Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.
djinn - Thank you so much. I try my best to avoid copying from the original source as much as possible because 1) It's boring, and 2) It's a bother getting everything exact. So, I'm glad that you enjoyed the fight with Farkas and Lewis and a Melissa teaming up. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter just as much.
wellingtonlucas282- No problem, thank you so much for reading.
Foxfire573 - Gracias. Realmente debería mencionarlo más. Cuando los estudiantes se muden a sus nuevos dormitorios, Aizawa lo mantendrá en la sala común como un recordatorio para que Lewis se comporte. Gracias por leer.
phillyitalian - I guess you're right. And Aizawa honestly thought he was going to have a nice peaceful year until two trouble children showed up. Thanks for reading.
BlackLegB - I'm really sorry to hear that. I hope things have been better for you since then. I get like that sometimes and life somethings sucks. You have my full support in everything, mainly because you clearly have good taste in stories if you're reading mine. Ha Ha! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
nexusplayer - Glad that you're excited. I hope you enjoy the next chapter just as much.
Neo Infinity- No problem, thank you for reading.
Spedyalarm - That's…actually not a bad idea. I quite like it. Maybe Lewis can learn about his ancestor from the past and try to discover more about his Breathing style. I've made a note of it for a future chapter. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
SacredKoopa - Oh definitely, maybe the younger ones like Bubble Girl or Ryuko. I'll think about it. Thank so much.
Guest - Of course, if Shoko asked he would definitely let her stay over. Although, I think her brother and sister would be a little concerned.
notetaken - Thanks so much!
DukeSomerset - In the original shopping trip chapter that I wrote, I had planned for the 1B girls to join in as well. However, it got a big long and so I cut it out and created a new chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it.
GreatAsura - Thanks so much, I'm glad that you are liking it.
Guest - I have actually been thinking of the same thing for the past months. I don't have drawings of my OCs because my art skills are atrocious. The best I could do is the thumbnails you see on every each of the story…and even then that was hours of work. However, I would love to do it if I could.
Thanks for reviewing :)
Chapter 33: Shopping Trip Part Two
Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall
"Sorry Midoryia, I can't make it today," Lewis said with his mobile pressed against his ear, "Aizawa sent me a list of extra things I need for camp so I have to rush and buy them."
"That's a shame. I thought I would ask since Karminari and Mineta managed to have access to the U.A swimming pool. Apparently, they must be really devoted to their training," Midoryia said with a disappointment hum, "Why couldn't he have to you told you the list earlier?"
"I asked him the same thing," Lewis muttered, "he told me that he's not my personal messenger and hung up."
"Yeah…that definitely sounds like something he would do."
It has been a week since they had returned from Island and things were almost back to normal. Lewis was, once again, named in all the newspapers because of his and Melissa's fight against Farkas. He didn't essentially play a massive part in the I-Island invasion, for the most part he was locked up in a cupboard in a warehouse, but since he had already been in the news with the Sports Festival and then the Stain incident, the press, naturally, exaggerated his role. At this point, he was becoming more and more of a household name. The principal and Aizawa told him that U.A will deal with it and for him to carry on and concentrate on his studies…and for him to stop causing any sort of mess until at least after the summer.
Despite this, everything has been pretty normal for Lewis. Melissa sends him photos almost everyday on the latest invention or construction she had made; Burnin' gave him her number in case he wanted to work as an intern for Endeavour's company…although it was unlikely he would even step foot in his office, let alone get a job; and he had the joy of experience airsick Shoko once again and was tasked with taking her home.
-Flashback One Week Ago -
Todoroki's House
Fuyumi, after coming home from a long day of work, stood at the front doorway and stared blankly at the sight before her; Lewis carrying her baby sister on his back with her head in the crook of his shoulder whilst meowing like a cat deliriously. It was such a bizzare sight that she had no idea how to react other than to stop and stare and listen to Lewis explanation.
"So," she finally said, "You're telling me that Shoko gets like this every time she flies on an airplane."
"Yes," Lewis replied.
"And she acts like a cat who wants head pats."
"Yes."
"And she won't remember a single thing after this."
"Yes."
"Fleetwood," Shoko moaned before she began slapping the back of his head rapidly, "I want soba. Give me soba now."
"I- ow! -would also- ow! -like to use your- ow! - kitchen to make soba, please- ow!"
….
….
….
….
Fuyumi took out her phone from her pocket and took a photo of the both of them, "Hello, new lock screen wallpaper," she said with a giggle, making Lewis sweat drop.
- Flashback End -
Shopping Mall
Fuyumi had sent him a copy, but he wasn't brave enough to use it as his wallpaper as she was.
"What items did Aizawa ask you to get?" Midoryia asked him, snapping him from his thoughts.
Lewis hummed as he recalled the email his homeroom teacher sent him, "Ear defenders, a blindfold, nose plugs…it's a weird list, right?"
"It's probably part of your training somehow," Midoryia said "probably trying to hone your skills without using most of your senses," Lewis heard a doorbell in the background, "Oh, that's Karminari and Mineta. I talk to you later, Fleetwood."
"Alright, have fun," he said before the call ended.
He slipped his mobile back into his pocket and looked out over the ground floor of the shopping mall. He decided to get there early today so it wasn't as busy like the last time he was there. He walked past a family travelling the other before stopping in front of a sports equipment shop.
'I can probably find most of the things in here,' he thought to himself, 'I'll just go in, get what I need and leave before the crowds come-'
"Double…" a young voice shouted.
"…Chop…" another voice added.
"…ATTACK!"
THWACK!
"Ah!" Lewis cried out as he felt something hit the back of his knees.
His knees buckled and he fell backwards and crashed onto his back on the hard floor painfully; while his feet remained planted on the ground. Tears formed in his eyes as he groaned in pain, staring upwards at two six years old boys with short orange hair. They looked like twins; one had freckles over his nose while the other looked as if he was missing a front tooth, but they both had the same mischievous grin as they stared down at him.
"Nice one!" the one with freckles cheered.
"He fell like a tree!" the one with missing tooth cackled in glee.
"Yeah, he did," a familiar voice laughed. Stepping into his line of sight, Tokage from Class 1B wearing green blouse and jeans stepped into view and grinned down at him, "Hey, Fleetwood. You good down there?"
"Just…great," he uttered, shooting her an annoyed glare.
"Boys!" another familiar voice yelled in anger.
The mischievous smiles were quickly wiped of their faces and replaced with a look of panic.
"Damn! Sis saw us," the freckled boy gasped.
Tokage gulped and looked over her shoulder, "Don't worry. I'll deal with her," she told them before turning around in time to see Kendo wearing a yellow dress and a short leather jacket marching towards them,
"Kendo, I'm so sorry. I turned a way for a second and they were gone," she explained to her angry classmate.
"Hey!" the twins yelled in betrayal.
"She was the one who told us to do it," the boy with the missing tooth said, pointing at her accusingly.
Tokage sent them a glare, "You little snitches."
THWACK!
THWACK
THWACK
"Am I babysitting three children or two?" Kendo scolded while the twins and Tokage rubbed their aching head, "apologise right now!"
"We're sorry," the grumbled.
Kendo huffed in annoyance before she turned to Lewis who was still lying on the floor, "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did that?"
"Fine," he answered, "I need some help getting up."
Kendo reach her hand down and pull him back up, "You really collapsed like a house of cards, huh?" she teased, "Nice to know all that training's paying off."
"In my defence, I wasn't expecting to have my guard up when I'm shopping," he said before he looked down at the orange haired boys, "these are your brothers?"
"They're are more like little brats," she muttered through gritted teeth, shooting a glare at the twins, "Fleetwood this is Hiro," she said pointing to the freckled boy, "and this is Akito," she said pointing to his twin, "You already know the last one," she pointing at Tokage.
"Hey Fleetwood," Tokage greeted with a cheery wave.
Lewis gave her soft glare, "I'm not talking to you."
"Ah, don't be like that."
"Lewis!"
He looked up to see the other girls of Class 1B in casual clothing walk to them with Pony, being the one to call out to him, taking the lead. She was wearing a colourful vest top (how she got it over her horns remained a mystery to him) and low riding jeans and a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her head.
Then it was Komori who wore a knee length white dress with little mushrooms dotted around the hem; she smiled brightly at the sight of Lewis and waved to him; ever since they teamed up together at the convention and learned of her secret pass time, she has become less shy around him and felt comfortable to allow her 'shroom' vocal tic whenever he was around.
Beside her was Yanagi who was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black shorts. She gazed up at Lewis with kind eyes before she nodded simply in greeting. Out of all the girls, he had the least interaction with her; not out of choice, but they never really had a chance to meet up.
On her right was Ibara who was dressed in a plain white blouse, a long skirt that reached her ankles and a black ribbon tied around her neck. She smiled pleasantly as soon as she saw him, but, as soon as he acknowledged her back, her cheeks flushed slightly and she turned her head away as if embarrassed by her reaction.
Finally, waking calmly behind them was Kodai wearing a rather sophisticated long sleeved sweater, a tartan skirt and tights; she looked like a business woman rather than high school student. Her face, like always, was indifferent, but Lewis felt her eyes observe him keenly. She hummed slightly before she looked away and sipped the ice tea she was holding through a straw.
"Hi guys!" he greeted in a friendly tone, "It's been a while."
"Yeah, it sure…has," Pony said, her Japanese improving slightly since the last time they spoke, "Are you…doing…last minute shopping."
"Yeah, my homeroom teacher sent me a list this morning for other things I have to take to camp," he told them.
"Oh how exciting!" Pony chirped.
Komori nodded, "We're excited as well, shroom shroom. We decided to get the important stuff out of the way before we shop for individual stuff."
"Kinda wish we could have done it earlier," Yanagi sighed, "I don't feel comfortable doing this with only a week left."
Tokage shrugged her shoulders, "I overheard Ashido talk about their class shopping trip and sounded like fun. It's just bad luck that our schedules didn't work out today. Besides we're here now and we're having fun, right?"
"I quite agree," Ibara chimed, "let's try not to think about our departure day and focus on… oh, Kendo. You're brothers are…" she pointed sheepishly at the twins who were in the middle of a fight; punching, kicking and pulling at the others' t-shirts.
Kendo shot them a fury-filled glare which made them stop and push away from each other. She sighed and rolled her eyes in response.
"Thanks Ibara. I'm sorry about them, guys. Mom is at work and dad's stuck in traffic. I promise he'll pick them up…as soon as he gets here."
"It's no problem," Tokage said, before grinning at Lewis, "They're actually great fun to have around."
"Still not talking to you," Lewis mumbled.
"Sis!" Akito said as he tugged in her arm, "Can we go to the arcade, please?"
"Yeah, please," Hiro begged.
Kendo gave them a glare, "No, dad's coming soon so you have to stay with me until he gets here."
"But we're boooorrrreeeddd!"
"I don't want to keep on shopping!"
Lewis saw Kendo sigh in annoyance and looked down at her brothers in irritation; it was same look she gives Monoma whenever…well, when he does literally anything as far as he knew. However, before she could scold them again, Ibara smiled sweetly and kneeled down to their height.
"Now, now children," she calmly said, gaining the twins' attention, "It is not nice to pout and beg like that. How about this, if you two be on your best behaviour until Mr. Kendo arrives, I will treat you both with a jigsaw puzzle of your choice from the toy shop. They are far better and more educational than those violent arcade games, aren't they?"
The twins stared at her with a deadpanned look.
"Grass haired girl's boring," Hiro said.
"Yeah," his brother chimed in.
Ibara looked as if their comments physically pained her. Her head hung to the side, her smile was pulled back into a grimace and a dark cloud hung over her head. Hiro and Akito pulled their sisters' arms again.
"Sis! Please I want to go to the arcade!"
"Please sis! Please!"
Meanwhile, Yanagi and Komori patted Ibara's shoulders comfortingly as she continued to sulk.
"B-boring…I'm boring," she whimpered.
"No, you're not," Komori told her, "You're…you're very interesting. Isn't that right Yanagi?."
Yanagi nodded in agreement, "Err…yeah. You know kids. They get to age when they don't like things like jigsaw puzzles."
"But I liked jigsaw puzzles at their age."
"Your childhood sounds boring," Kodai said plainly before she sipped her ice tea.
"Yui!" Komori and Yanagi snapped while Ibara whined sadly.
Lewis saw Kendo sigh tiredly as he brothers continued to berate her; he frowned sadly at the situation she was in before he stepped forwards with smile.
"You know, I don't really have much things to get so why don't I take them to the arcade," he offered, much to her surprise, "You guys go on and get what you need. I'll keep an eye on them."
Kendo blinked at him before she offered him a kind smile, "That's nice of you, but you don't have to, Fleetwood. You don't have to waste your day."
"It won't be a day and it's fine. I can get my stuff fairly quickly anyway," he reassured her.
She hummed thoughtfully, "Well…" she looked down at her brothers and saw the pleading looking in their eyes. She sighed and looked towards Lewis, "…if you really don't mind, I guess you can. I promise it won't be a while and then my dad will come and pick them up," he reached up and grabbed her brothers' by the shoulders, "Okay, you two. Do not dare make trouble from him, so no pranks, no fighting, no throwing tantrums and no stealing things. If you step out of line then I kick your butts. Do you understand?" she asked firmly,
"Yeah," the twins chorused.
"I said, do you understand?" she repeated seriously.
"Y-yes sis!"
"Good," she patted their shoulders and grinned, "Okay, you guys have fun."
'Is this what it is like having a sibling,' Lewis wondered with a sweat drop.
Arcade
Lewis had barely taken a step inside before kendo's brothers rushed in to the loud and busy games arcade that the shopping mall had. Children and some adults crowded around the machines and tables, enjoying an assortment games from classic consoles, dance floor machines and shooter games. Lewis made sure to quickly followed the twins before they could give him the slip; Kendo had trusted him to look after them and he didn't want to disappoint her.
He watched as Hiro ran up to the first games a machine which happened to be a punching game; the sort that measures how powerful the player's punches are. Hiro pressed the button on the machine and saw the arm with the punching mitt swing down just over his head; Lewis couldn't help but laugh lightly to himself.
'Aw, guess there's a height restriction for him. Maybe I can help him by lifting him up or-'
He stopped suddenly when he saw Hiro turn around beneath the punching mitt and extend his entire right leg by an entire meter; he gave a shout and shot his leg up all the way over his head and successfully kicked the punching mitt with enough force to push it back.
"Alright!" Hiro shouted in glee as he leg retracted back to its normal size.
"W-wait!" Lewis sputtered as he ran over to him, "You can't use your quirk! Not in public!"
Hiro frowned at him, "But I wouldn't be able to hit the target."
"Then maybe you shouldn't play it."
"But Akito is playing a game that mum and dad won't let us play."
"What?" Lewis said before he turned around.
Akito was currently at another fighting game where the player fights against a virtual villain on the screen in front of them. The player punches a mitt on a staff in front of them and the harder the hits is how much the virtual villain gets injured. Judging by how much the virtual villain is almost beaten to a bloody pulp; Lewis can hazard a guess why their parents didn't allow them to play this game.
Lewis immediately rushed over to him whilst shepherding Hiro on the way, "Err…Akito. My brother told me that your parents don't allow you to play this game."
The young boy looked innocently up at him, "Yes they do. Hiro's lying."
Lewis blinked blankly at him before looking down at his brother, "Well, Hiro said-"
"He's right. I was lying," Hiro immediately said, changing his story, "Our parents love us to play this game."
"Err…" he uttered, "Well, they're obviously lying, but it's not like I could say that to them without proof,' he thought miserably. He took one look at the game before he punched the mitt himself, winning the game and ending it.
"Hey!" Akito cried.
"Whoops! My fist slipped," he lied, not meeting the angry child in the eye, "Perhaps, you would like to play something that doesn't allow you use your quirks or for me to get myself in trouble with your parents. What about a racing game…"
"Nah!" they both chorused.
"…a dancing game…"
"Nah!"
"…err…a fishing game…"
"…"
"Yeah, even I know that's lame," Lewis admitted.
"Hey, Flea Wood…" Hiro said.
"It's Fleetwood."
"Whatever. Sis says that you can make stuff disappear and reappear, right?" he asked excitedly.
"More or less. When did she tell you that?"
"She talks about you sometimes," Akita told him, "I also read about you in her diary."
Lewis blushed slightly, 'She has a diary. Aww, that's adorable,' he thought before he cleared his throat and looked away, "You shouldn't be going through her personal stuff, you know?" he scolded.
"But mom does it… and so does dad," he said before he gulped nervously, "But please don't tell her I know that."
Hiro stepped forwards, "Anyway, since you've got this cool quirk, can you get us one of the prizes in the claw machine," he said, pointing to the game in the far corner, "I bet you can get all of them and nobody will notice."
"Yeah! Flea Wood!" Akita chimed in eagerly.
Lewis sweat dropped and smiled sheepishly, "Definitely not. That would be cheating and stealing," he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled confidently, "As a student at U.A, I must uphold the rules and not abuse my quirk for petty crimes," he declared doing his best Iida impression, "You two want to be heroes, don't you?"
"Yeah!"
"Obviously!"
"Then you should know that with great power comes….an internal moral judgement of what is right and what is wrong in line with collective social and legal ethics," he said, "So, do you still want me to use my quirk on the claw machine…or do you want to do the noble thing and win by working hard."
"Cheat!" the twins answered at the same time.
'They didn't even hesitate!' Lewis internally shouted before he sighed, 'All Might makes it look so easy,' he thought before giving the boys a stern look, "I'm not going to do that. Instead…" he looked around and noticed a basketball throwing game, "How about this," he said as he led them to the game, "Why don't we play this," he told them picking up one of the basketballs, "I bet I can get a high score."
Hiro rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure you-"
Ding! Ding!
"Huh?" the twins uttered.
Before he could even finish his sentence, Lewis nonchalantly tossed the basketball over his shoulder and got it into the net; he made it look so easy that they couldn't believe it.
"Whoa!" they cried as they eyes sparkled in joy, "How did you do that?"
Lewis shrugged as he took another ball, tossed it and got into the hoop a second time, "I'm used to tossing cards at bad guys; tossing basketballs are practically nothing."
"Huh? How does that work out?"
"Never mind. Just watch me get a high score," he said as he got another basketball into the hoop again and then again and then again, while the twins watched on in amazement.
After that, Lewis challenged the brothers on almost every game in the arcade; from classic consoles to more modern games. He won some and lost a few times, but he insisted he was just letting them win. He was pleased to see that they were having fun and not causing any sort of mayhem that Kendo had predicted; he must tell her that she had nothing to worry about, just to reassure her.
It wasn't until an hour had past that, when they were playing Pac-man for the fifth time in a row, that a deep voice caught their attention. Lewis looked back and saw a muscular older man in his late forties with dark brown hair that was greying at the sides, standing behind them. He was much taller than him and almost twice as wide with a sharp, serious face and slightly bent nose that looked as if it had been broken in a fight. He wore a pair of jeans, a plain white t-shirt and had a large moustache under his nose.
The twins looked around and immediately ran to the tall man.
"Dad! You're finally here!" Akito cried as the older man kneeled down and hugged his sons.
"Ha! Sorry, I'm late boys," he told them with a bright smile, which diminished his intimidating features, "Traffic was a nightmare when I dropped your little sister at pre-school. Did you have fun?"
"Sure did," Hiro said, "Flea Wood is really cool even though he looks like a dork."
Kendo's dad laughed, stood up and looked down at Lewis, "You must be Fleetwood. Itsuka texted me that you were looking after them. I hope that hadn't cause you any trouble. These two can be little terrors sometimes."
"Oh, not at all," Lewis said, "I'm glad that they had fun," he gave a small bow in greeting before offering his hand for him to shake, "My name is Lewis Fleetwood. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Kendo."
The older man grinned and took his hand and shook it, "Respectful. I admire that. The name is Kendo Goshin. I run a dojo not too far away. If you want any training then swing on by."
Lewis smiled brightly, 'He's nice. I thought for a moment he was really scary at first, but he's actually- ack!' he suddenly felt Goshin's grip tighten around hand, "Ow, that's quite a grip Mr Ken-"
He stopped and gulped as deadly aura seemed to radiate off the older man; his eyes were dark, his smile was pulled back into a menacing grimace and he heard a deep growl come from his throat. It felt as if he was going to challenge him in a fight.
"So," he said in a low, dark voice; absent of any friendliness from before, "How do you know my dear, Itsuka?"
Lewis gulped nervously, "W-well, she's my friend and classmate-ack!" he cried out as his hand tightened over his his.
"Oh really?"
"Y-yes, I swear."
"Okay then," he growled, "Listen, I know teenage boys and they can often be problems, especially around young girls like Itsuka. So, if you so much as hurt her feelings then she won't hesitate to kick you to the curb. I've trained her in every single martial arts that I know and she will annihilate you and then I will track you down and I-"
THWACK!
And just like that, Goshin was on the floor with a large bump forming at the back of his head.
"I somehow knew this would happen," Kendo sighed, suddenly appearing out nowhere and knocking her own father like it was nothing, "What have I told you about threatening my friends?"
Goshin raised his head, tears pouring down his face comedically, "But sweetheart…" he wailed.
"No buts! Do it again and I tell mom."
Goshin whimpered sadly and pressed his face against the floor, "My little princess is growing up. It's nor fair!"
"Another K.O," Hiro sighed as he shook his head,
"He really should learn his lesson by now," Akito said with a shrug.
'Is this a regular thing in the Kendo household,' Lewis thought with a sweat drop.
Kendo turned to her brothers, "You guys caused any trouble for Fleetwood?"
"Yeah."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," they chorused.
She then turned to Lewis, "Did they cause any trouble?"
Lewis shook his head, "They were no trouble at all."
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yes I'm sure."
"Good," she said with a bright smile, "Thank you so much Fleetwood. We're heading to a café now, I'll treat you to something," she told him before she turned to her brothers, "Bye guys. I'll see you at home. Dad don't do anything weird."
"Okay," Goshin whimpered from the floor.
Kendo led Lewis out of the arcade and back into the shopping mall; she offered him a sheepish smile as they walked.
"Sorry about dad. He's really protective," she told him.
"It's fine, really. It's nice to finally meet him."
"Sure it is," she said with a roll of his eyes, "Are you going back to your shopping?"
"I can, but, if you don't mind, I can stay with you guys for a while. It's been a while since we all got together."
Kendo laughed, "Of course, you can. We've already got the main things we needed to buy out of the way so we can just hang out for a bit."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Tokage appeared and wrapped her arms around their shoulders, "In that case," she said with a smirk, "Why don't we do what you did last time?"
"How long have you been following us?" Kendo muttered.
"Last time?" Lewis questioned.
"Yeah, Mina told me about it," Tokage answered, "Splitting up and getting a turn with you. Sounds fun to me."
First Floor
And so, Tokage grinned as she dragged Lewis by the arm: he had no idea what her intentions were, but, if there's one thing he knew about her, he knew that was up to something. She had somehow managed to convince the other girls of Class 1B to go along with the solo shopping trip and, not only that, called first dibs and dragged him to who knows where. Don't get him wrong, she was nice and friendly at times and, judging by how she got into U.A by recommendation, very intelligent; she could be just as mischievous and teasing. She was kind of like Mina, but more vulgar…and lizard-like.
"Come on," she urged, "there's this place I want us to check out."
Lewis frowned in concern, "Where are we going, Tokage?"
"Ha! Just call me Setsuna, alright?" she said, shooting him a toothy grin which, admittedly, made him blush a little, "We're friends, aren't we?"
"It depends on what you have planned for me," Lewis sighed.
Suddenly, Setsuna stopped and pointed at the shop right in front of her, "There we are. What do you think?"
Lewis followed her finger and blanched at what she was pointing at. They were stood just outside a lingerie and negligee shop; it was dimmed inside with women-shaped mannequins wearing see-through underwear, bras and corsets stood at the windows and other sexy clothing that looked like Midnight's hero costume. Lewis pale face turned bright red as he realisation he was going in there with a girl and Setsuna's grin widened at the sight.
"Why…what…why," he stammered.
"Oh," Setsuna said coyly, "I need new underwear and I thought you could help pick them out with me. I'll try them on for you, give you a personal show…" she leaned in close and smirked devilishly, "And you can ask to see me them any time you want. At school, after school, whenever. After all, you're the one who choose them; you deserve to see me in them, you naughty boy."
"I-I don't know, Setsuna."
"Come on. I know you want to," she sang teasingly, "Being around girls all day must be exciting for someone like you. Boys like you would kill for this opportunity. So, come on. I'll let you pick out the first pair."
Lewis stepped back as he blushed even harder, 'What is she doing? This is really weird. I…' he thought before he remembered something, 'At the Sports Festival, she tried to do something similar. But when I fought back, she was the one who got embarrassed. Maybe I can do the same and call her bluff,' he thought to himself. Lewis coughed and straightened up before smiling confidently down at her, much to her confusion, "Alright, let's go."
….
….
….
"Huh?" she uttered in bewilderment.
"I think green would look good on you," he hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Are you just getting underwear or should we get something more risqué. I think one of those…corsets things would suit you."
Setsuna blinked blankly at him as he cheeks turned slightly rosy. However, her mischievous grin returned to her face; although it seemed a little forced to Lewis.
"Ha! Good one. Yeah, I can try the corset. Heck, I'll try everything in there if you want," she teased.
Lewis nodded and began to walk to the shop, "Okay, let's go then," he said. He had only managed to take a few steps before Setsuna grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He looked down at her red face and hummed thoughtfully, "What's wrong? You're not... embarrassed are you."
"Me?" she laughed nervously, "Embarrassed? Of course not. Why would I be embarrassed. I just thought you would…err… like to know that I'll be wearing it coming out of the store. Because…" she gulped, "…I'm not wearing any underwear right now."
Lewis fought down a blush. He knew she was lying, but it made him feel bashful nonetheless. However, he held strong and took another step towards the shop, dragging a bright red Setsuna with him.
"Well, I feel honoured to choose which for you to where now. Do you always go around without underwear."
"No…I mean, yeah…I mean, I only wear lingerie so…I sometimes do and sometimes don't. Does that bother you?"
"Not at all. Should we go then?" he asked stepping forward.
"W-wait!" she squeaked, "Are you sure you want to go in? It could be…overwhelming for an innocent boy like you."
"Nope, I think I can handle it. Can you handle it?"
He took another step forwards.
"Of course, I can. I go in there all the time,"
"Then you can show me around."
He took another step forwards.
"Err…well…" she stammered before she took a deep breath, frowned in determination and stepped forwards as well, "Sure, let's go in."
Lewis eyebrows shot up in shock, but he narrowed his eyes as he knew exactly what she was doing, "Okay then," he said. The two entered a stare off as they walked closer and closer to the store entrance; neither of them willing to back down, "Are you sure you don't want to leave?"
"Sure I'm sure," she answered with a flushed face, "Are you sure?"
"Of course," he said with an equally red face, "I won't blame if you don't want to."
"Neither will I."
"Good."
"Great."
"Excuse me," they suddenly stopped when one of the shop assistants came out and stood in their path, "We don't allow minors in here. Please leave."
Lewis and Setsuna flinched at the shop assistants serious order before turning around and walking away with their head bowed gloomily. Waking to a safe distance, the two shared a look for a few seconds before they broke down in laughter; the earlier competition forgotten almost instantly. Eventually, Setsuna, wiping a tear from her eye, was the first to speak up.
"Alright fine. You got me," she giggled, "I guess I can't tease you anymore, huh?"
Lewis shrugged and smiled gently, "I'm sure you can. But you have to try better then that."
"I suppose I have to now," she giggled and , to his surprise, she gave a soft, honest smile rather than her usual mischievous grin, "You know, you're actually fun to be around. And not just because you are…or were an easy target. We should hang out more."
He raised his eyebrows in slight surprise before he nodded, "Sure. We can train together at the summer camp. If you like?"
"I'd love that," she chuckled, showing off her pointy teeth in the process, "You know, I heard they have a pet store somewhere. Want to see if they have any reptiles there?"
"Definitely," Lewis agreed before the two walked away together
Neither of them noticed that they were walking much closer to each other than usual.
Garden And Flower Store
After Setsuna was Ibara's turn with Lewis; since Komori were going to the same shop as well, she also decided to tag along. They were currently in a store that was filed with gardening supplies including tools, plant seeds and potted flowers. Komori was in the corner of the shop reading a book on fungi while Lewis was stood behind Ibara as she looked over the assortment of flora that they had to offer.
"These germanium are simply wonderful," she excitedly said, "Oh and look how luscious and green the leaves of these iris are. Hmm, the lilies might need some more natural sunlight. I wonder if the mall has a balcony that these darlings can grown in."
Lewis smiled as she wanted his classmate look over every single flower that was in show, he had never seen her talk to so much and so fast, 'Wow, I can listen to her all day. It's like watching Countryfile,' he thought happily before he decided to speak up, "You really know a lot about flowers, Ibara. It's amazing."
Ibara, realising that she was talking to herself for a while now, blushed slightly and looked away, "Well, it is immoral to boast, but I do have a wonderful garden that I tend to at home. Flowers are the Lord's gift to us and I enjoy looking after them. It is also helpful when I am tending to my own hair," she said, raising a lock of her vines for him to see, "In order to maintain their health and strength, it is best to know how much water, sunlight and plant food to give them."
"I see," Lewis hummed before he raised a questioning eyebrow, "…do you…eat the plant food?"
"I mix it with environmentally-friendly shampoo," she told him urgently.
"Oh, I see. That makes sense;" he said with a nod of his head, "You know, I've been thinking of growing my own herb garden at home; my uncle has one and I kind of miss using them in cooking. Would you mind if you came over and help me set it up?"
"Why of course, Fleetwood," she said brightly. But then her eyes grew wide in concern, "W-wait a moment. Going to a boys house on my own. Isn't that what mother and father warned me not to do. But I already accepted his request and it's Fleetwood; he is not a bad person. Ah, but wolves can hide in sheep's skin, but the Lord also preaches to help others," she gulped in panic, "I-I don't know what to do."
Lewis sweat dropped, "Err…if it helps, I'm not going to do something bad to you. I just thought we can work in the garden and go to a cat café after."
Ibara eyes bulged in shock and she held her hands over her mouth, "Ah! I just said my thoughts aloud. How sinful of me," she uttered before she clasped her hands together and pray.
He gave her an odd look, but shrugged it off. As long as she's not hurting herself then she can believe whatever she wanted. However, an annoyed hum caught his attention; he looked over his shoulder and saw that it cam from Komori. She was looking down at the book in her hands with a angry pout and, even though he couldn't see them underneath her fringe, he knew that she was frowning crossly.
'So cute,' he thought as he found her angry look somewhat adorable, "Is there something wrong, Komori?"
"There aren't early enough mushrooms mentioned in this book, shroom," she muttered as she walked over, "they missed out all my favourite ones. Like Hydnellum peckii, Lycoperdon perlatum, Ascomycota, Ophiocordyceps, Cantharellus cibarius, Aleuria aurantia..."
Lewis chuckled, "You sure like a lot of them."
"What's you favourite?" she asked to his surprise, "Out of all the fungi in the world, which one do you like?"
He hesitated slightly; to be honest, it was not something he really considered before, but he saw her crossed eyes staring through her fringe eagerly and knew he had to give her an answer.
"Umm…" he uttered, "My favourite are…toadstools."
"Toadstools, really?" she said in surprise.
"Yeah…because…" he looked down at her and saw how much her hair resembled that of a mushroom, "they… remind me of you. Small, pretty and bright," he said before he cringed internally, 'You idiot. Don't call her small. She might take offence to that."
Actually, to his amazement, the opposite happened. Komori's face turned bright red as a goofy grin spread across her face.
"Really! Shroom! You mean that!? Shroom!" she squeaked happily, placing both hands in her cheeks and closing her eyes in joy "Toadstools are my favourite as well! Shroom! Shroom! That's the kindest thing anybody has ever said to me! Shroom!"
Lewis mentally sighed and made a mental note to pick up a book on mushrooms before the next time they meet.
Pop! Pop!
"Huh?" he muttered as he saw mushrooms springing out of nowhere on his arms and hands of all shapes and sizes.
He head a stator gasp and saw that Ibara was also getting covered as well, making her eyes widen in alarm. Lewis looked down at Komori and saw that she had not yet noticed the mushrooms and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Err…Komori?"
She opened her eyes and gasp when she saw what she had accidentally done, "Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologised as she began scraping the mushrooms off of them, "I lost control of my quirk."
"It is quite fine, Komori," Ibara said as her classmate began to remove the mushrooms from her, "All living creatures are welcome in the garden of Lord…they're not poisonous are they?" she asked in slight concern.
"Oh no, these are fine."
"Oh good," she sighed in relief, "If you don't mind, I am going to look at the seeds this blessed shop has," she told them before turning around and walking away…
…only for her to reveal that the entirety of her vine hair was covered in mushrooms.
"Okay, those ones are actually poisonous," Komori said urgently.
"Right," Lewis said as he took out the gloves for his hero costume and put them on, "Ibara, stay still for a few seconds."
Book Store
It was Reiko Yanagi's turn with Lewis and she decided that she wanted to go to a book store located in the far corner of the shopping mall, away from the rush of the major chain stores. They were currently sat on chairs in the quietest part of the store, reading a book that they had chosen for themselves. Lewis hummed as he looked up from his book and to the silver haired girl sat next to him, pouring over a large leather bound book; they had barley said a word to each other, Lewis tried to make some sort of conversation, but Yanagi would always answer in short sentences and nothing really else. He was starting to get concerned.
He opened his mouth to say something at the same time as Yanagi was going to say something; they looked at each other in surprise before Lewis waved his hand to urge to speak first.
"Sorry, you go ahead."
"Oh no, after you."
"Right…" he cleared his throat awkwardly, "I was just going to ask what book you were reading."
Yanagi blinked at him before she lifted the book up for him to see, "It's called, 'Tales of the Macabre' it's a collection of ghost stories and urban myths from Japan and abroad and gives in-depth analysis on where they could have possibly originated from and what its effects in modern day media," she explained, "What are you reading?"
Lewis lifted his own book, "A book on cats."
"Oh," Yanagi uttered with a sweat drop, "Is it an interesting read?"
"No idea. I've been distracted by the photos."
A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips, but then looked down again; he frowned slightly at that and hummed in concern.
"Yanagi, is everything alright?" he asked, making her lift her head, "you're really quiet, that's all."
"Yeah, I'm fine," she admitted, "It's just…" she sighed sadly, "…sorry. I'm making things awkward, aren't I?"
"Awkward? How so?"
"I'm not really a social person, really. I'm happy to go with Kendo and the others, because they're my classmates…but it takes me time to get used to another person. So, I'm sorry. I'm thankful that you put up with me for this long. You can leave if you want."
Lewis raised his eyebrow in surprise and worry, "No, no. I want to spend time with you."
"That's nice of you, but don't you really don't have say that."
"But I really do," he insisted, "You like being around Kendo and rest of Class 1B; didn't you have any friends before coming to U.A?"
"No," she said with a shake of her head, "the kids in my old class just kind of left me alone or stayed away from me. They liked to call me the spooky ghost girl."
Lewis frowned sadly, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Yanagi gave him an odd look, "Why are you sorry? I like spooky things so I'm glad to be called one."
"Oh."
"I don't know," she said with a sigh, "I just thought you would rather you spend your time doing something else other than staying with me."
He frowned slightly as he watched her turn back to her book; he had to admit that she was much harder to read then most people (like Kodai or Shoto for example), but he could tell by the look in her eye that she seemed guilty as if she was bothering him. Lewis watched her for a few seconds before he snapped her book shut and placed it on his lap.
"Hey Yanagi," he said, catching her attention, "What's your favourite spooky story?"
She blinked blankly at him, "I'm sorry?"
"What's your favourite spooky story?" he repeated, "I was wondering if you could tell me about it," he explained. Seeing her confused expression, he offered her a gentle smile, "So you're awkward and unsocial; doesn't mean I'm going to leave you alone. I thought you would like to share with me what you like so we have something to talk about. That way, you will feel more comfortable talking to me. What do you think?"
"Umm…well…"
"I like spooky stuff," he told her. That was a lie; he wasn't a big fan of horror and everything like that, but he was willing to put up with it for her, "So, don't hold back. Give me a proper scare."
Yanagi gazed at him with a soft, tired eyes before she shyly looked away, "Well…my favourite is actually one my grandmother told me when I was young. I guess I can tell you."
"Great," Lewis chirped before he stood up, "I'll just put my book back and we can begin," he told as he walked away around the corner of a bookcase.
The spooky girl was not quite sure how to react, but she didn't feel bad. In fact, she felt kind of relived that she wasn't boring him or causing him trouble.
'This is... nice,' she thought to herself.
Through the parting of her hair, she heard him returning and got an idea. She got up and crept to behind the bookcase and waited right on the edge of it; she listened carefully for him to approach before she jumped out right in front of him and held her arms up and shouted.
"Boo!"
...
...
...
Lewis stared at her in mild confusion; seemingly unfazed by her jump scare while Yanagi stayed still like a statue. They stared in that position for a while before Lewis chuckled in amusement.
"Wow, you really got me," he said through laughter.
Yanagi gulped, "I just thought...since you liked...spooky things that I..." she trailed off slightly as her face turned bright red in embarrassment. She pressed her hands over her face, turned around and squeaked in humiliation, "Why did I do that?" she wailed into her hands, "I'm such an idiot!"
Lewis laughed and comfortingly patted her shoulder; she reminded him of a certain Boo Ghost from a certain video game franchise and thought it was adorable.
Sports Equipment Store
"Do you think I can...pull it off?" Pony asked Kendo and Lewis, pointing the baseball cap wedged between her horns, "It looks good...no?"
Her friends hummed as the looked up at the cap that was barely going over her own head before they shook their heads.
"Sorry, I don't think so. Maybe you should ask if they do custom ones," Kendo offered.
"Yeah, I guess," Pony muttered as she tugged the baseball cap off her head and placed it back on the shelf, "I...just ask when...I ask for shoes for my feet."
After Yanagi, it was Pony's turn. However, Kendo decided to join in since they were headed to the same shop. Lewis and Kendo were helping Pony choose clothing that was adaptable for her body; mainly for her head, hooves and her tail.
"Must be quite a weird day for you, huh?" Kendo said to Lewis, "We kind of hijacked it a little. Sorry about that."
"Don't be. I've actually had a lot of fun. It's too bad we don't get to see each other more."
Kendo laughed at that, "Well, why don't you drop by family's dojo once we return from camp. We can hang out, do some training-"
"More training? After coming back from training camp?"
"Well, if you don't want to-"
"Okay, okay. I'll love to come over," he told her.
Meanwhile, Pony had trotted over to a sunglasses stand, picked one she liked the most up, put them on and looked at herself in the mirror. However, in the corner of the mirror, she noticed Lewis and Kendo talking in the background; Lewis apparently just said something funny as Kendo suddenly burst out in laughter and swept her long ponytail over her shoulder; Pony stared at them for a while before she smiled brightly and her little tail waggling furiously. She put the sunglasses back on the stand and trotted back over to them.
"Lewis," she said, catching his attention, "Do you mind...if I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
Pony smiled up at him with a cheery expression, "I was wondering...what's it like being a...harem protagonist."
"EH!" Lewis and Kendo shouted in surprise, not expecting something like that coming from such a innocent girl.
"H-harem protagonist?"
"Pony, what are you talking about?" Kendo asked with a incredulous look.
Pony clapped her hands together, "Don't you see it, Kendo? I've noticed it...for a while. Lewis is a typical harem protagonist from a romcom manga," she declared, before she started to count from her fingers, "He's quite plain and nerdy, doesn't really stand out as an individual, constantly surrounded by girls, he's nice and supportive and not gross at all, not pervy but gets embarrassed easily, each girl he meets seems to have some sort of admiration for him...the list...goes on and on."
Lewis slouched and bowed his head in misery, "Plain and nerdy? Doesn't really stand out as an individual? Nice? Am I that boring of a character?"
Kendo patted him on the back comfortingly, "Of course not. Pony just gets carried sometimes," she reassured him before she sent the shorter girl a glare, "Pony you read too much manga. Life is not like that."
Pony pouted, "Life imitates art," she pointed out, "That's a fact. It's not a…bad thing. I already…ship you with…a few girls in your… class…and some in mine," she admitted with a shrug.
Lewis looked at her oddly, "Wait? Who- You know what, never mind," he said, "That doesn't prove anything."
"Oh, really?" she said with a small smirk, "Can you tell… me this? Out of all the… girls in you class or…not in your class; which one…would you…prefer to date?"
"Err…well…" he stuttered, thinking of all the girls he knows and seeing which one he would prefer to be with. He genuinely couldn't think of an answer as they all had their individual qualities that made them unique…and so he did the petty thing and turned his head away, "I don't have to answer that question."
"Because you would prefer…all of them, huh?" she teased.
Kendo sighed and lightly chopped the back of her head, "That's enough from you. Fleetwood is not a harem protagonist or whatever."
Women's Changing Room, U.A High School
Meanwhile, over at U.A, most of the Class A girls, who were wearing school issued swimming costumes, were resting after their 'training' in the high school's swimming pool. Asui and Ochako had volunteered to clean up after them while the rest returned to the chasing room.
Mina sighed as she on her bench and stretched her arms over head, "That was great. Perfect thing for a hot day!"
"Yeah! It was so fun!" Toru chirped as she sat on the opposite bench, "We should do this more often!"
"Mr. Aizawa made it clear that the pool is for training only," Momo said, casting a soft glare at the two, "We shouldn't use it for recreational uses."
"I don't think that's going to stop them," Jiro commented as she drank from a water bottle.
Mina giggled before she noticed Shoko sitting on the far bench; she had taken her phone out of her bag and looked as if she was texting something. She raised an eyebrow at her before she called out to her.
"Hey, Shoko. Who you texting?" she asked curiously,
Shoko looked up from her phone, "Fleetwood," she answered, "I was wondering how he was."
"Oh right, Midoryia said that he had to do some errands," Momo said, overhearing their conversation, "It's a shame that he missed out on the training."
Mina grinned at her, "Ooh, somebody wants to see him in a swimsuit."
"What! No! I-" Momo uttered with a blush, but before she could say anything, Jiro stepped in.
"You're one to talk. You were practically drooling over Cheer-wood."
"Hey, who wasn't!?"
"Amen!" Toru piped up.
Jiro rolled her eyes while Momo tutted in disappointment at the two. Shoko glanced up from her phone and cocked an eyebrow in slight intrigue.
"You're such a pervert," Jiro muttered.
Mina shrugged, "What? I bet he would like to see us in our swimsuits."
"He would?" Shoko questioned.
"Of course, he would," Mina laughed as she waved her hand dismissively at her, "Although, it's best not. He might burst a blood vessel-"
Snap!
The whole changing room feel deathly silent at the sound of camera click. At first, they thought that the noise had come from Mineta who had, somehow, snuck in with a camera when they weren't looking. However, seeing the lack of a short pervert present, they slowly turned their heads over to Shoko who was back on her phone.
"…and sent," she said before she folded her phone back up again.
….
….
….
….
"…Shoko…what…did you just do?" Mina asked in sheer shock.
Their classmate looked up at them with her usual stoic face, "I've sent a picture of you in your swimsuits to Fleetwood. You said that he would like it."
…
…
…
"SHOKO!" the girls screamed at her in horror, surprising her.
"You're kidding right?" Jiro gulped nervously, "Tell me you're joking."
Momo pressed her hands against her face; looking as if she was going to die in humiliation, "Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! What do we do!?"
"There has to be a way of getting it back!" Toru yelped.
Shoko frowned in confusion, "I don't understand. I thought you said he would like it."
"I didn't mean take a photo of all of us and sent it to him!" Mina yelled, her black eyes wide in panic, "You can't just send half-naked to a boy!"
"Well, first of all, we're not all in it. My phone doesn't have a front camera so I wasn't able to get myself into the photo," she muttered, feeling slightly disappointed in herself, "Secondly, we we're in front of boys all day. What's the difference?"
"Because they were also in swimsuits, Shoko!"
"Oh," she uttered, feeling guilty by her mistake, "One moment, I'll text Fleetwood and explain to him the situation," she told him, earning a worried look from her classmates.
Sports Equipment Store
Lewis felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and took it out to check the notifications; he noticed that Shoko had sent him a photo via email and opened his phone to check what it was. Pony, seeing an oppoutunity for more teasing, giggled in delight.
"Ooh, who's that. One of you harem girls?"
Lewis rolled his eyes playfully, "It's from Shoko."
"Whoohoo! Todo-wood is…in my top five favourite…ships!"
"You gave them weird names?" Kendo sighed.
"I told you, it's not like-"
The words were caught in his mouth and the email finally loaded and an image of his female classmates in their swimming costumes appeared before his very eyes. He was stunned silent as he took in the every curve of their bodies through the tight fabric and felt his face heat up. Kendo and Pony gave him an odd look at he stopped and stared down at his phone before they looked over his shoulder at what got him flustered. They blinked blankly at the photo before they stared up at Lewis in utter amazement.
"Wow...you're much...further than I was expecting," Pony uttered, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.
Lewis, finally managed to get a word out, "I...I don't know why Shoko sent me this."
"Maybe they thought you missed them," she suggested.
Kendo sighed and lightly chopped her head again, making her yelp and rub her head, "Okay, stop now. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this."
Ding!
They looked down and saw a text that Shoko had just sent him. It read:
'Sorry. I'll be sure to send you another photo when we are not in our swimming costumes. Mina says you would prefer it that way.'
...
...
...
...
Lewis stared at his phone in utter disbelief while Pony laughed her head off. Kendo raised her eyebrows at the text before she gave him a pointed look.
"You're not making it easy for me to support your side," she told him.
Women's Changing Room, U.A High School
"Hey guys!" Ochako sang as she entered the changing room, "Do you mind helping us-" she stopped short when she saw Mina, Toru, Momo and Jiro on their knees with their heads bowed in despair and embarrassment while Shoko innocently sat on the bench, looking down at them with a thoughtful expression, "What's...going on?"
"Remind us to properly teach Shoko proper etiquette at camp," Mina moaned, earning a confused look from Ochako.
"Was...was what I texted incorrect?" Shoko asked with a small frown.
Arts and Crafts Store
Last, but not least, was Kodai Yui. As soon as they met up, she immediately grabbed him by the cuff of his sleeve and led him to the other side of the mall without uttering a single word. Lewis did try to make conversation by asking where they were going, but she always merely responded with:
"Need supplies."
It was quite a surprise for him as they entered a store that sold art supplies like paint, canvases, pens, pencils and those small wooden statuettes that painters use for whenever they need a model. Kodai silently made a beeline to the paint aisle and began looking over them intently. Lewis stared at her oddly before looking around, not quite sure what to do now. Like Yanagi, Kodai was a very quiet person; he was fairly sure that he heard her speak only once or twice since they met each other. She had always remained stoic and cold to everything and everyone, but somehow still maintained her friendship cycle; so she it wasn't as if she was like Shoko when they first met.
Lewis thought about talking to her again, but she seemed busy looking over the paint and decided against it; instead, he decided to go over to the next aisle in search for knitting patterns. His eyes lit up at the first thing he saw; a book of how to knit cat plushies. He instantly grabbed it and began reading it with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, I'm so going to enjoy this," he whispered to himself.
CLICK!
"Huh?" he uttered at the sound and the flash that came after her. He looked to his left and saw that Kodai had followed him and taken a photo of him with her professional camera. She looked down at the camera screen, nodded in satisfaction before she nodded at him and went back to the aisle she had come from. Lewis was a little puzzled by this, 'Okay, I think it's about time I asked her,' he thought before he followed her back to see her looking over the paint once again. He cleared his throat as he approached her, "Err...Kodai. I...well...you just took a photo of me."
"Hmm," she responded in confirmation, not taking her eyes off the paint.
"...Just like you did at the Sports Festival and that time you got into my class."
"Hmm," she hummed again.
"...Well, I just wanted to know why?" he asked her, "I'm just curious that's all."
Kodai didn't respond for a few seconds, but not too long after, she took out her phone, swiped though it before holding it up for Lewis to see. He leaned in closer and raised his eyebrows in surprise; Kodai was showing him off a photo of a painting depicting him as Cheer-wood. It wasn't risqué as Kashiko's BL art that she showed him after her class came to train at their school (an event he really would much prefer to forget). It showed him punching the air with a pompom with a bright, happy smile on his face with his friends supporting him in the background; it was painted in bright joyful colours as if she wanted to show how happy and amusing that scene in his life was. She swiped her thumb across the screen and showed another painting, but this time it was him walking away from Bakugo after their fight. This time the colours were dark and serious; depicting the commitment in his surrender and the anger and fury that Bakugo had endured. Once again, she swiped her thumb across the screen to show another painting that was clearly based on the photo Mina took of him at the cat café; the colours were warm and comforting and the brush strokes were relaxed as if show how calming and sweet it was. Lewis blinked at all the photos before he looked up at Kodai who still hadn't looked around at him.
"Did you paint these?"
"Hmm," she said with a nod.
"They're really good," he told her, "Do you paint often?"
She nodded plainly.
Lewis stared at her for a few seconds before he chuckled, "Ha! And here I was thinking you were doing something weird with the pho-"
She snapped her head at him and gave him a cold look, making him stop mid-sentence, "Weirdos take pictures of others without the subject knowing," she said seriously, "I make sure to notify you when I take photos of you. We are not the same."
"R-right. Sorry," he stammered before he cleared his throat, "So, how did you get into painting?.
Kodai turned her head back to the front, "Apparently, I'm not good at showing my emotions. When I was young, my parents were so concerned that they took me to a therapist about it and she told me to show my emotions through other means rather than on my face. And I choose painting," she swiped her phone again to show the painting with him at the cat café, "I felt joy and comfort," she stated blankly before she swiped her phone to show him as Cheer-Wood, "I felt amused and happy," she swiped her phone again to show a different painting depicting a six year old girl, that looked like Kodai with straight black hair and her expressionless face, sitting at a school desk while the other children ignored her, "I felt sadness and loneliness."
"Oh… I see," Lewis hummed sadly.
He frowned slightly, not quite sure what to say next. Kodai continued to stare at the rows of paint, although now he was convinced she wasn't searching for the right colour anymore, but trying to not make eye contact with him. Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable with admitting something personal to her, he got an idea.
"Kodai, can I borrow your camera for a moment," he asked.
She gave him a blank look before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny version of her camera. He looked oddly at it, but that was when she grabbed it in both hands and, before his eyes, the camera grew to its normal size.
Size: grants her the ability to alter the size of any inanimate object that she touches.
"Huh, cool," he said as she handed him her camera.
He smiled at her before he turned the camera around his hands, stood next to her and took a photo of them both. He stopped back, check the photo he took before he nodded in satisfaction and handed it back to her.
"Do you mind doing me a favour?" he asked, making him tilt her head at him, "Can I commission a painting of this photo? I'll pay for your supplies as thanks."
Kodai looked at her camera before looking back at him indifferently.
"You can paint it any style, colour or way you like; just as long as if portrays your emotion and feelings to the photo I took," he told her, "that way I always have a reference to what you mean to say. Maybe someday I'll be able to tell how you feeling just by one look then I can tell everybody else. How does that sound?"
Kodai still maintained her passive gaze before she turned away, "Good," she plainly said.
She the. Lifted her phone to show him another photo of a painting; this time showing a beautiful sunny day in the countryside; it was bright and colourful as if it echoed hopefulness and kindness. Lewis smiled at the sight.
"I'm glad you feel that way."
Outside the Mall
After a long day, closing time was drawing very near and the customers were quickly vacating the shopping mall in their groups. One group was Lewis and the girls of 1B; their hands barely containing the amount of shopping bags they had filled to the brim with everything they brought.
Lewis had a great day with his other classmates; laughing, chatting and getting to know each one better. It was something he nor they had the time to do with the busy school schedules. But they promised each other that they would meet up at least a few more times before the end of the year. As soon as they stepped outside and saw the sun starting to make its decent; Lewis turned to them and pointed in one direction.
"I have to take a bus back to my place so I have to say goodbye to you now," he told them with a saddened frown.
"Aww," Pony moaned, "Are you...sure?"
"We can always go to karaoke or something?" Setsuna suggested, "How about it?"
"I'm sorry I really need to go and prepare dinner for myself."
The two groaned in disappointment, making Kendo shake their head at them.
"Hey now, you two. You heard him," she gently scolded before turning her attention back to him, "Thanks for you help looking after my brothers. You were really a great help."
Setuna grinned at him, "Let me know when you got some time to spare. We hang out or something."
"I look forward to helping with your herb garden," Ibara said with a humble nod.
"And I can't wait to tell you more about mushrooms, shroom," Komori added.
Yanagi gave a small smile in his direction, "Thank you…just thank you."
"Bye Fleetwood!" Pony cried out as she waved her hand, "Keep me up to date on how your hara-"
Kendo placed a hand over her mouth before she could finish her sentence.
Lastly, Kodai simply nodded; not uttering a single word.
Lewis said his goodbyes and turned to walk away. Today has been unexpected, but not terrible. Of course, this will not be the last time he will speak to them, but he felt as if he had a long way to go to really get to know them.
And, hopefully, it will be not too long in the future.
"Hey Fleetwood!" Kendo suddenly called out to him, making him stop in his tracks, "I just remembered. Weren't you supposed to be shopping as well?"
…
…
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"DAMN IT!" Lewis shouted in shock as suddenly remembered the entire reason he was here. He turned back and saw the shopping mall staff lock the doors behind them, closing them off from the inside. He signed and slumped forwards in despair, "I guess I'm coming back tomorrow," he muttered as the girls smiled apologetically at him.
That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed it.
Nothing much to say, but the Summer Camp Arc starts next chapter so stay tuned.
Thank you for reading :)