Todoroki-kun to Koi no Yamai

[ 4 ]

For the first time, Kagome was self-aware and felt self-conscious of her physical appearance. She had always been sensible enough to ensure that she was presentable before going out in public. That was why her bedroom had a body-length mirror leaning against the wall near her door. But today, Kagome found herself taking extra time and paying extra attention to the finer details. Not a hair out of a place.

After Kagome told her classmates the reason she fell for Shouto yesterday, she was highly encouraged to put effort into getting him to notice her. The girls' support was accompanied by numerous suggestions. One of the pieces of advice ironically came from Toru, "If you really wanna catch a guy's eye, you have to look your best!"

Kagome checked her blazer and skirt for wrinkles once more before nodding and smiling to herself and trotting to her desk to grab her bag. A few minutes later and she was off to the races with a call of, "I'm leaving now!" Her mother and younger brother responded with a traditional, "Have a great day!"

Unbeknownst to the teen, she wore a smile throughout her commute to UA. Sure, she was nervous about wearing her heart on her sleeve. She had never pursued anyone's heart before, no less someone as renowned as Shouto Todoroki. But...

Momo had been right.

She had decided not to act on her feelings because she had been afraid of failing and getting hurt, but...

Somehow, her friends' cheers uplifted her confidence.

Kagome decided that she would change her way of thinking.

She decided to embrace this part of her youth.

It was better to try and fail than not to try and never know, right...?

'Alright...' Kagome's inner voice and face reflected her new resolve as she approached the school's southern entrance. 'Go for it, Kagome!' She mentally psyched herself up before following the schedule that usually ended with her crossing paths with Shouto around the freshmen lockers.

Catching a glimpse of Shouto while he exchanged his outdoor shoes for indoor ones used to be one of Kagome's secret guilty pleasures. But with the girls' encouragement, she would now use it as an opportunity to ambush him.

[ "Kagome-chan, you should strike while the iron is hot! Make sure you talk to him as much as possible!" ]

Kagome felt her chest tighten and breathing labored at the sight of Shouto's distinct figure and hair hues. 'Alright... Just talk to him,' She told herself before putting on a smile and sauntering towards her crush. She neared him as he finished slipping into his indoor shoes and straightened his posture.

Before being outing herself as having a crush on him, Kagome never felt overtly embarrassed to be around him. Sure, she liked him and sometimes, just the sight of his face or witnessing his strength made her heart skip a beat. But him (and everyone else in 1A) knowing of her feelings brought a new level of anxiety to the mix.

"Todoroki-kun, good morning~" Kagome greeted, unconsciously extra sweet and happy now that she had nothing to hide.

Shouto paused for a moment, his eyes briefly taking her in.

The air left Kagome's body for that fraction of a second.

His gaze was more of a quick confirmation of who she was—there was no appreciation or particular attraction.

But it was still more than he ever spared her before.

Kagome didn't have the time to feel anxious about how he'd react because the interaction was ending as quickly as it started. His feet were already angled towards the hallway, his body communicating that he had no intention to linger.

Still—.

Shouto offered a subtle nod as he responded, "Higurashi-san." With that, he clutched his bag and headed towards their classroom. In his wake, he left behind Kagome stunned and speechless.

[ "Higurashi-san." ]

For a moment, Kagome's mind only replayed the sound of her name in Shouto's voice. And as she stared at his back, she couldn't help but notice how the world looked so much brighter. The atmosphere became warm and rosy-hued as her hands rose to her burning cheeks, 'This is bad. Todoroki-kun is more dangerous than any villain...'