Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.

"I knew you didn't hate me."

Ayame's chirpy voice echoed in Noeru's ear as he adjusted the hold on her to his back. Ayame had her hands rested over his shoulders, slightly leaning down by his ear while the rest of the students walked a few steps behind, letting the two to have a private conversation. It wasn't like they wanted to. But…Yuu was the one between them…and the kind smile yet sharp look in his eyes prevented the rest from stepping closer…

Noeru's body tensed from her teasing remark yet made no movement to stop her. Ayame continued on happily, unaware of their classmates giving them space.

"Thank you—for trusting me. I guess all my pestering paid off!"

"Unfortunately," Noeru answered without a change of breath. "Constantly chasing after me, begging me to help you, to acknowledge you. I suppose it finally worn me down."

"I didn't beg!" Ayame gasped, offended by his choice of words.

"Groveling, then."

"You jerk!"

Noeru smirked; satisfied with the way he riled her up. Ayame caught onto the corner of his lips lifting up and her fist stopped in midair from punching his shoulder.

This was weird.

It took until now—for Ayame to realize—this was weird.

Noeru was—smiling—?

Noeru was carrying her.

He trusted her.

They were not fighting.

She felt her mind blank from the sudden realization. During their exam, Ayame was preoccupied with their goals to realize the approval from Noeru. He trusted her to bring down her uncle. He supported her throughout the fights. He saw her as a teammate and—was taking care of her.

Since when does the Takarada heir ever carry somebody?!

Ayame was only teasing him earlier but—he—actually—teased her back.

Noeru doesn't hate her.

Noeru trusted her.

Those thoughts kept repeating in her mind as she stared at the back of his sparkling hair. Ayame felt—free, enlightened, with this new information. She truly did want to help him join the class again. She believed high school should be an enjoyable experience with everyone. Noeru had a lot of catching up to do.

"Takarada is such a long name," Ayame wondered out loud, grinning as she leaned down slightly, "'Taka' is much easier!"

Noeru arched a fine eyebrow, glancing at her once before facing forward again. Ayame often gives nicknames to others she trust. He never thought she would—offer one to him.

"My name would suffice," he murmured quietly, half of him anticipating her call of his name and—the other half hoping she would not hear.

What was wrong with him?

Ayame stiffened again, stunned and probably delusional if she thought she heard right. That was weird—Ayame did not injure her head. There—was no way—she heard correctly or—?!

"I—I'm just gonna stick with Takarada," Ayame mumbled to herself.

Noeru twitched. He does not enjoy this bumbling feeling within his stomach because of her.

"Are you hard of hearing on top of being an irresponsible idiot?" Noeru snapped back in defense.

Ayame reeled back in alarm, their playful mood gone and returned back to childish banter.

"Baka Taka! Don't forget, I beat you twice now!"

"The second time was a team effort," Noeru scowled, "We were teammates, remember? Or were you unable to remember that simple detail?"

Ayame huffed, annoyed all over again. She tapped his shoulder in aggravation, hoping he would feel just as annoyed as her.

"Let me go! I can walk!"

The students from behind turned their attention back to the two arguing classmates, sighing at the small sense of peace had passed by. They were not able to speculate what happened; only, Ayame was upset by something Noeru said again.

"Hold still or—"

Noeru couldn't finish when Ayame began to fall backwards from her movement, eyes widening at the bright blue sky before—a pair of arms caught her from behind. She blinked, staring at the smiling face of icy blue eyes and fumbling to grasp onto his arm.

"Oh, Aya-chan," Yuu chuckled lowly to himself, "Have you fallen for us?"

Ayame froze, gaping at Yuu's tease and shook her head. It wasn't like she was doing this on purpose! Why does that sound like a double meaning?! And can they let her go now?!

Noeru dropped her legs to the ground and although he was initially rough with his treatment, he made sure her injured ankle was not harmed further. With a brush off his shoulder, he straightened up to walk away from her. The longer he stayed with her, the more flustered he becomes. This was not how he should behave. These weird emotions were a hindrance.

Ayame quickly got up when Yuu helped her, his eyes twinkling mischievously when he did not let go of her waist.

"Would you like me to carry you instead?" He whispered, just loud enough for Noeru to stiffen from his words—before ignoring them completely.

"N-n-no!" Ayame scrambled to put some distance between them, her cheeks warming up uncomfortably by his teasing smile and turned to her classmates. "H-Hotaru-chan! L-let's go to the infirmary!"

The girl startled at the sudden call, looking at the two with wide neon eyes while Ayame silently begged her to agree. Hotaru stumbled forward to Ayame's side and the brunette rested an arm around her shoulders.

"I'll see you guys later!" Ayame waved behind her and both girls headed off to the infirmary.

"You're here again?!"

Ayame winced at Recovery Girl's accusation, feeling sweat run down the nape of her neck at the disappointed look in the elder's eyes.

"J-just a light sprain this time!" Ayame tried to justify.

Hotaru helped her settle on the nearby chair, worry clouding her bright eyes as Recovery Girl took a look at the right ankle. Her small hands grasped onto the heel of her foot, turning it left and right to study the bright red skin. Ayame winced again but did not say anything to the pain.

"This is the least worrisome wound for once," Recovery Girl mumbled, nodding to herself and let go of the ankle.

Ayame sighed in relief and waited for Recovery Girl to use her Quirk. However, the elder stepped back to grab a medicinal kit, bringing two pairs of curious eyes to the woman opening the box to pull out gauze and spray.

"I'm not going to heal you every time you're injured! This will teach you to be more cautious!" Recovery Girl began to clean the wound and scolded Ayame, causing the brunette to gape at the nurse. Wasn't she supposed to heal her?!

"B-but it was a mistake! I just landed wrong!" Ayame tried to reason.

"Then learn to land better," Recovery Girl advised back.

Ayame held back a groan, trying to ignore the tight bandages wrapped around her ankle and gave Recovery Girl a teary look, hoping she would take pity on her. However, Recovery Girl did not even bat an eye at Ayame's attempt and finished tying a knot on the ankle, satisfied with her work.

"This will heal within a week and would not hinder walking. Summer vacation is just around the corner. Take that time to rest up!" Recovery Girl said, proud with her plans on the fitting punishment to this girl. This brunette could almost be put on the same recklessness as that Midoriya boy; no one can give her a bigger headache than him.

"B-but—!"

"Run along now," Recovery Girl did not bother to listen to Ayame's feeble protests. She pointed towards the door and adjusted her coat. "I must oversee 1-A's exam now."

That caught Ayame's attention.

"1-A is taking their practical exams today?" Ayame asked.

"Yes," Recovery Girl nodded. "The hero courses are finishing up the practical exams today. Now that the second years are done, that only leaves the first."

Ayame and Hotaru left afterwards, the brunette's mind wandering to her kouhais and quietly wished them luck on their exam. She made a mental note to check on them after the day was over.

At the end of the day, Ayame sat on a bench watching the other students leave school. Most were ecstatic as exams were nearing the end and others were sullen with possible failed results. Ayame watched them walk by without a word, only waiting for familiar faces to approach. A few of her classmates had said their farewells already, some confused with Ayame's reason in staying behind but the brunette only offered a shrug and a smile.

Still, they left Ayame by herself as she played on her phone, reading some messages in her own 2-A classroom about the others preparing for their summer break. Although the final exams were over for them, the heroes-in-training must prepare for more internship for the summer… Which means, Ayame finally have time to ponder another agency for her break.

She resisted a groan and brushed her loose hair back. Ayame will worry about that later. The internship won't begin for another two weeks so—what's the hurry? She just passed her final exams merely hours ago. Ayame can afford to rest for a few more days.

Ayame looked up again, recognizing a few 1-A students walking out happily and she waved. Tsuyu and Ochako took notice of their upperclassman and approached her with smiles.

"Senpai! You're still here!" Ochako exclaimed happily, brown eyes scanning over her injured ankle once before smiling at the older brunette.

"Mhmm," Ayame kept the smile on her face, "I heard you guys took your practical exam today! How was it?"

"We fought against the teachers in a team battle," Tsuyu explained with a finger to her chin. "What about you, senpai? We saw your class arriving back to school in the afternoon."

Ayame blinked.

"You saw that?" More importantly, "You guys fought the teachers, too? Are they getting lazy with their finals?"

Ochako and Tsuyu looked at each other before the former burst out in laughter, giggling at the serious contemplative look on Ayame's face. Tsuyu smiled as well and Ayame shrugged off the questions. In the end, she preferred to fight against the heroes as a test of her abilities.

"We also saw you getting carried in by one of the princes!" Ochako pointed out innocently, "Are you still hurt?"

Ayame startled. Wait—that shouldn't be their concern in the first place! If her kouhais saw that—how many other people saw as well?! Wouldn't that generate more hate to her from the 'Princes' fan club?!

Hold on!

"P-please—tell me—no one else cared about how we return—right?" Ayame asked shakily.

Ochako's lips parted in a small 'o', realizing the reason for Ayame's concern and smiled nervously for her.

"Welllll…"

"Senpai, you might not want to be alone for the next few days," Tsuyu suggested seriously.

Ayame groaned. That explains the brief bumps on the shoulder when she walked in the hallway earlier. Ayame was barely getting used to the glares due to her battles in the Sports Festival but—now—she was carried in by the two most sought after boys in school! Can this get any worse?!

"Oh, Ayame-senpai!"

The three girls turned their attention to the new voice, watching two bright boys hop over. The blonde was nearly in tears as he brought his hands out but—the redhead held the collar of his shirt back before he did something unsightly.

"Wha—let go, Kirishima! I haven't seen Ayame-senpai in days!" Kaminari whined to the redhead, earning laughter from Ayame yet blank looks from his classmates.

"I'm trying to save you here," Kirishima reasoned with an assured nod of his head, "Unless you want her boyfriends to go after you."

Kirishima snickered while Ayame looked at them, horrified. Kaminari realized the truth in his words and stopped struggling, nodding his head in agreement.

"That's right! Damn it, who can comfort me now?!" Kaminari groaned.

Ayame cracked her knuckles, annoyed that they were bringing the same thing up again.

"I can give you a reason to seriously cry about," she gave them a strained smile, bringing their attention to the veins popping up from the back of her hands.

"It's because they failed the practical exam that they're like this, senpai," Tsuyu explained briefly, bringing their attention to the short girl. Ayame blinked, her hands stopped cracking and instead—turned to the frozen boys with a grin.

"Ahaha—you two—failed?!" Ayame gasped and erupted a cry from Kaminari who clutched his blonde hair in distress.

"My summer camp! My long awaited summer campfire and fun is ruined!"

Kirishima also looked disappointed to have lost, clutching his hand together as if in a prayer.

"If one of our dear classmates can bring us back a souvenir—I'll be satisfied with that! Even if it's just a rock—!"

Ayame laughed harder.

"Did anyone else fail?" Ayame wiped a drop of tear from her eyes, looking at the four students in amusement.

"Mina-chan did," Tsuyu informed, causing a shocked gasp to leave Ayame's lips.

"Sato-kun, too," Ochako remembered.

"Poor Mina-chan!" Though Ayame only focused on the girl.

"Hey, hey—we're pitiful too!" Kirishima reminded.

Ayame giggled. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you all tried your best."

The five of them chatted a little longer before saying goodbye. Ayame laughed as Kirishima and Kaminari continued to moan over their loss of summer camp, keeping the little detail to herself that they would still be able to attend if they passed the written portion. If she knew her uncle well, which Ayame knew very well, Aizawa would not be completely heartless to these teens.

Ayame smiled to herself and returned back to her phone, browsing through her social medias contently. The setting sun cast a soft orange glow to her hair, her pale skin seeming to light up in the sunlight. Ayame tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked up—to see Todoroki seemingly frozen in place a few feet again. Her face lit up at the sight of the heterochromia boy and carefully stood up, waving to him.

"Shoto-kun!"

Todoroki snapped out of his stupor and schooled his face down to his usual calm, nodding his head at the brunette while walking towards her. He does not understand why Ayame was still in school—nor why did the fleeting thought of her waiting for him crossed his mind. His mismatched eyes glanced down to her feet; the white gauze wrapped around her right ankle and confirmed his suspicions.

Ayame was injured.

That would explain the slight limp to her walk. It would explain the reason for her trip to the infirmary. Would explain why her class president was suddenly holding onto her as 2-A made their way back onto the school grounds.

While all of those actions made sense, Todoroki still felt…apprehensive earlier as he saw them speak without the hostility from before. Todoroki knew he was distracted during lunch with the way Ayame leaned down to speak with Noeru, a smile on her lips and lilac eyes twinkling in amusement. Then, the stoic class president actually did something out of the norm.

Noeru had smirked.

Smiled. Amused.

Todoroki...did not like that.

But he could not understand why.

He only felt relief when Ayame began to struggle in Noeru's hold, nearly falling off his back if not for the second 'prince'. And that irritation was bubbling beneath his skin again as Todoroki saw Yuu lean down to tease Ayame with a smile.

Those scenes lingered in his mind even hours after, distracting Todoroki's own final exams as he fought with Yaoyorozu against Aizawa. He had made mistakes and slipped up but managed to pass thanks to his partner's help. Still, Todoroki reprimanded himself for thinking about useless things during an exam.

It was not like him to get distracted about other people's relationships. It was not like him to care so much about his upperclassman but he cannot find a reason within him to stop.

"Shoto-kun?"

Her voice brought him out of his reverie, mismatched eyes returning to the present to see curious lilac ones gazing at him, silent questions behind her eyes to wonder why he did not reply to her. Ayame took a step closer now with a tilt of her head, loose strands of tan hair slipping onto her cheek.

Right now, she was here in front of him. There was no use in Todoroki to muse about the earlier day when the actual person was in his presence.

"You're injured," he stated as a way to return to his usual calm.

That worked. Ayame immediately flushed and laughed nervously, glancing down at her ankle almost guiltily for her own mishap.

"A mistake," Ayame admitted in a small voice, wide lilac eyes meeting his once more and Todoroki forgot the negative feelings he felt earlier.

"Here," he only replied and offer an arm to her, a simple indication for her to hold on so they can walk home together.

Ayame blinked—and blushed with the same surprised expression. She can still walk fine even without support, though it would help immensely, but she did not want him to assume she only waited here to use him. Ayame opened her mouth to explain yet no words came out, feeling the jumbling thoughts within her mind to be too complicated to voice out.

"I—can walk—um—it's not too painful—I—uh…!"

"It would be easier like this," Todoroki replied in his usual tone yet he felt odd inside for her rejection. Would it be better if I carried her instead?

Ayame stared.

And stared.

And stared. Hard.

Todoroki blinked and returned the gaze, not understanding the reason for her sudden frozen state. He could only watch the way her whole face tinted into a deep pink, and her eyes shifted to look at anywhere and everywhere except him.

With a newfound resolve, Ayame ducked her head yet looped one hand around his bare arm, gently grasping his forearm for balance though she focused on the two pairs of brown and grey shoes on their feet.

"Y-you don't need to carry me," Ayame's voice nearly cracked, coughing once to clear the awkward silence and nudged forward. "L-let's go…!"

Todoroki realized he had accidentally said his thoughts out loud.

Well, crap.

They walked slower than they normally would as they made their way out of the school grounds. There was a hammering in her chest and stiffness in his arm that both felt within their body. It also does not help that Ayame was holding onto Todoroki's left side, feeling the arm to be warmer than usual but—only waved it off to be his Quirk.

The walk was silent despite the noise of fellow students around them. Todoroki made sure he walked on the side facing the road while Ayame was careful in not stepping on him or applying too much pressure to his arm.

If she even took a second to ask him if she made him uncomfortable then Todoroki would have answered 'yes'. It was not due to her weight on him but rather—the gentle yet firm grip around his arm that reminded him of her presence, similar to how she had somehow wormed her way within his mind; gentle yet unrelenting.

There were dozens of thoughts running through Ayame's mind as they walked in silence. She wanted to tell him about her final exams, excited to have finally beaten her uncle and wanted Todoroki to be the first to know. It never crossed her mind as for the reason why but—Ayame had been so used to him that Todoroki was usually the first person she wondered about.

Yet all of those thoughts seemed to disappear when all of her concentration was focused on every step she took. There was a dull, numbing pain around her ankle and the firm muscles beneath her fingertips were enough distractions for Ayame to quiet down.

She felt—awkward. And still trying to force the heat away from her cheeks yet was difficult to do so with the sun shining down on them. Ayame could only keep her head bowed and hope Todoroki would not notice her embarrassment.

"Does it hurt?" Todoroki was the first to break the silence, quietly glancing at the girl beside him.

Ayame forced herself to calm down and shook her head; he was only worried about her. There was no reason for her to overreact!

"Just a little," Ayame pouted, "Recovery Girl said it will heal within a week and to take this as punishment for getting hurt so often."

"Well, she's not wrong."

Ayame gaped at him in disbelief. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

Todoroki smiled faintly as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Ayame had returned back to her usual self while forgetting the nervous state he put her in. He does not know if that was a good thing or not but it does help with his own way of calming down.

"How did it happen then?" He asked smoothly.

"My final exams—which—oh! I passed!" Ayame looked at him with sparkling eyes, her grip tightening just the slightest but it did not slip past Todoroki. He looked at her again, then to their joined arms, then back to her face. She did not notice. "I wanted to tell you first—!"

The word 'why' was on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down, nodding his head once with a small upturn of his lips. For whatever reason, she had considered him important enough to tell that detail to him. Ayame had not even messaged their group chat after her final examination. She also waited for him at school…which was a first since he was usually the one waiting but—he liked that.

"You probably don't know but—I never beat Shouta-oji once," Ayame continued to ramble, too caught up in the moment to realize her actions had such minuscule effect on Todoroki. "But this time—I got him! …Though it doesn't help that he was handicapped…and I got help from Taka but—it's still an improvement!"

A few things ran through his mind in that instant. Todoroki realized she had fought Aizawa the same as his team did—and won. Ayame looked immensely proud of that fact that he couldn't help but also feel happy for her. Yet, the uncomfortable feeling of her familiarity with her class president was back again.

Why 'Taka'?

"I'm just—really happy!" Ayame sighed before realizing she had spoken a little too long. She looked at Todoroki sheepishly, noticing his slightly dazed state and wondered if she had scared him off. "I—heard your exams happened today, too! How was it?"

"It was fine," Todoroki answered curtly.

The tone surprised Ayame and her grip nearly faltered. Realizing his own odd mood, Todoroki cleared his throat quietly and started again, carefully adjusting his arm for her to hold onto.

"Yaoyorozu and I were partners. We fought against Aizawa-sensei, too," Todoroki explained briefly.

"You and Momo-chan?" Ayame repeated, "Against—oji-san, too?"

"Yeah," Todoroki said. "I…overestimated myself and gotten captured. If it wasn't for Yaoyorozu, we probably would have lost. She's strong but lost the confidence to act by herself. I suppose Aizawa-sensei was trying to gain it back for her."

Ayame knew Yaoyorozu was strong; she had also got into U.A. by recommendations. She remembered seeing her kouhai sullen during her previous visit to 1-A yet could not discern the cause of it. If what he said was true, then did Todoroki and Aizawa help her regain that confidence? Ayame would be happy for her if she did.

Then why was there an odd twist in her gut by his words?

"I realized my own mistakes because of it. Yaoyorozu is more fitted for planning and action. If Aizawa-sensei didn't scold me for it, I guess we wouldn't have won," Todoroki continued calmly.

"O-oh," Ayame hummed in response, still trying to unknot the twist in her stomach.

Todoroki was observant to those around him and acts bluntly. To Aizawa, it was probably easy for the pro hero to read his moves and capture him first. So after all of that, Ayame had reached a small understanding with their exam and how they had won.

She just…hadn't realized how high of a regard Todoroki put Yaoyorozu in.

"Well, it wasn't all because of him."

"H-huh?"

Todoroki glanced at her, noticing her slight slip of hold from him and her distracted gaze. Ayame looked startled by his continuation and confused Todoroki with her quiet responses.

"Before, I wouldn't have thought to ask others for their opinions," Todoroki said slowly, "But I do not want to discredit those with good intentions. It was…thanks to you."

Ayame flushed by the sudden topic to her.

"I-I didn't do anything!"

"You opened my eyes to a few things," I'd rather not be compared to that class rep again, "I'm grateful for you…being you."

Ayame stiffened; the unfamiliar compliments can come out of Todoroki so easily. She ducked her head shyly yet a new wave of scuffling twisted in her stomach, replacing the previous knot.

"Shoto-kun…" He glanced down at her small voice, waiting for Ayame to clear up her thoughts before lifting those bright eyes to him. "You're quite the Casanova…aren't you?"

Hah?

That was completely different from what he expected.

"You have your own gathering of fan girls, you know," Ayame pointed out nonchalantly, remembering how often others admired the half-and-half boy before. Especially after the Sports Festival, she remembers the excited compliments given to the almost-winner of the first-years. "You're honest and helpful without realizing it. Even my classmates admire you! First me and now Momo-chan—before you know it, many others would be fighting for your attention!"

Ayame laughed at her remarks, trying to imagine Todoroki as the third 'prince' of the school. He had the credentials for it. His cool and aloof attitude had attracted many others to him. He also has a strong family background, two elemental Quirks that can easily suppress her own, and…he was kind.

She liked that about him.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was flirting with me. Ayame smiled to herself, shaking those silly thoughts away from her mind and leaving Todoroki to muse to himself.

Little did she know, Todoroki does not offer this much care or attention to others outside his family. He would not be walking anyone home if he did not remotely care for the other person; nor would he subconsciously seek her out in the crowd despite the noise around them. Todoroki was polite to others but, he would not go out of his way without reason.

Ayame hasn't realized that yet.

Hiroshi and Shiko scolded her again for getting injured for her final exams. Ayame smiled nervously and kept quiet, apologizing when prompted to since she knew her parents were only worried about her safety. It was not like she completely broke her ankle; it was just a light sprain! And after the initial fussing and scolding passed, Ayame finished her homework and played with Suzume.

"Nee-chan, I saw Todo-niisan walk you home again!" Suzume stated curiously, one hand clutching the new bunny doll and the other tugging on Ayame's sleeve.

The older sister startled, looking at the child in her arms as she paused in her reading to Suzume. Ayame cleared her throat and tried to calm down her nerves before Suzume's imagination ran wild.

"It was because nee-chan is injured so he escorted me home," Ayame explained briefly, trying to ignore the way her heart sped up when she remembered holding onto his arm for support as they walked home together with casual conversations. No matter how much Ayame insisted he did not need to trouble himself with her, Todoroki ignored it in favor for her comfort.

"Ohhhhh," Suzume's large violet eyes blinked at Ayame, "Do you like him, nee-chan?"

Ayame nearly jumped. She leaned back to look at her sister closer, wondering if their mother was the one to make Suzume pry into her life but found no indication for it. Suzume looked absolutely curious and innocent that Ayame believed she was the only one overreacting.

"Of course," Ayame said carefully, "He is my friend. I li—"

She abruptly cut herself off. Why was it so difficult to say those three little words out loud?

"Is it the same 'like' as otou-san and okaa-san? Okaa-san said Todo-niisan walks you home because he likes you!"

Ayame wanted to scream. Why, why, why was Suzume asking all these questions?!

"No way! Friends can walk each other home all the time! What is okaa-san teaching you nowadays?!" Ayame exclaimed and pinched Suzume's round cheek, erupting a fit of giggles from the child as she tried to scoot back. Ayame grinned by her sister's antics, pleased to have distracted her from the previous conversation as Suzume rolled away in bed.

"Aya-nee! Stop!" Suzume laughed and held the bunny between them as a protector. After calming down her giggles, the child wrapped her arms around the stuffed toy tighter, playing with the long ears sadly as she thought back to her own circumstances. "One day, I want to walk home with friends, too."

The brunette stilled, eyes softening and heart tightening by Suzume's melancholic expression. Her little sister tries to act so tough and kind like Yume but deep down, they knew Suzume want to return back to school. Ayame reached over to pull Suzume back into her arms, patting the wavy black hair down and hummed in contentment.

"You will, Suzu. Your Quirk control is getting better by the day. One day, I'll be the one asking about the friends you bring back," Ayame grinned.

Suzume blinked and looked at her sister hopefully. With a happy nod, Suzume hugged her sister and fell asleep. Ayame stayed up a little longer, her eyes closing in trying to fall into dreamland yet her mind kept her awake. Suzume's innocent question echoed in the silence and mismatched eyes of grey and turquoise played in her mind.

Of course I like him, Ayame thought righteously, just like how I like my kouhais! I like Deku-kun and Ochako-chan and all of 1-A even if Kacchan doesn't like it. There's no difference between Shoto-kun and the others.

Ayame spent the night convincing herself. There was no reason for her to feel flustered with the half-and-half boy. Sure, they had been spending more time together since the Sports Festival but it was only because they shared the same route to school and happened to bump into each other for their interns. It was only natural for them to become friends from all of their interactions. Todoroki had grown so much since then.

There was no reason for Ayame to consider anything beyond that. After all, she was not as girly as Aiko or Eimi nor was she as gentle and kind as Yume. Ayame was not extremely intelligent like Yaoyorozu and she does not have the same, cute, defining traits like Tsuyu and Ashido.

Ayame was normal. Simple and naïve as others had put it. And, sometimes an idiot. She was fine with that.

The light from the cell phone illuminated the darkness of the room, highlighting the pale face of the owner with mismatched eyes. Todoroki flipped through the recent feed from his social medias; something he does not do often but found himself unable to sleep.

He browsed through the many posts from his classmates, only skimming through the pictures and text without interest. Some would post multiple times a day and others barely post in a week. Todoroki was not the type to post (at all) and the only reason he had the accounts was due to his classmates and their group chat.

Just as he was about to close the apps, not wanting to scroll through a hundred more posts, his eyes caught sight of a post with cats—kittens to be specific. Todoroki blinked and clicked to enlarge the photos, recognizing the calico cats from nearly a week ago that they found and played with. There was a picture of the mother cleaning a kitten, another picture with the five kittens together, and a pair of kittens that looked exactly like Ayame's avatar.

A faint smile appeared, his eyes softening in remembrance of that day.

"I would like one in the future though."

He turned his gaze outside the window, viewing the empty courtyard in the dark. Todoroki wondered what it would be like to see some cats running around yard.

I didn't care about anyone else's attention.

I only wanted yours.

Those were the words I held back

on that final exams day

three years ago.

[Entry 12]

A/N:

It's been a struggle to write lately...which shouldn't be the case since I still love BnHA a lot and I am so excited to write for the movie and season 3 but maybe I'm just burnt out lol.

This chapter is a little short but it's because the next scene was a chapter by itself oops. As for the end entry, I recently (always) have been imagining their future together wayyy beyond their high school life and cannot help but add that little snippet. It could be canon, could be just my endless daydreaming, but it's just there for fun.

Reviews would be great! Thank you all for reading!