CHAPTER 4

"Is she spacing out again?" A tall and well-built young man with buzzed, dark brown hair asked the person sitting beside me.

"I guess. She does it more often now than before." My seatmate replied giggling to herself, obviously sounding flirtatious with the guy.

"I could hear you guys, you know." I turned and looked at both of them. I stood up from my chair and grabbed my bento box.

"Yuri! Wait!" The buzzed cut teen followed me outside the room holding his own lunch bag.

I slowed down and let him fall in place beside me. I looked up at him and shook my head. "You know for sure that a lot of girls will hate me the entire year if you continue to follow me around everyday, right, Inasa-kun?"

The boy just bursted into a loud laugh ignoring our schoolmates who are now weirdly staring at him. Inasa just followed me all the way to the rooftop where I usually have my lunch.

I met Yoarashi Inasa on our second year in junior high. He was a new student that time. We eventually got close until our last year and decided to attend Shiketsu High even after getting recommendations from UA. Because of his strong built, stature and flashy quirk, Inasa has gained a lot of interest from first-years and other upperclassmen - the majority of them being girls. I was either given a hate note or had to explain repeatedly that Inasa and I were classmates back in junior high, hence our closeness. The first time I met him, he weighed less than he is now. But he trained everyday and the results were priceless. The thought of his look back then made me chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Inasa asked as he sat against the wall while opening his bento.

"Nothing." I smiled again.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't start." He started eating his lunch. I sat down with him and slowly opened my bento box and picked an extra cutlet using my chopsticks. I carefully placed it on top of his rice.

"Woah! Extra pork cutlet! Win!" He said before stuffing all the food in his mouth.

"Hey, I received another hate note today." I told him as I watch him guzzle down a liter of water.

He swallowed. "Aren't you used to it already?" Alright read it, I'm listening." He continued eating.

I opened the piece of paper from my pocket, "Sorahiko Yuriko, will you stop being friends with Yoarashi-kun? You're not that even pretty!" I laughed. "Woah! Not that pretty? Look who's talking!" I threw the piece of paper in a dustbin nearby.

Inasa looked at me and a slight blush formed his cheeks. He glanced the other way, "Hahaha! Don't mind them. You know that's not true. Besides, get used to it. You're stuck with me." He picked one huge pork cutlet and stuffed it in his mouth.

I ate in silence. I suddenly recalled my conversation with Shoto the previous week. Could it be that he is starting to open up again? Ah no. That's such a stupid idea, Yuri.

I unconsciously hit the back of my head repeatedly. Inasa noticed my behavior, "Something bothering you, Yu-chan?"

Should I share it with Inasa? What the hell… He knew everything about me anyway.

"Well," I started, "Shoto sent me a message a couple of nights ago. It was quite different from his other text messages. That's all."

"What kind is it? Did he boldly confessed to you already? Something in between those lines?" Inasa said with a sarcastic tone.

I clicked my tongue. "Hey, I know you dislike Shoto but don't go hating on me too."

"Yeah, sorry." Inasa apologized. "His name was just an ear sore. So, what did he say?"

I told Inasa the full details but he just shrugged off the idea that Shoto may be turning into a new leaf. Personally, I would think otherwise but a sudden change of tone based on a simple text message won't really satisfy my assumptions.

My phone rang. Unknown number. I read the message only to find out that it was one of Inasa's admirers.

Unknown number: Get away from Inasa!

I deleted the message and glared at Inasa. "Now they've got my phone number too! Oh my goodness Inasa, get a girlfriend already! I don't want to be the receiving end of all these girls' jealousy."

Inasa gazed at my eyes with such serious look. "Tried confessing already but I was downright rejected!" He suddenly laughed out loud quickly shifting into another mood.

Another bi-polar. Nice.

"Shut it, Inasa." I grabbed my bento and turned my back on him as I stood up. Before I even took a step, he grabbed my arm.

"Hey, hey I was just kidding! I'm so over you Sorahiko Yuriko and besides, you're already taken." Inasa said loosening the grip on my arm. He gave out a big grin. He placed an arm around my shoulder, "Let's go back to the classroom before somebody else sees us here."

I gazed at Inasa, studying his features. He was a really nice guy and I adored his passion in almost everything. Except his burning hatred towards Shoto. During the latter half of our second year back in junior high, I remember Inasa confessing to me.

"Yu-chan! I like you!"

I felt a blush run through my cheeks. Inasa, my closest friend likes me. But, I'm not in any position to like someone, especially with how I'm already in a quirk marriage.

"I'm sorry Inasa-kun. I can't accept your feelings." He looked very hurt at that time but I had to explain him my side so he'll understand. Inasa patiently listened to my endless stories. And it was on that very day that he learned everything about me. It actually felt nice having someone you can rant to. From that moment onwards, the two of us were closer than ever. I even told him about my time quirk just because I know he's one of the people I can fully trust.

When the bell rang for dismissal, I got up and reached for my bag. As per usual, Inasa was outside my room waiting for me. As I got near the exit, I saw him leaning by the wall in the hallway, reading a piece of paper in his hand. I tapped his shoulder and he flinched slightly never taking his eyes off from what he was reading. I tiptoed and glanced over to that white piece of paper.

"Provisional hero licensing exam?" I questioned. "I thought you were still hesitant taking it this year?"

"I still am." His eyes still glued on the form.

"Just so you know, you don't have all day to think about it. The licensing exam will be tomorrow." Inasa and I started walking down the stairs making our way down the ground floor.

"You're going tomorrow, right?

"Yup! Grandpa wants me to get a license already so it's as if I have a choice." I went to collect my outdoor shoes and left the ones I use for school. I waited for Inasa to do the same. "Oh, by the way, Shoto will be taking it tomorrow too. I guess his whole class will. That's what oji-chan told me."

"I see. Maybe I should take the exam with you tomorrow then…" Inasa's eyes displayed drive and determination. I don't know what he's planning to do but I hope it's not something that will jeopardize our license results.

"Are you serious? Then we need to let Mora-san know that you've already decided to go!" I grabbed Inasa's hand and ran all the way to Year 2's Class Representative.

Before going home, we decided to train with the other upperclassmen to warm ourselves up for the big event tomorrow. The sky was already dark when Inasa and I got out of the school premises. He walked alongside me eating a piece of taiyaki.

"Waiting for a good luck message from Prince Todoroki?"

I stopped walking and realized that I have been unconsciously glancing at my phone the whole time. I hid my flustered face from Inasa and waved both of my hands at him, "Ha? No! I was just checking if grandpa would let me buy something before I go home."

"Liar." Inasa bluntly said in my face. "But if you won't tell me, I won't force you anyway." The dark brown-haired boy tossed the taiyaki plastic into one of the trash bins along the street.

"Actually. I don't know. I'm just like checking maybe out of habit." I replied after a few moments.

"If you say so." Inasa stole a glance at me. "By the way, Yuri. You totally brought all those upperclassmen down today. The things you can do with your quirk is freakin awesome!" My friend gave me two thumbs up.

"Says someone who beat their ass up in just a few seconds."

"HAHAHAHAHA! That's what I do best! But Gran Torino must have been training you really hard for you to improve like that."

"Yeah. He promised my Dad he'd train me the very best he can."

"Yuri" Inasa stopped in his tracks and held my shoulders. "I was wondering…" His body grew closer to mine.

This is too much contact. Inasa stepped a bit closer. There's just one thing I could think of.

"ACKKK! What was that for?!" Inasa screamed after flying all the way at the farther end of the street hitting his back against one of the trees.

"I- I thought you're uh…"

"Idiot! I was gonna ask you if you could show me your quirk." He was screaming at me as he crossed the street. He stood beside me.

"Huh? But you know my quirk already."

"No! I meant the other one!" Inasa said rubbing his back from soreness.

"Oh, that one."

"Yeah. That one. I've known you for a long time already but I haven't actually seen you use it."

"That's because when I do, you stop along with the others too." I grinned.

"WAIT! SO YOU'VE USED IT ALREADY?"

"Once or twice." I smirked and continued to walk leaving him behind.

"DID YOU USE IT DURING THE ENTRANCE EXAM AT SHIKETSU?" Inasa was shouting from behind me.

What's the point of lying? He will know anyway.

"Yup. We gotta make full use of our quirks right?" I winked at him.

"Damn it! That's why you're always in first place!"

"And then maybe there's one instance during the physical exam." I laughed out loud recalling how I froze time to take advantage of others who were physically capable than me.

"UGH YOU CHEATER!" Inasa ran after me. I slowed down my walk letting him catch up. I slowly took out a leaf which had softly landed on top of my hair. "Show me." Inasa looked at me.

"What?"

"How do you do it?"

I smiled at Inasa.

I grabbed his wrist, "Whatever happens, don't let go of me or else you wouldn't see how magical of a quirk I have."

"Tsss. What a show-off."

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. I opened them after a while. And right then and there, falling leaves from trees stopped midway. The car from across the street halted. The wind stilled at that moment. Inasa saw all things around him paused right before his eyes. Even the dog who was barking at a distance turned into a sculpture.

"Wow. So this is how it looks like from your end. But why do you need to hold me?"

"Well, if I let you go, you'd be in the time-stilled range. The only people who aren't affected are the ones I'm in physical contact with."

"This is amazing. Wait. How do you make it stop?"

"The same thing I did before I stopped time." I closed and opened my eyes. Everything went back to normal. I was having more control of using my time quirk. Before, it would take me a good 40 seconds to make it happen.

"That is one wicked quirk! I know you usually pass out if you use your telekinesis too much. How about this one?" Inasa began to interrogate me with curious eyes.

"Hmmm. The last time I trained with my grandfather, I was able to stop time for a minute on my first try. The second time, I was able to hold it for 30 seconds but I collapsed and kind of lost my sight for a minute. So, I don't know how long it will last on the third one. Apparently, the span decreases depending on how many times I used it in a day. By far, a minute is my longest."

"That is so cool! Use it again please!" It's as if he never heard the dangers of using my quirk.

"No!"

"But please Yuri-chan!"

"No!"

Inasa was annoyingly forcing me to use my quirk with all the silly ideas he can think of. It was only when we reached my house that he stopped his exasperating requests. He bid goodbye and wished us good luck for tomorrow's provisional hero licensing exam.

At the back of my mind, I wished the same for Shoto.


A/N: Shoto will appear in the next chapter. I promise! :)