Hello, dear readers, how are you doing? Hope everything is going well for you. Before we start this chapter, I would recommend getting comfortable, fix something to chew, a warm drink maybe. Ready? Well, put on the seatbelts and hold tight, this will be quite the emotional ride.
The Lengths I Will Cross for You
Tossing around in her bed, the short blondie with horns groaned in her sleep, rather the poor attempt at it. This feeling lodged in her chest would not go away and prevented her from resting, even though she felt physically drained from today's training. With the Winter Break near, the teachers from the first year decided to make another joint training, this time in the form of a fighting tournament. If they were going to the streets for some possible real action, their combat skills had to be at top shape. Sure, some students simply had an advantage based on their Quirks but Aizawa-sensei would not take any excuses. Three runs with totally different match-ups and by the end of it, everyone was pretty much exhausted. But not even that was enough to make Tsunotori sleep.
Her eyes slowly opened as her hand grasped her pillow. Looking at the clock, 12:30 am. By now, they would be reading or watching something. She would comment on why she thought that particular manga/anime was so cool to her and he would listen closely without missing a word. A part of her was shocked that she got so bound with Midoriya so quickly. Then again, never before someone showed so much interest in her likes. Part of it was her own fault but she hardly felt secure enough to share her hobbies with her classmates. With him, however, Tsunotori felt that she could open up without fear of being judged or looked down upon.
And now, for whatever reason, they couldn't be together. The blondie knew he wasn't obligated to come late at night and spend time with her, but he did say he would come. Tsunotori was divided between feeling betrayed and guilty. Or did she just felt lonely, like before? Well, not exactly like before, as now she knew what was missing, his company, his presence.
Sitting up in her bed, Tsunotori rubbed her tired eyes, sighing in annoyance and reaching under her bed for one of her many boxes full of manga. She didn't put a single extra shelf beyond the ones Midoriya helped her with. Opening it and lightening with her phone, she looked for something to read and at least pass the time. Hopefully, she would fall asleep sometime. But nothing seemed to do in that box, so she got up and dragged out a few more, murmuring in frustration as none of her titles felt particularly interesting.
Ruffing and looking at her closet, she considered another option she didn't touch since she came to the Alliance Heights.
"Hmmm… ah, whatever. I'm bored anyway" The small horned girl said, moving the boxes back under her bed and getting to her closet, where she reached deep for another box, similar to the one she kept some of her cosplay things in. She hesitated a little, but gave up and picked one book at random.
The dark would conceal everything as always, and everyone else was probably asleep.
"Mmm-mmmha~ Man, I'm totally beat," Kendo said, stretching her arms up to loosen some stiff muscles from yesterday's intense exercise. She walked down the stairs towards the kitchen along with the lizard girl.
"Yeah, me too. I gotta say, that Shinso guy sure knows how to fight for someone from the General Department" Tokage replied to her friend, also feeling her body a little sore.
"He's been training a lot in order to change for the hero course. He even adopted Eraserhead's fighting style"
"Yeah, no use to my Quirk when all parts are tied together… and you had to fight Toga"
Kendo cringed at the mention, scratching her cheek in an awkward way.
"As much as I hate to admit, the girl knows some moves. Heck, I didn't expect her to have me in an armlock two times"
"That girl is dangerous, and Izuku has to put up with this every day..."
"~sigh~ There isn't much we can do about it, unfortunately," The orange-haired girl looked at the floor, a hint of worry in her face. But then they got greeted by a beam of light, with vines for hair.
"Oh, good morning Kendo-san, Tokage-san. The weather is great today, isn't it?~" Shiozaki took great care of her hair, as it was pretty much a living plant. During the cold winter days, her hair would dry a little and become stiff and with a darker color. Today was a sunny day, though, so she was looking forward to bathing into the sunlight and make her vines viridescent and flexible again.
"Oho, look at who just woke up in a good mood" Tokage joked with her fellow green-haired friend, looking in the fridge what she would eat.
"Certainly~ It is a blessing from the heavens to have such a bright morning during the winter," She said happily, passing Kendo a mug of coffee she just made.
"Good morning girls~" The trio turned and greeted the short brunette who just joined them.
Komori walked in with a spring in her feet, humming an unknown melody and joining them at whatever they were eating. Soon after, Yanagi and Kodai came down and sat along at the table. The first day of their winter break already started well.
The Work Studies would start after the holidays, so they had about a week to relax a little. Apparently, the Principal would allow them to return home for New Year, which was a huge bonus. They chit-chatted about yesterday mini-tournament, how Kirishima and Tetsutetsu matched up against each other again; how Monoma got simply destroyed by Bakugo and Shoji; how Uraraka effortlessly tossed Kamakiri around; and of course, how absolutely stunning Izuku was, flexing his sculpted muscles to match Shishida's strength and size. They sighed dreamily, except for Tokage. She was more on the horny side of the spectrum.
But then, a sounding thud brought them back to reality. Looking at the doorway, Tsunotori rubbed her forehead and mumbled something in English. She didn't have the best face right now, and judging by the faint marks under her eyes, she didn't get much quality sleep this night. She walked into the kitchen, barely acknowledging the presence of her classmates, even though the girls followed her moves around, feeling around to pick flour and butter from a cabinet. The blondie kept grumbling under her breath as she opened the fridge to retrieve eggs and milk. So she was on her routine of pancakes, it seemed.
With half-closed eyes and yawning now and then, Tsunotori prepared the dough and was ready to pour it on the frying pan, if she had remembered putting it in the oven. At that moment the girls shot up from their seats to prevent this disaster, turning off the fire and taking the dough from the drowsy confused girl.
"Wha…? Morning girls, you want some ~yawn~ pancakes?" She didn't notice her English slipping. Good thing 1-B agreed on doubling down their efforts to learn the language so they could communicate better with her.
"Here, just sit and lemme handle this for you," Kendo said, almost like a mother, as she helped Tsunotori sit on a chair.
"Allow me" Shiozaki went ahead and prepared the pancakes while the orange-haired girl looked after the short blondie.
"Umm, a bad night of sleep?" She asked Tsunotori, who blinked a few times before answering.
"Who even needs ~yawn~ sleep?" These were her words but she was having a hard time keeping her head up and her eyes open. Feeling a little concerned, the girls sat on the table around her.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Yanagi asked.
"Are you feeling ill?" Kodai added quietly.
"Are you worried about the Hero Work Studies?" Komori said, getting on the edge of her chair.
"I think that would be you..." Tokage commented.
The blondie, however, gently shook her head, then did her best to put her best smile.
"I'm okay, girls. Just passed the night binging-" Whether it was her instincts or her brain waking up, Tsunotori prevented herself from finishing that sentence. "umm, reading, it's all" She somehow managed to save it. But then Yanagi, the bookworm, got interested.
"Oh, what were you reading?" It had to be interesting to keep Tsunotori awake all night long.
"Erm, I was just… scrolling through some posts from my sis back at home. I had a lot to catch up" This was getting out of hand quickly.
"I see…" The white-haired girl responded, feeling a tiny bit letdown.
"I don't think cosmic horror is everyone's choice read for the night, Yanagi" Kodai added, resting a hand on her shoulder.
At that moment, Shiozaki turned around carrying a plate with a tall pile of pancakes and a bright smile to wake up her horned little friend. She put the plate on the table in front of Tsunotori, who sniffed the sweet scent coming from it. She even got offered a large mug of coffee, courtesy of Komori.
"I hope they are at your liking, dear" Added the vine girl, taking a seat along with the girls at the table.
Tsunotori looked at them with sleepy lost eyes. Why were they watching her again? Nevertheless, she went for her breakfast. One sip of coffee and a bit of pancake later, she sighed in satisfaction, feeling herself waking up properly. Meanwhile, the girls watched with delight as Tsunotori blossoming into her usual upbeat self. As the girl happily dug into her meal, Kendo called her attention with a rather concerned look.
"Tsunotori, you should take care and sleep properly. I know we just started the winter break but this isn't much healthy"
"It's okay, I'm fine. It was just this night, anyway" She answered Kendo, hoping to end the discussion there. "Yeah, it's okay. I'm fine"
"Alright then. So, what should we do? I feel that we have to do something together before getting to the Work Studies" Kendo said, getting up.
"Aren't the guys from 1-A planning a Christmas party? We could help out" Shiozaki suggested, but Kendo scratched the back of her head.
"Yeah, we definitely could but I was thinking of something just with us"
"This is a good opportunity for sharing my new work. It is not done yet but I'm confident that I improved the ominous vibe of my original story" Yanagi said with a confident look.
"Umm, can we not spend a night reading creepy stories. Last time gave me nightmares for a week" Komori said, not having fond memories of the times Yanagi shared her literary works.
"Then my job was well done, umu~"
Kodai quietly raised her hand, getting the attention of everyone.
"How about we pay a little visit to Green Valley? You know, just us" She said with the tiniest smile in the corner of her lips. Meanwhile, the girls looked at each other, except for Tsunotori, who didn't get what they meant. Was that a place to visit or something?
"Again, I wanted to do something that involved all of us" Kendo discreetly pointed to the small blondie halfway through her pancakes. Tokage wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling the orange-haired girl closer and whispering.
"And who said we all can't be together?~ This has been delayed enough, don't ya think?~"
"Tokage! Shhh"
"Actually, Tokage might have a point," The cold raven-haired girl said, also being shushed by Kendo.
"And you, Tsunotori, any ideas?" Kendo asked.
"E-eh?" The blondie looked up in surprise as her mind wandered somewhere else. "Uh… how about we make a movie night?"
The girls took a minute to think, then suddenly their faces lit up in bright smiles.
"Yeah, that could totally work!" Komori said with enthusiasm.
"A girls night with lots of movies sounds splendid" Shiozaki added, clasping her hands together.
"I have suggestions," Yanagi said, raising a hand.
"How many of them don't involve horror?" Kodai asked the white-haired girl.
"I have several fewer suggestions..."
"Why not let Tsunotori choose? She came up with the idea" Kendo said, and suddenly everyone turned to her.
The blondie swallowed the last bite of pancake, feeling more and more nervous inside. When she said that, she was thinking of watching anime. Watching anime with someone else. And now she had to pick something?
"It's okay, I can do this. This is fine" "I'll think of something. When do you want to do it then?"
"Why not tomorrow? We're already setting everything up. Just don't go fall asleep~" Tokage said and everyone agreed. Fortunately for Tsunotori, this gave her at least some time to look for something that wasn't anime-related. Maybe she should call her sis for a suggestion.
The group of girls from 1-B headed to their neighbors' dorms to see what they were up to. It was mainly to help organize that Christmas party but soon the girls simply tagged along to chat and whatnot. Ashido, Hagakure, and Tokage were on a corner, probably gossiping about something. Kendo and Yaoyorozu were having a friendly duel of Shogi with Uraraka and Komori as spectators. Tsuyu and Shiozaki were discussing the hardships that winter brought upon them, and Jiro was showing some pieces of music from her playlist to Kodai and Yanagi.
Feeling a little isolated, Tsunotori looked left and right, hoping to find a particular mop of green hair, but Midoriya was nowhere to be found.
That feeling from last night started to crawl into her back again, that sense of something lacking. She knew the girls weren't excluding her on purpose. The other way around, she was mostly sure they would gladly add her to whatever they were doing, but something told the blondie she did not belong in here. The two classes were on better terms now regarding that rivalry, except for Monoma. Everyone was getting along well and the joint training was pretty fun once you ignored the spartan part of it. However, Tsunotori watched the girls having a good time and she couldn't stop thinking that her definition of "a good time" wouldn't happen so soon.
Lost in her thoughts, Tsunotori didn't notice a certain problematic person sneaking up on her and poking her sides in a playful manner. She jumped with a yelp, turning around to find none other than the crazy girl with messy buns.
"Toga Himiko?!"
"Yep, that would be me~ Why are you here by yourself, Horny-chan? Do you hate your classmates?" Himiko asked nonchalantly, with a grin crossing her lips.
"Wha- what did you just call me?" She said with a faint blush. Did she hear that right?
"Oh, well, that was my cute name for Ashido, but you clearly deserve it more~" Himiko answered the shorter blondie, putting her fingers up in her head, mimicking Tsunotori's horns.
The small girl sighed. She understood the Japanese but her mind gave the word another meaning. Looking at Himiko with suspicion, she replied with a small frown.
"I would prefer that didn't call me that, and don't poke me either"
"Aw, but is totally fits you~ Plus, I saw you sulking here all alone so I decided to cheer you up" Himiko took a step forward to perhaps hugging Tsunotori or something, but the small girl backed away.
She saw too when this crazy blood-drinking girl not only put Kendo in a tight spot but actually won a fight, fair and square, above all things. Plus, she still remembered what Midoriya told her about Himiko, so it was one more reason to keep a safe distance, and then some more. By now the other girls already got alerted by Tsunotori's yelp and gathered behind the short blondie, eyes focused on Himiko.
"Leave her alone, Toga," Uraraka said stepping forward, to which Himiko responded going towards the brunette.
The two of them stopped in front of each other, Uraraka with her brows furrowed and Himiko with a bright fanged grin.
"Uuh, scary~ I wouldn't make that face, Ochako-chan, you could get stuck with it permanently, and that wouldn't be good for Izuku, right?~"
"Tch. Just stay away and don't bother. Why don't you go find who wants you?"
"Ow ow, that really hurt my feelings!~ After all, we have been through?"
Uraraka groaned in frustration while Himiko laughed. Just being near this walking problem made her feel mentally tired.
"Keep doing that and I'll show you what hurts" The brunette made her threat, inching closer for greater impact.
"Oh, I would love to see you try" Himiko taunted back, also getting closer.
"Did the last beating erase your memory or there's nothing at all in your thinking department?" Uraraka moved even closer, hands balling into fists.
"Please, you call that a beating? I've seen accidents with cats doing worse" Himiko held a smug face that got Uraraka on the edge of popping a vein.
"I swear, one of these days I'll kick you to the moon… and you know I can!" She said, pointing a finger at the grinning blondie. But then Himiko answered in a mild seductive tone, almost like a whisper.
"Ochako-chan, if you want to make me see stars just ask for it?~"
"What?!"
"Chuu!~"
And before Uraraka could react, Himiko planted a quick peck at the tip of her nose. She backed away startled, then got mad again and chased the laughing blonde around while shouting some profanities. The girls watched idly, taking some time before acting. In fact, most of them also wanted to deliver heavenly justice upon the annoying girl but for now, Uraraka would do.
And there was Tsunotori, who simply looked at the chase with a lost face. Did that happen all the time around here? This is what Midoriya had to put up with every time? Scratch that, Toga Himiko apparently managed to be a complete annoyance to 1-A.
The door opened and in came Hatsume, followed by Midoriya himself. Tsunotori didn't even notice how her face lit up just by seeing the green-haired teen, but before she could say something Toga tacked the unaware boy to the floor, landing on the floor with an "oof". The pink-haired girl with crosshairs eyes also got started, looking confused around. Hatsume jumped away when she saw Uraraka coming right after Himiko with a not pleased at all face.
"Himiko?! G-get off me!" Midoriya demanded, pushing her back by her shoulders. Himiko protested, trying to hug him on the floor.
"I don't wanna~ I didn't see you this morning so- agh!"
"Get off him, you freak!" Uraraka shouted, pulling Himiko up and away from the emerald child.
"Come on, Ochako-chan, I thought you knew how to share"
"Like I would share with you!" With a mighty pull, the brunette not only freed Midoriya from his current captor, but she also tossed Himiko over her head, almost performing a suplex.
Landing with a roll, Himiko sighed and got up, fixing her clothes.
"Good grief, I thought we were all girl with a point in common here…" She said with a smug face, but then her eyes stopped at the small girl with big horns. "Oh wait, not everyone, right?~"
She began to laugh but Uraraka and Hatsume quickly pulled her aside by the arms, rushing to prevent Himiko from opening her big mouth. And Tsunotori had to wonder what she was talking about.
"What did she mean by that?" She turned to Kendo, who yelped in surprise.
"Oh, hmmm… she's just trying to mess with us" She didn't like to lie to her friends but there was no other option. For now, at least.
"Okay, then… don't think too much about it, Pony. This girl has many loose bolts in her head"
Well, now that the problem was "removed", she could go and talk to Midoriya. That is if he hadn't three more girls around him already.
"What?! I just turned around- it's fine, just join them"
Tsunotori got closer and apparently, Hatsume was telling Shiozaki how was her work on the items she requested, with the help of Midoriya, of course. Komori also mentioned before that she had a few upgrade ideas for her gear, so she was there too. However, one thing was bugging the small blondie.
"Why are they so close…?"
In fact, Hatsume was almost hugging Midoriya's arm while she talked, Shiozaki and Komori weren't much different either. By now Tsunotori expected everyone to be aware of his relationship with Kendo so getting so up close and personal was… She hated the thought. Was it any different from their nightly meetings?
Surely it was, Tsunotori wasn't all clingy with him, she gave him some space. That time he rested on her lap was a one-time thing. Still, they didn't tell anything about this to Kendo, mostly by her request, so technically they were seeing each other behind her back.
The blondie looked back at where Kendo was, a thoughtful face present. Was it really okay to do that? Midoriya said he wanted to spend more time with Kendo, as he should do, in her opinion. Tsunotori only wished that didn't mean reducing the amount of time she could be with him. But right now, Kendo didn't seem bothered at all that Midoriya was doing something else, or that someone else was so close to him. Maybe she wasn't the jealous type, but there had to be at least a minimal sense of owning, right? In Kendo's place, Tsunotori would surely make it clear that she was his girlfriend and vice-versa. Not because of some silly jealousness, but because that would mean a lot to her. Probably. Possibly.
Her mind kept running over these thoughts as she turned back to him and the girls talking. How much time has passed? She spaced out completely, but a voice suddenly dragged her back to planet Earth.
"Tsunotori-san, is everything alright?" It had to be him asking, didn't it?
"E-eh?"
Midoriya held a slightly worried face while looking at her. Hatsume, Komori, and Shiozaki also looked at her, with curious eyes.
"Did something happen? You looked a little off. Was it Himiko? If so I'll-"
"No no, I just zoned out, it's all," She said, waving a hand.
"... You sure?"
She wanted to say what was in her mind. That it bothered her that the other girls were able to spend time with him without hiding. That Kendo didn't seem to care a lot about her relationship with him. There was an insane girl running around their dorms, and the most important, she still felt a little hurt because he kind of ditched her on their special nights. Actually, the more she replayed this thought in her head, the more she felt that sting inside her chest, once a slight discomfort, now a mild annoyance.
"I'm fine, really" Was her answer.
"Oh, that's right, I think I might have a support item for you if you feel interested," Hatsume said with an eager face, a little too eager for Tsunotori, as the pink-haired girl invaded some of her personal space. "Drop by the Development Studio whenever you want, I'm mostly sure you'll like it!"
"Umm, and what would that item be?" The blondie asked with caution.
"It is a little project I have been working on, but I didn't have someone to test- use it until now. Your Quirk is perfect for this!" Hatsume gave a thumbs up and a big grin, which made it a little hard for Tsunotori to deny the offer. Next to the young engineer, Midoriya wrapped one arm over her shoulder and pulled her a little back, speaking in a low tone.
"Hatsume, you're not planning to use Tsunotori-san as a test dummy, are you?" He asked with a suspicious look.
"Eh hehe, well, when you put it like that…"
"It isn't even finished, is it?"
"It is in the stress test phase, which is really important"
"But are you sure it won't blow up?"
"I'm mostly sure!"
"Hatsume!"
"I'm joking, silly~"
Once again Tsunotori had to watch as someone else interacted normally with the green-haired teen.
Later on, the girls from 1-B returned to their dorms. By now everyone was awake and some of the boys were gathered at the common room, discussing something or playing some video game.
"Ah, there are you all. Where did you go to?" Fukidashi asked, a question mark appearing on his "head".
"We were at 1-A, we'll help with that party" Kendo quickly explained.
Not very focused on her surroundings, Tsunotori simply sat on the couch in deep thought. There wasn't homework to do and at times like this she would binge some manga/anime at her bedroom, but right now she really didn't want to. She wanted to do it with him. Zoning out again, everything around her became white noise, until she heard a certain name being mentioned. She perked up her head and glanced over her shoulder. So right now Shishida, Tetsutetsu, Kamakiri, Kuroiro, and Awase were talking about yesterday's exercise.
"Man, I have to say, fighting against Midoriya feels really unfair," He said, tapping Shishida on the shoulder.
"As someone without a combat Quirk, I am with you on that" Awase added.
"I'm not saying Monoma is right, but maybe you two are putting 1-A in a pedestal too high," Kamakiri said, with arms crossed. "Shishida sure gave the guy a run for his money"
"I'm not saying that. What I mean is that this Superpower is really broken. And remember that black thing?" The steel teen explained his point, getting some agreeing nods.
"Well, to be fair Kendo mentioned once that he was a late bloomer. Guess some persons do have it easier in life" Kuruiro said.
"I don't want to be the sore loser but it does hurt my pride a little, having to struggle with someone almost half of my size," Said the furry, tall teen.
"Don't feel so bad, remember when Midoriya blew up that Zero Pointer? That was insane" Awase said, nudging his furry friend.
"Yeah, I can totally see why Kendo likes him. He's manly as hell" Tetsutetsu continued.
"Except when he cries like a baby," Kamakiri said with a snicker, prompting a similar reaction from the other.
"Hey, at least Gevaudan here doesn't break his own arms to fight" Kuroiro joked and they laughed lightly.
However, a sudden noise of something hitting the floor hard cut them and got their attention. Looking at the source, Tsunotori stood in front of them, arms straight down, hands rolled into fists, and a big frown in her face. However, as much as she wanted to pass and angry, her pout and furrowed brows still looked cute.
"That's really mean of you guys, stop saying these things about Midoriya" She demanded, glaring at them with furious blue eyes. As for them, the boys simply raised confused eyebrows.
"You know we're only joking, right?" Kuroiro was the first to answer, being followed by the rest.
"Still, that's not cool, Kuroiro-kun! You don't know how had he's got"
"Oh? Please elaborate"
"Ugh-" She said before thinking, but Tsunotori wouldn't back off on this. "He- he has to train a lot because he got his Quirk much later than everyone"
"And? We all have to work hard here" The black-skinned teen said.
"I kinda feel bad for him too but Kuroiro is right, Tsunotori-chan," Said Awase.
Feeling offended on behalf of the emerald child, the small blondie took a step forward, making them move back a little.
"None of you guys get it, do you? After everything that happened to him… how can you joke about that? He's trying his best- no, he's doing even more than that! And to top things, Midoriya has to live with a psycho that did so many horrible things to him. I won't let you be mean to him like this!" Taking a moment to catch her breath, Tsunotori rested her hands on her waist, still glaring at the taller boys.
Scratching his head, Shishida replied with a single question. "Umm, didn't he decide to keep her around by himself? That's what I heard…"
Flinching back a little, Tsunotori tried to think of how to explain that, but Tetsutetsu spoke first.
"Shishida is right, you know. I respect Midoriya but it was his choice"
"But-"
"Why do you care so much, anyway? Not even Kendo would make a fuzz out of it like that" Kamakiri questioned the small girl, who tripped over her words.
"I b-bet she would… i-if she heard what you guys said…" She said, shying away.
"Well, probably, but you don't have to be so upset about it, right?" Kuroiro pointed out.
"I- w-well, I don't like seeing people being mean to others, especially you guys," She said, crossing her arms and facing another direction to hide her uneasy look.
"Guys? Is everything alright here?" Speaking of the angel, the class rep just appeared, attracted by Tsunotori's higher voice level.
"Ask her about it, we're good here," Kuroiro said nonchalantly, and Tsunotori wanted to shrink to an invisible size once Kendo's eyes fell upon her.
"Tsunotori, do you want to tell me something?" She asked with concern. Kendo surely deserved the unofficial title of Mother of 1-B, as she always looked after everyone.
The short blondie hesitated. Perhaps if she explained everything, Kendo would understand and let her see Midoriya again. Who knows? The orange-haired girl seemed to be pretty cool about other girls being near Midoriya. Compared to the jealous fest from 1-A some time ago, this was more than fine. No, what prevented Tsunotori from being completely honest was the fear of being looked down upon. So far Midoriya was the only one that didn't judge her for her tastes, and deep down she liked this, the feeling of him being the only one that knew her secret.
"Can we talk… in particular?" She asked the ginger head girl, to which Kendo agreed. They went outside and so Tsunotori tried to think of a good way to go through this.
"So, what is bothering you?" The taller girl asked.
The blondie took a deep breath in and slowly released.
"Kendo-chan, I don't know how to say it nicely but… you have to be more possessive"
"Uh… what?"
"About Midoriya and, erm, your relationship. You should be more possessive about him"
Kendo held a curious and amused face. She surely didn't expect Tsunotori to mention that. Then again, it was part of their "cover-up" and she was the only one that didn't… you know.
"And what makes you think that way?" Kendo asked with genuine curiosity.
"Well, you two don't spend much time together. Like, I know we're in different classes, but you two could lunch together or something"
"We do sit near each other"
"But on different tables!"
"Hey, we sit next to each other sometimes"
Despite Kendo's positive attitude, Tsunotori groaned in mild frustration.
"And he's constantly surrounded by girls. Doesn't it make you worry, Kendo-chan?"
"Worry about what?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe someone getting frisky with Midoriya?" Tsunotori said as if it was the obvious answer.
"Then shouldn't I trust that he'll be honest and say no to any advances?" On the inside, she really pondered over her words, given the… the peculiar relationship she had with the green teen. Meanwhile, the blondie felt her arguments eroding right before her.
"I suppose yes, but perhaps marking your territory would help to avoid unwanted attention"
"What can I do if he's popular with the girls? That's mainly why I like him, anyway"
"But..." The words died in her mouth. Maybe Tsunotori didn't think about this as thoroughly as she imagined. Midoriya was a nice guy, a genuinely good person, almost too pure for this world. And so, Kendo had little to no reason to think that he would be unfaithful, even being surrounded by other girls. That only made her feel worse about the nights she spent with him, looking back now. She was "forcing" him to meet her in secret, even if just a little. He could be the type of person that can't say no, which would be quite fitting for the emerald child.
However, if that was the case and Kendo didn't have any reason whatsoever to worry about Midoriya, then why was she so hung up on seeing him with other people? Rather, with other girls. Yes, Tsunotori was technically deprived of a personal source of happiness and she felt sad, but that sting inside her chest felt like something else entirely.
"Tsunotori-chan, is there something else you want to tell me?" The ginger head asked, a hint of concern in her face as the small girl found the floor too interesting.
"Umm..." Tsunotori felt an urge to say everything. She didn't like lying to her friends, and now it felt really unfair to the class rep. Just because she said she didn't mind, doesn't mean the blondie could do whatever she wanted with Midoriya. "The truth is..."
She breathed in and out to build up some courage.
"I kind of had a talk with Midoriya. He told me… that he wanted to spend more time with you. So that got me thinking that you two didn't have a lot of time to each other, you know?" Well, that was part of the truth. She couldn't bring herself to spill everything out in one go, not yet.
Kendo looked at the shy blondie in front of her and smiled softly, patting Tsunotori's head.
"I see… ~sigh~ that's really good"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Tsunotori looked up with a confused face, not understanding why Kendo looked so pleased.
"Not only I have a wonderful boyfriend, but I also have an awesome friend that will look after me. What else could I ask for?~" She patted Tsunotori some more before kneeling down and resting her hands on the small girl's shoulders. "Thanks for taking care of me and my boyfriend, Tsunotori-chan. I really appreciate it"
"But… what if someone else likes Midoriya? Wouldn't it be a problem to be so relaxed, Kendo-chan?" One last try from the blondie, although she felt this battle was lost from the start.
"There's nothing I can do about someone else's feelings, other than hope they find happiness somehow"
"Even if Midoriya… if he decided to l-leave you…?"
"Well, I would definitely be sad"
"Right? Then-"
"But if he doesn't want to be with me anymore, I can't change that. Hmm, perhaps I could try and use my dormant feminine charms~" She joked, flaunting and moving her ponytail aside with a hand. "In the end, it all depends on what he feels. I'm confident he likes me, though"
"Mm, you're right..." That made a lot of sense. Kendo seemed so mature about it. It was like she had been in a lot of relationships already. Perhaps that was why everyone in the class looked up to her as a motherly and caring figure.
"Umm, Tsunotori-chan, if you don't mind me asking… maybe you have a slight crush on someone?"
"E-eh?! What?!" The blondie almost jumped, caught off guard by such a personal question. "Why do you ask...?"
"Erm, how can I put it…? I feel like you put a lot of thought into this, how Midoriya and I are in terms of relationships. I wondered if you felt the same way and wanted to make sure I was doing alright. So? Do you have a special someone in mind?"
"N-no, no, I don't have anyone like that. I was really worried about you and… huh..." Maybe…
Let's be hypothetical here, a mere thought experiment. If, and I mean if, Tsunotori really had a crush on Midoriya, how would it feel like? The guy was already taken, so her path would have a big barrier right at the start. You want to spend time with the person you like, and doing so makes you happy. There were girls that acted pretty chill about it like Kendo, but others could get really jealous when seeing their beloved ones getting too much attention from the opposite sex. On the other side, Tsunotori felt sad that the girls from 1-A got to hang around Midoriya whenever they wanted, while the blondie had to deal with a narrow time span. It wasn't like she was mad just because they were girls, right?
"Oh no… no no no no, that's not it. I can't be that, right? When did I even…?"
The seed of doubt had been planted, watered, and was already sprouting. That realization created a great conflict inside Tsunotori's mind, which was visible in her face. Seeing the troubled girl apparently lost in an inner turmoil, Kendo got up again, one more time fulfilling her hole as the Mother of 1-B.
"I don't have a lot of experience, so don't take my word for absolute. But… if you're in doubt about something, you should confirm it"
The blondie broke from her own thoughts and looked up at Kendo.
"Confirm it? How?"
"Again, this is just a suggestion, but if you are not sure how you feel about someone, you could go there and confront them"
"C-confront them?!"
"Yeah, like… if you're honest with yourself and with that person, then you'll know exactly what you feel at that moment. It sounds weird but it is kinda how things went for me..." Kendo said with a small blush adorning her cheeks. A look of understanding gradually took over Tsunotori's features.
"And… what do I do if I can't be honest with them?" It wasn't like Tsunotori could go there and make a confession or something right away. She just discussed with Kendo about other girls orbiting Midoriya. Oh, the irony.
"I think that more than being honest with them, you'll be honest with yourself. Even if you get a no, you'll know exactly what your feelings are, and so you'll know whether to move on or not. Like I said, it might hurt a lot, but we can't really change how a person feels. And in the end, you can keep on without the fact of not saying it or the weight of the possibilities in your conscience. That's just my thoughts"
The horned girl stood in silence for a while, processing what Kendo told her. Incredible. Every single word she said made complete sense. Tsunotori had the habit of overthinking a lot and she probably, no, she definitely overthought this. Midoriya also said something along these lines, about being honest with her friends and with herself. If they ended looking at her as a weeb there wasn't much she could do it as the small girl didn't plan on stopping doing what she liked to do. And about this sting in her chest, maybe it was her being an overly attached friend, and that could be managed and fixed. It could be a silly crush that would pass with time as she didn't plan to get in Kendo's way. Or perhaps it was something else… whatever was the result, she could discover by simply facing the situation head-on, like a bull charging the red flag.
Feeling like the path had been opened right in front of her eyes, Tsunotori mentally made a note to address these questions that plagued her mind for some time now, as soon as possible. That also got visible in her face, putting a relieved slime in Kendo's lips as the bubbly and cheerful girl seemed to be back.
"I hope that helped you, Tsunotori-chan"
"Mmm, more than you think. Thanks, Kendo-chan"
"Don't mention it, I'm here to help," She said, getting back inside the dorms. "Oh, and good luck with that" The ginger head gave a wink before going inside, prompting a slightly nervous smile and a faint blush to appear in Tsunotori's face. Funny how Kendo unknowingly cheered for a potential rival.
"Well, that would be one possibility. But honestly? I don't think I stand a chance against her..."
Looking at the bright sky from the afternoon, Tsunotori sighed. A simple plan, free of layers upon layers of thinking, formed in her head. She would ask Midoriya about it… these feelings, just like what kendo said. Independent of the outcome, she would move forward, hopefully still being able to spend some time with him to binge manga and watch anime, maybe show a cosplay now and then. After that, she would be totally open about her tastes with her friends. She would not shove it in their faces, as it could be pretty annoying, but if they ever asked, she would be honest. No more need to read manga enclosed in her room.
"Well, not every manga I read... Yeah, some discretion would be good"
The small blondie got inside and spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what she would say to the green-haired teen when the time came. Not her usual overload thought process, simply what she would say. Also, she texted her older sis and they discussed some titles for the girls-only movie night.
Just as the sun went down, Tsunotori headed to the neighboring dorms, ready to solve this matter. She didn't need an audience so she quickly sent a text to Midoriya so he would meet her outside. I would be quick, like taking off a curative. Even if she turned out to have a crush on him and he said no, she wouldn't hold any hard feelings about it. She came to the conclusion that a good part of these problems was on her own fault for complicating what could be simple.
Leaning against the bark of a tree in the yard of 1-A dorms, she patiently waited for the green cinnamon roll to appear. He left her on "read" but she felt deep inside he would come. And come he did, walking outside and looking around. She poked her head out and waved at him. He waved back and came closer. Now under the tree and somehow away from curious eyes, She could finally sort these shapeless feelings and move on.
"Hi there, Tsunotori-san"
"Hi~ Thanks for coming, Midoriya-san"
"No problem, you said you wanted to discuss something?" He said with a small hint of hesitation. Considering how the last time they talked went, Midoriya had an idea of what she had in mind. In fact, it never really sat well with him, the sour note in which they parted ways, so to speak.
"Yes, and I think you already know what it is" She didn't sound bothered at all, which kinda surprised him.
"Yeah, I think last time we talked didn't end well… and that's entirely on my fault, I'm deeply sorry-"
"It's okay, really. I'm fine"
"You- you are?"
"Yeah" "Actually I'm not. That hurt more than I like to admit but I'll ignore that" "Anyway, how are you doing with Kendo? Did you manage to spend some quality time with her?"
"Umm, about that… I didn't come up with any good ideas yet. There are only a few things we can do that count as "couple things" around here..."
"Just hang in the common room or something. Knowing her, even sitting together quietly would make her happy"
"Oh, you think so?"
"Yeah, Kendo is super chill about this relationship thing, she won't require a monumental date plan. Sometimes simple is best, right?~" Yes, lessons were learned. Midoriya agreed with the small blondie. "Now, about this thing I wanted to discuss..."
"Yes..."
"Midoriya-san..." She looked up, straight into his eyes, his emerald green, shining, endearing eyes. This was her moment of truth, in many ways. "... I like you"
"You know, I-I was thinking that we could maybe watch that anime- wait, what?!" He already had a response for Tsunotori asking when they would get to spend some time together again. In fact, he also missed it a lot, as he found it extremely fascinating to see the small blondie sharing her opinions about her hobbies. So it didn't go well when her actual words were different from his prediction. And on that matter, what was that?
"I-I… I like you, Midoriya-san" How she managed to repeat it so clearly, Tsunotori didn't know. She could feel her cheeks heating up already. So that's what Kendo meant by confirming it. Tsunotori somehow was sure this reaction wouldn't come if she didn't feel anything for the boy beside a good friendship.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Midoriya panicked internally. And a bit externally too.
"What do you mean by "I like you"? As in… a friend, perhaps?"
"Wow, the denial is strong in this one" Nana's voice echoed inside his mind, but Midoriya was too busy not freaking out to reply.
"I don't think so. I mean, I do like you as a friend. I liked a lot to spend time with you, and read manga together, and show you my cosplays… but there's something else too. I don't know if it is just a crush… but it is definitely somewhere here" She said, placing a hand on her chest. As for Midoriya, he didn't manage to look directly at her, his eyes jumping from her figure to anything around.
"Maybe you are..."
"I am…?"
"Umm, maybe you are a little equivocated, Tsunotori-san. I-I don't mean to dismiss your feelings but… ah, well, I'm dating Kendo, so… yeah..." He really didn't know what to say here so he was improvising. The end goal was to somehow talk her out of this idea because Midoriya couldn't imagine the blondie being part of his life in that way, because of what it would entail.
"Of course you can, silly. I already said and will repeat that you two look absolutely cute together"
"It's not that I can't, Nana-san. I really shouldn't"
"Do you even listen to yourself? She said she likes you, Izuku. Say you like her too, kiss, bed, new addition to harem. This shouldn't be too hard for you by now"
"That's exactly the point! I can't do that unconsciously, Nana-san! What if I mess up?"
"How do you mess up in this? You're such a golden boy"
"I don't know how to explain, I just feel that if I don't consider this properly, I could make a mistake and end hurting Tsunotori..."
"And don't you think it would hurt her anyway to be rejected?"
"... It's not like I didn't imagine that, you know? I want to protect her, but if she discovers about..."
"~sigh~ Okay, okay, I get your point. Play it safe then, but ask yourself this question, Izuku. Knowing that you're in a "relationship" with Itsuka, she came all the way to confess. What are you willing to do for her?"
"Midoriya-san?" Her voice dragged Midoriya back to reality.
"Eh, what?"
"You were awfully quiet for a while..."
"Sorry, I had a lot of things in mind.."
"So… about us- I mean, me liking you?" She asked again with expectancy in her voice.
"Umm, you see..." This answer didn't start as she wanted. "I'm afraid I can't say I feel the same way, Tsunotori-san" Why did it hurt so much to say these words?
"Oh..." She was visibly disappointed, which struck Midoriya like a mighty spear across his heart.
"I'm sorry, but I already have-"
"Kendo-san, I know. I just thought… I don't know what I was thinking, ah haha. A few hours ago I was all hung up about you and Kendo not spending much time together, and look where I'm now, trying to get between you two. Silly me~"
"What do you mean?"
Maybe she spoke a little too much, but she didn't plan to go back on her words anymore.
"I talked with Kendo about you. I didn't mention our secret nights, though, I'll do it later on when I'm ready. Until then, we can put our nights on a hold. Kendo… she really trusts you, Midoriya, and you're an awesome person. I didn't have any motives at all to think you would betray her or something. I got mad seeing you with other girls… and that was because I like you, but didn't realize until now"
"But… why tell me this right now?"
"I wasn't sure. Kendo also said I could confirm if I confronted you and these feelings while being honest, so here I am. I don't know, maybe the years of reading slices of life and highschool romance gave me some hope. I would hate to take you away from Kendo-san, though..."
He didn't know what to say. One part of him was screaming at himself, begging for the harem route again, as this path held a slight chance of seeing this precious girl happy, and with him, which would be a huge bonus. However, the fear of Tsunotori getting away, disgusted perhaps, because of his many lovers was enough to silence the first voice.
"... You're not talking much today. I guess it is a lot to digest, haha… anyway, I hope we can at least stay as friends. Is that okay?" She said, her voice losing the cheerful tone more and more.
Was that okay? Was Midoriya okay with refusing her sincere feelings like this? Would he be able to sleep knowing that at the same time, in her room and in the dark, she would drop tears from this rejection? Didn't he say to himself that he would see her happy and protect her from the world, if necessary?
"~sigh~ This is really hard. Now I know why the protags have a lot of trouble to confess, this is really energy-consuming. I suppose you know that since you and Kendo… well, at least we can still share our liking for the high form of art that is anime~" By this point, she was making jokes to prevent herself from breaking apart.
What course of action should Midoriya take now? Allow her to be a friend? Bring her into his messed up but wonderful life? Well, this was his perspective, anyways. And if they kept as friends, would that even do any good to her? Being so close, yet so distant, never able to reach the truth she wanted, pouring her feelings just to have them splashed back at her face? He didn't want that. He didn't want to be a source of pain to Tsunotori, just as much as he didn't want her to see in him in a bad way. He… he had to do something.
"Oi oi, Izuku, calm down. Let's not get hasty" Nana sensed the turmoil inside Midoriya like a cauldron, no a magma pit building up pressure. This was anything but good for this situation.
"I… I don't know about that, Tsunotori-san"
"Eh...?"
"I mean, I also like to spend time reading and all but… maybe we really shouldn't be that close"
"I talked with Kendo, she doesn't care about it"
"I know but I do"
"What? No, take that back, Izuku"
Tsunotori felt it again, that sting inside her chest, but rather than a thorn, it felt more like a stake now.
"Come on, Midoriya-san. I know you liked my cosplays. Friends can do these things together, right?"
"Maybe, but our case is a little different..."
"I-it is?"
"Yeah… I think it would be for the best..."
"Stop right there young man, don't you dare to finish this sentence" Nana almost shouted inside his mind, but he was too much troubled to listen.
"... if we dropped that already. I feel that if we keep too close, you would feel bad. Don't you think so?"
"You IDIOT" There's the shout, at full lungs.
"... Midoriya-san, you're not making any sense now, haha haha… we can totally be close friends" Despite her words and the forced laugh, it was clear to him that she was saddened, heartbroken even, but he had to scratch that option from her mind. If Tsunotori kept holding on to the idea that they could be together, Midoriya wouldn't resist and would tell her everything, and then it was over.
"Stop drawing conclusions! Damn it, Izuku, why do you have to shut me down right now?!" A frustrated and angered Nana shouted at the dark void. The boy was so divided and confused that his mind practically severed their connection. It never happened before, which meant Midoriya was clearly nowhere near a sane state of mind.
"Am I now? I don't think you like this option either, Tsunotori-san"
"What are you talking about? Of course I'm fine with being just close friends" She said, waving a hand.
"Are you really fine with that?"
"Yes, I'm fine, totally fine"
He took in a deep breath and sighed.
"Well, I'm not. If you won't be honest with at me, at least be with yourself"
"Look who's talking! Izuku! Stop running your mouth and lemme fix this train wreck. Just repeat whatever I say, okay? IZUKU!"
Tsunotori widened a smile in her face, but as soon as he looked at her, her lips trembled. All her resolve was thrown through the window and her eyes got watered. Holding that shaking smile as best as she could, she somehow managed to prevent her voice from cracking completely.
"That's a cruel thing to say, Midoriya-san… ne, you're just joking, right? You're not serious, are you?"
Maybe it was the number of lies that he said in sequence, or the teardrops pooling at the corner of her eyes threatening to roll down her cheeks that were the breaking point for him. He didn't know. All that Midoriya knew was that he was about to commit a sin. When under pressure, he was able to analyze the situation, form plans, deal with many outcomes, but this wasn't a fight against a villain. If nothing, he was the evil one here, and this lapse of judgment gave him the worst of the ideas. If Tsunotori liked to spend time with him so much, the way to solve it was simple, just as she said. She simply had to not like it anymore.
"Why is that important anyway? It's not like I'm special or anything. You'll do fine without me"
"E-eh…?"
"You can… you can tell everyone about your hobbies. They are your friends, they'll understand"
"But what about you? Don't you understand me already?"
"These are… different things..."
"... I don't get it… Why are you even say this now? If you didn't care before, then… why listen to me in the first place?" She was really getting desperate, and her vision was already blurred.
"I did what I had to. Also, I didn't expect you to get so attached to me. Like I said, I'm not special"
"But you're to me! You were the first person besides my sis that didn't treat me differently because… because I'm a weeb!"
"You are what?"
"You heard me! I like anime, and I will fight for my waifus! And I had a body pillow BEFORE coming to Japan. And, and… and I like monster girls, and I play gacha games like a madman, and I shamelessly pirate sometimes because I can't wait for the official release, and-"
"T-Tsunotori, slow down, I didn't get half of what you said"
The blondie was beginning to hyperventilate and Midoriya was completely lost. What should he do now? While he held his head with both hands. Tsunotori looked down, visibly shaking. He heard the faint sound of hiccups, a terrible sign. She slowly held his shirt with two tight fists, resting her forehead right on his chest. Somehow her horns didn't poke his eyes, although he wouldn't mind in the slightest, given the situation. Soon the fabric of his shirt got wet, and if it didn't show what was happening, the sobs from the poor blondie clearly meant she was crying. That meant he failed. Utter, and spectacularly.
"That… that's not fair, you know..." His voice broke down. He could no longer pretend he didn't feel sad about it.
"Why…? Why can't I… ~sob~ have you…? Is it because ~hic~ I'm too short?"
"No, that's not it..."
"Am I too annoying…?"
"No, I…"
"You hate me…?"
"No, I don't hate you"
"Then!" Her head shot up, and her watery eyes looked right into his. A tidal wave of guilt hit him and Midoriya wasn't sure he could stand in front of her right now. He never felt a desire so strong to run away but at the same time, her small hands gripping his shirt rooted his feet on the ground like the tree next to them. "Why don't you let me be your friend?! Why do I have to be excluded...?"
Midoriya couldn't conjure the strength to lie again.
"I'm not worthy of your time or your care, Tsunotori-san..."
"Stop saying that and let me decide this, please..."
"I… I'm a huge nerd..."
"I like smart guys"
"I don't know how to keep a conversation going most of the time..."
"Then I'll do the talking"
"I-I am a hero fanatic, I overreact whenever I see a pro and I have a lot of notebooks" He was already starting to sound and look like the usual Midoriya.
"I'm a huge weeb, try to one-up that"
"I mumble a lot..."
"That looks quite cute when you get used to it"
"I… I..."
"Are the excuses gone? If so, I want to say that ~sniff~ I don't care about any of this. You accepted me for what I am. It is only fair that I do the same"
She got closer to him slowly wrapping her arms around his torso. She didn't go all the way around, waiting for him to do the same. Midoriya moved his hands temptingly, but he ended resting them on her shoulders, pushing her away. Looking at her face, Tsunotori had wet streaks going down her cheeks.
"I… I want this, Midoriya-san, I want to be with you. I want you to be happy… with me, if possible. Do you know what I had to deal with…? Senpai asking you out on a date, the girls from your class being so clingy, Kendo not caring about it… the guys were saying mean things about you and I simply couldn't stand it. And that crazy girl at your dorms… why do you even keep her around? Doesn't she makes your life a living hell?" She took a moment to breathe in. "I would do anything to be just your friend, Midoriya-san. To me, you're worth that I would go any lengths for you"
"You… you're putting me too high in a pedestal, Tsunotori-san..."
"Why…? Midoriya… ~hic~ just let me love you, damn it!" If her English was slipping, she was mad for sure. Despite the language barrier, her message was delivered clear as crystal.
"You wouldn't say that if you knew..." He said shyly, looking away as looking at Tsunotori caused too much guilt.
"Know what? What is there to know?! Give one good reason to not love you, Midoriya!" Tsunotori didn't know if she was simply heartbroken or if this was anger. Perhaps a mix with a tinge of frustration. On the other side, Midoriya looked her in the eyes, so intensely that she actually flinched a little.
"You want one? I'll give you fifteen. You know the girls from my class? I go out with every one of them, scratch them, I have sex with them almost on a daily basis. And guess what? Except for you, all your girlfriends from 1-B. Hatsume from the Support Course, and even Midnight-sensei and Mt. Lady. If you knew the number of nights I spent awake… and here you are, saying that I'm the greatest person there is, haha... That's pretty funny actually, hahaha..."
The boy sat against the tree bark, holding his head on his hands. Why did he even say this? Wasn't his goal to NOT let her discover about it? Suddenly his head cleared out, his heart stopped beating a thousand times per minute, and a faint voice in the back of his mind gained volume again.
"Well, that escalated quickly," Nana said, feeling relieved that she could talk to him again.
"Aaah, Nana-san, what did I do…? I blacked out for a second and..."
"Yeah, you messed up big time now. It was painful to watch"
Their talk didn't go for long because Tsunotori fell to her knees, her back turned to him.
"Tsunotori-san…?"
"That… is a hell of an excuse, Midoriya..." He flinched as he knew she was crying even more now. She slowly turned around looking over her shoulder. "It is an excuse, right? ~sob~ You just hate me and don't want anything with me, don't you?"
His head hung low again.
"No… this is 100% the truth"
She hiccuped stronger.
"What about Kendo…?"
"She knows about it. She knows for a while, and she is part of my… of my harem. She has nothing against it, pretty much as you said"
"So she… she allowed you to get more girls...? ~sob~"
"Not quite, she wasn't my first"
"Then-"
"Ochako. My class, then Hatsume. Midnight and Mt. Lady, then Kendo, and the rest of your class ~sigh~ I'm not exactly proud of it, but I don't hate it either. I love them, and they love me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. We do get pretty "intimate" from time to time"
"So, that time you said you couldn't come, you were..."
"Yes… And Nemuri said that I had a natural way to attract the girls around me, so I should take more care, be more aware. That's why..." He looked up at her now. "That's why I didn't want to be so close to you, to prevent exactly this. But I realized that too late. Do you understand now? I'm not the good person you think I am"
Tsunotori turned around completely, rubbed some tears away after staring at him for a while, then got up, still crying.
"No… no, I don't get it… what kind of hentai plot is this...? You're telling me we can't be together because you have a harem? That's it?"
"Are you not disgusted or anything?" He asked incredulously.
"Hell yeah, I am! Who goes around collecting girls like they are pokémon? And you lied to everyone! We even made a party because Kendo was finally dating you. And you dragged her get into this big lie! Every one of my friends lied to my face for who knows how much time. ~gasp~ Is that what green valley means?!"
"Umm, Tsunotori, I didn't get all of your English-"
"Fuck it if you didn't understand! Why do you care?! So you don't want to add me to your harem? Ok! FINE! I'll just be by my room then while you fuck every single one of my friends like rabbits or something!" The blondie shouted, stomping the floor with her hoof.
"T-Tsunotori-san, are you okay?" He asked because she was getting red like a tomato. Bad time to ask. She glared at him and he could tell she was wishing to have been born with a laser eyes Quirk or something similar.
"You know what? No, I'm NOT. OKAY. WITH THIS!"
And so she stormed away, leaving dents on the innocent grass as her hooves hit the ground with a surprising amount of strength for someone her size. Midoriya stood still for some good five minutes, sitting in silence. Even Nana gave some space to him because no one, and I mean, NO ONE was expecting this outburst from the small, cute, and -apparently- harmless blondie.
While Midoriya returned inside, glad after discovering that no one was nearby to hear the shouting fest, Tsunotori made her way back to 1-B dorms. Doors were slammed, persons were passed by unanswered, and after flopping on her bed, she screamed and screamed, muffling everything into her fluffy pillow. When all the anger died down and she couldn't bring herself to scream anymore, which took a while, her eyes watered again. The Tears Strikes Back. It was a long, long night.
End of Chapter
Aaand cut. Wait, wait! Before you all decide to tie me in a trunk and dance around my burning body like a witch hunt, I want to say that the next chapter is on its way. Truth is, this was meant to be posted last Sunday, but it got increasingly long and I decided to cut it in half instead of taking more time and posting a gigantic chapter. On that note, I wanted to discuss this. I have been trying to increase my update frequency, but sometimes (like this one) it takes a lot of time to have everything done and even more time to spell-check and so on. I don't want to put my other works into the fridge again as I figured a way to manage it. The only issue now is time.
I did an experiment with my other Honkai fic and (what a surprise) shorter chapters consume much less time. However, I wanted to keep some consistency in the chapter size, so sometimes I would force myself to reach a certain length, which doesn't always turn out well and I have to scratch and rework that section. Also, while writing this chapter with the intention of being a shorter one, I noticed my "style" kind of leads me to longer chapters, but I can work around this by cutting the whole thing, as you'll notice in the next update. The only downside, I guess, would be a lot of cliffhangers and you guys wanting my head on a silver plate (perhaps). Also, from a reader perspective, it should be more comfortable to read a chapter that doesn't go forever and beyond. You tell me.
Anyway, that's about it. I'll make an effort to finish the other half (currently on the spicy section, wink wink~) asap and post it so you don't have to see dear, sweet, precious Pony in a bad mood for long. And for those wondering, no, I don't have a particular fixation with her, I think I just got better at making their personalities and interactions. Huh, does makes me want to rewrite the first chapters, as there is a LOT of things I could do differently, looking back at it now. But that's a talk for another time. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as in, it was well done because- ugh, I want to hit myself for making Pony go through this! Thanks for taking your time and reading, leave a review if you feel like, and stay safe. Bye bye~