone?"

"But Bakugo isn't far behind, and his Quirk isn't even a strength enhancer"

"Look at his face, he's keeping up by sheer rage!"

The explosive teen looked to the side as he struggled to push himself up in the bar.

"Deku!... You are not- doing more repeats- than me!"

"Then let's- keep going- Kacchan!" He replied with a large grin as he also struggled against his own weight and exhaustion. Needless to say, it pissed Bakugo off even more.

As the crowd cheered them to go beyond, a pair of brown eyes hidden behind some bangs watched the green teen. Komori was screaming for him. Internally, that is. She contained herself in a small shell because cheering for him would be too embarrassing for her. But seeing the last efforts of her platonic love, the brunette felt like voicing her support. Maybe by hearing her Midoriya would summon new strength to keep going.

"Like that would happen..."

"Komori"

"Ah!"

She almost jumped out of her skin when Yanagi placed a hand on her shoulder and called her. The silver-haired girl waited patiently as her friend recomposed herself.

"Sorry for spooking you"

"Nah, no big deal. I was totally distracted"

"I see why. It's quite the show" She said, looking at the two teens.

"Yeah… I mean, yeah! They are all awesome" Komori said in the plural but her focus was pretty obvious, so much that Yanagi couldn't help but notice and look too. She felt that sensation again, that warmth in her chest. This could be quite troublesome if that turned into a persistent feeling.

"Oh, it seems they are at their limit"

Both teens gave every last drop of energy to do one last pull up in the bar, then their hands let go. Once their feet met the floor, in a second their friends git next to them to help these two crazy guys to stand up as they took their breath.

"So ~gasp~ who won? ~pant~" Midoriya asked.

"Well, if we didn't mess up, it is a draw" Sero said.

"WHAT?! ~pant~ No fucking way, shitty tape!" Bakugo would not let that end with a draw.

"Me and Dark Shadow were also counting. It was a draw, Bakugo-kun"

"But still, you guys are crazy"

"GOD DAMN IT!" Shouted Bakugo as Kirishima helped him to get some water.

On the other side, the girls already flocked around Midoriya to both congratulate him and help him recover. As the rest of the crowd dispersed, only Komori, Yanagi, Kendo, Tsunotori and Kodai remained.

"Well, won't you say something to him for going so far?" Kodai asked the orange-haired girl.

"Oh, sure. You can go ahead to the showers"

As Kendo went to see "her boyfriend", the others headed to the locker room, but not before Yanagi noticed something different in her friend.

"Kodai-san, you were staring at them a lot. Did you find something interesting?"

"Hmm… I think I'm beginning to understand"

"Eh? Understand what? Kodai-san?"

---

Now back at the dorms, the three girls were relaxing a bit in the common room. Tsunotori went to sleep earlier today. She looked like a little kid. Yanagi was just spacing out, not even paying attention to whatever Kodai and Komori were watching on tv when suddenly the raven-haired girl raised one question.

"You girls find Midoriya attractive?" Needless to say, the girls got shocked by the question out of the blue. Yanagi looked with wide eyes at her friend while Komori froze in place, pale as a sheet of paper.

"W-why the sudden question, Kodai-san? And why M-Midoriya, of all people?!"

"Didn't we just see him exhibiting his "good qualities" today? I have been thinking about this" Kodai calmly answered.

"Okay, we may have seen something, umm, impressive, but again why Midoriya? There were other guys there too? Also, I didn't know you had an interest in… these kinds of things"

"It is only natural, I suppose. I'm a woman, after all. But yes, my interest in the green cinnamon roll might come from another source. So, do you find him attractive or not?"

"I, uh, well… when you ask like that… I mean, erm… I guess…?"

"What about you, Komori?"

"E-eh?!" The brunette almost jumped out of her skin. "I-I-I… I ah… yes..." She whispered her answer in almost inaudible frequencies. There was this awkward silence between them and though she was looking intensely at the carpet, Komori could feel her friends staring at her. They were in the front row when she confessed, after all. Right now she wished the floor would open and swallow her just so she could leave this situation.

"Ne, Komori" Yanagi began with some caution in her voice as if considering whether to say or not. She then leaned closer, next to Komori's ears. "Do you still love him?" The question echoed within the brunette's head, as the colors in her face changed to a strong hue of red. She instantly switched to stutter mode.

"L-l-ove? Me? M-Midoriya? Nah, no, t-that was just- I said all these t-things but, you see… It's all in the past now. Yeah, w-we've got to move on" Komori's eyes darted from one side to another as she nervously played with her fingers.

"That much, huh? Well, I suppose you can't simply forget about it"

The pale girl sighed as her shorter friend hid her face. Kodai watched them for a brief moment, then got closer to Komori.

"Say, how did you feel when you noticed you liked him?" Kodai asked bluntly and it took Komori five minutes of inner arguing before she decided to speak. In the end, she thought, what else could happen now?

"W-well, when I realized I felt kind of in the clouds, you know? Like, I imagined us together, doing lots of things couples do… and I really liked the idea of us growing up, graduating, working together, and then, maybe… s-six or seven kids running around a big house… I know this sounds silly! I just thought that… it would be nice…? Oh my god, this is so embarrassing"

"Don't be like that, Komori. It's not silly. Actually, it is quite your thing, if I had to guess" Yanagi said, trying to make the brunette feel less ashamed of her dreams.

"You really… think so?"

"Sure. It's cool to want a family. I am not sure about the six kids' part… but that's up to you, do what you feel you need to"

"Hmmm, I didn't consider having any kids… should I worry about this too?" Kodai said to herself, earning the shocked and worried stares of the other two girls.

"K-Kodai-san, since we're being quite open to each other… what have you been thinking about?" Komori asked, fearing the answer that she could receive. Yanagi also seemed quite nervous about the possible outcome.

"Oh well, since we're being honest. To summarize it, I want to have sex with Midoriya"

They blinked twice, then looked at each other and back to Kodai.

"You what?!" They said in unison, slightly surprising the raven-haired girl.

"You know, sex. We all just agreed he's attractive, right? There's no mystery"

"But didn't you, just maybe, miss the part where he's Kendo's boyfriend?!" The silver-haired girl said/ shouted.

"No, I'm pretty aware"

"Then why?!"

"If you need to know, since he saved me I have been feeling this need to be closer to him, and I can't stop thinking about him. I talked with Kendo and she concluded it had to be love"

"Wait, you talked with her about it?"

"Yes, she had more experience than me in that matter. Anyway, I don't want to ruin things for Kendo. All I'll ask is for him to f-"

"Don't even say it! Kodai, this is by definition ruining her relationship"

"I don't see how, though. He can still love her after it"

"But didn't you say you also loved him? Kodai, this is getting confusing..."

"As I said, yes, I might love him. But until recently it wasn't clear for me. I wanted to get closer to him to be sure, but I ended developing this new desire along the way. I guess I have a thing for cute boys who can be both gentle and rough. What do you think, Komori?"

"M-me?!" Until now she remained silent due to the shocking revelation and because she could totally understand Kodai being attracted to him. Midoriya scored max points in all the key categories for her. He was cute, he was gentle, he was kind, knew how to put up a fight, was incredibly smart, not to mention his good looks. Oh boy, those freckles on his cheeks, and those green eyes… and his curly hair… and his absolutely divine chest and abs. Oh my, just thinking about him back on the gym, flexing all the muscles of his perfect body was making her heart beat faster and she felt something down-

"Komori, you're muttering quite like him" Kodai's voice broke her out of inner monologue. Great, once again she was exposing her deep secrets to the world. She hid her face again.

"Okay, I get it, he's hot, I won't deny it... But it doesn't change the fact that he's Kendo's boyfriend. You can't simply go there and ask him that. We don't ask that to people in that way, Kodai-chan!" Yanagi said while she internally banned images related to the subject

from her mind.

"Then what do you suggest, Yanagi?"

"Anything else! I-If you feel the need… there are other ways to make it go away, you know..."

"You mean mas-"

"A-ah! You don't have to say that out loud. A-and he's not the only guy around… I'm not saying that you should just stick with the first guy that you see, but you don't have to go after Midoriya, right?"

"But it is him whom I'm attracted to. I feel that no one else would do"

"Then… then, at least… let them be, ok? If it doesn't work well for them, you could have a chance, maybe..."

"Hmm, that's true. Do you want a chance too, Yanagi?"

"M-me?! Ah, hell no. I just want them to be happy for the rest of their lives. Like a good friend would do..." Kodai could not be an expert in showing her feelings but reading others was quite a talent of her, and the ghost girl didn't sound convincing.

"What about you, Komori? If you had the chance, would go after Midoriya?"

The shorty brunette pondered a little, timidly voicing her thoughts.

"Honestly? That's all that I wanted. Not that I wish Kendo and Midoriya break up but… I feel that… I just wanted to… have a chance. It sounds really selfish… but that's how I feel" And to her surprise, Komori felt the raven-haired girl wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug.

"I understand, Komori. It can be very confusing, even more, when you're not familiar with the sensation of being in love, or emotions in general. I don't even know how to ask him that, actually"

"I think that being honest is always the best solution, Kodai-san"

"In that case, you should tell him how you really feel, and this time make sure he's conscious"

"C-Confess to him? Again?! I think I would puke out of anxiety..."

"You can do it, I trust you"

"Slow down there, you two. Are you really going there and saying it all to him?" Yanagi was still incredulous.

"Yes. You won't come with us?"

"W-why would I? I don't have anything to say to him. At least, nothing like that..."

"Very well. See you tomorrow then" Kodai said as she got up and headed upstairs.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Take a bath. I want to be perfectly presentable for him" She said, not giving a single thought to all the implications behind this.

"Kodai, what if he says no? I mean, he'll definitely say no. What will you do?"

The raven-haired girl stopped halfway upstairs and pondered shortly, turning to her friend and keeping her calm expression.

"I'll insist"

"And.. and if he still says no?"

"I'll insist further"

"And when he says no again?"

"I'll convince him"

"Convince him? How?!"

Once again Kodai stopped to think about it, then her face slightly lit up with what looked to be an idea. She simply looked down at herself and cupped her chest, pushing them up.

"This should be enough, right?"

And so she left Yanagi and Komori in the room, both blushing like a pair of tomatoes. And on the kitchen, not detected by the persons present, Tsunotori stood against the wall, covering her mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping her. She went down to drink some milk, passed by the girls who were discussing something and didn't notice her, then suddenly she heard about Midoriya being attractive and then Kodai wanted to do… naughty things to him, even though they all knew he was Kendo's boyfriend.

The blondie remained still, hoping the two other girls would soon go upstairs as she didn't want them to think she was eavesdropping. It wasn't her intention, thought the mention of the green-haired teen did get her attention. So, what should she do with that quite troublesome piece of information? Should she tell Kendo about it, or keep the secret? Perhaps they were joking and she misunderstood something. It would not be the first time, Japanese was really confusing to her.

"Think Pony, how can you make a joke involving f… f-f… that word? Umm..."

Of course, it wasn't a joke. She wasn't struggling that hard with language. But could Kodai be really serious about… doing what she said she would do? She wasn't one to go back in her word. Once she was set to do something it was as good as done, but they were talking about ruining the relationship of a closer friend here. Or did she plan to keep that a secret? If so, why tell Komori and Yanagi? Was she that sure she would convince Midoriya to…

"No, no, Yanagi is right. Midoriya-kun won't accept something like that" Then something came to her mind, something Tokage said. He wasn't only a good guy if what the lizard girl said was real. Perhaps he already… "No, no, stop. I can't think the worst from the others. You saw him already, he's a good person, he wouldn't cheat on Kendo. But..." The shorty girl looked down, unconsciously checking herself out. "Kodai-chan… she's really pretty. If it was someone else I suppose she could easily… Mi-Midoriya is a boy. He must want to, umm, he must be interested in things like that too. If he and Kendo are not official yet, t-then- oh my, he could say yes. Yeah, why wouldn't he? I mean, he shouldn't but… aaah, what should I do?"

The blondie poked her head out to see if she could go already. Lucky for her, there was no one around, so she quickly went back to her room and jumped under the bedsheets. She had a huge problem to deal with now. What were her options? Tell Kendo about what she heard or stop Kodai herself. But then she would think Pony was spying on her, which couldn't be far from the truth. She trusted Midoriya would not betray Kendo, rather she believed that, but the seed of doubt has already been planted. He would need to be really dumb to ignore Kodai.

Once again her mind compared herself to the raven-haired girl. Any guy would agree that Kodai was a stunning beauty. Even she agreed and she was a girl, but Pony? She might be cute, but cute could only carry her so far. Not that she really wanted a lot of attention, mainly because it normally came from creepy anonymous dudes on the internet.

"I… should really forget it..."

Her head rested on the fluffy pillow and the blankets warmed her body but she couldn't sleep anymore, knowing that maybe one her friends would try to practically backstab another friend, for reasons uncertain, above all things. Sure, Midoriya was charming and sweet but she was holding herself. Why couldn't Kodai do the same for Kendo's sake- hold up. Did Pony just admit she was holding herself back?

"Damn it, now I'm definitely not going to sleep"

It wasn't really impressive, honestly. As the girls said, there was no doubt about the guy being adorable, but she couldn't do that to Kendo. Even if she wanted to… But the question remained. If she could and she had one chance, would she go after the green cinnamon roll?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of a door being closed. The clock showed it was almost midnight, and everyone was supposed to be sleeping by now, except for a certain fan of cosmic horror and mystery that usually stood up till 1 am. Pony got up and rushed to her door, but hesitated on opening it. What would she do when she met her? She retreated, instead wandering to the glass door of the balcony. She opened and leaned on the rails, then she noticed, ducking to hide. Someone just walked out of the dorms, but it was a little dark and she couldn't tell exactly who. But why bother guessing, she already knew who it was.

Shortly after came another person. This one she recognized as the person could easily pass as a giant mushroom. And a little bit later came yet another person, rushing after the two others, probably the ghost girl.

"What should I do…?"

End of Chapter

Hah! The game is set. Now, before someone tosses me in the fire pit, I'm not trying to make Kodai bitch-y. Let's say that she's pretty straightforward and speaks with no filter, like most kuuderes I know. I might also have based her a little on Arin from Trinity Seven, but that's only a guess since I realized it after finishing the chapter. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapters. Now excuse me while I prepare for the next chapter. Oh boy, Izuku better be ready too...