Ember Sunblaze: Hope everyone had good summer! I want to apologize for the long delay in this chapter. I've been slowing getting over the depression of my cat going missing. Though she still hasn't been found, I haven't given up hope on finding her. I believe getting back into my writing routine has helped with my mental state. Even if it isn't a long chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 30: The Free Day, Part 2

"Here we are, Naminoue Beach." Todoroki quietly declared as the trio stood overlooking the small beach they had chosen as their fishing location. The crystal blue waters lazily lapped at the sun-soaked sand, where only a few families gathered to play. A large concrete overpass stood in the distance, allowing vehicles to cross the bay.

Yaoyorozu lifted the rim of her hat, beaming at the site. "What a lovely beach! It's so…."

"Puny!" Bakugo spat, clearly irritated by the selection. He swung his fishing rod at Todoroki, demanding. "Why the hell did you bring us here? A beach this size is only running on fish bait!"

"This is the only beach in the city limits that allows fishing." Todoroki calmly explained.

"Then let's go outside the city!"

"This is Yaoyorozu's first time fishing." Todoroki pointed out. "Choosing this option allows her to continue to visit other sites if she doesn't like it." He paused, quietly adding. "Also there's restrooms."

"What do restrooms have to do with anything?" Bakugo demanded. " We're here to fish! If you have to go! Just go in the water!"

"Girls apparently don't do that…" Todoroki replied, vividly remembering the explosive reaction of his older sister when Endeavor had suggested she do such a thing during the one fishing trip she had tagged along on. It was not a pretty memory.

Before the conversation turned too awkward, Yaoyorozu timidly raised a hand to disrupt them. "Um…if I may? I really don't mind any location. Please don't go out of your way for my benefit. I would prefer to not be a bother on both of your plans for today."

"You're not a bother." Todoroki replied, purposely cutting off any rude response Bakugo was prepared to throw at her. "I also chose this location so that Bakugo could be on time for his da—"

"WE'RE ALREADY HERE!" Bakugo loudly declared, roughly stomping past the two. "LET'S JUST GET SET UP ALREADY!"

Yaoyorozu and Todoroki shared knowing smiles, following him towards a wall of cement blocks set out to the side of the water. They climbed up, perching themselves up as they faced the water. Bakugo instantly got to work adjusting his rod, purposely ignoring the two. Yaoyorozu turned to Todoroki expectantly.

"So how should we begin…Eek!" She withdrew, finding herself face to face with a small dead squid.

Todoroki lowered the specimen, his expression apologetic. "Sorry. I was just getting out the bait."

"The bait?" Yaoyorozu repeated, leaning in closer to watch as Todoroki expertly hooked the dead squid to his line. "I was under the impression that artificial lures were used for this sport?"

"You can. My family has always used live bait. But there are cons and benefits for each." Todoroki explained. "Lures require some technique to truly be effective so I figured live bait would work best for today. Here…" He held the rod, letting her hold it as he worked on her line next.

"May I try?" She asked, scooting closer.

"Are you sure?" Todoroki asked, sounding uncertain. "It's pretty slimy…."

"Nonsense." Yaoyorozu declared, firmly trading the rods so she could hook on the bait. "Something like this is hardly bothersome. Especially when you compare it to having giant versions of these things wrapped around your body." She paused, just noticing Todoroki's blue gaze carefully watching her. "Sorry, am I doing it wrong?"

"No." Todoroki answered slowly, his fingers brushing against hers as he examined the bait securely attached. "You did great." He turned away, absently adding. "There are some vending machines over there. I'll grab us some drinks before we get started. What would you like?"

"Oh, green tea is fine." Yaoyorozu answered, wondering if she had said something off putting as he tensely walked off. "It's so hard to read him." She glanced at Bakugo, who briefly caught her eye before turning his back to her. "Unlike someone else I know." She thought, smiling amusedly.

"How's your injury faring?" Yaoyorozu politely inquired.

"Fine." He muttered, giving his injured shoulder a small shrug. An awkward silence resumed.

"I wasn't aware that you also had interests in fishing. Do you go often?"

"Every once in awhile."

Yaoyorozu fidgeted, pulling on straw-strings for another topic. As eyes lid up as one came to mind. "So what plans do you and Hagakure have for later–?"

"ARE YOU REALLY INTERESTED FISHING?!" Bakugo angrily snapped, his red eyes surveying her carefully thought out attire for the day's activity.

Yaoyorozu blinked, surprised at the question. "Of course! It's an activity that has been developed and nurtured into a well-liked passtime enjoyed by both men and women from almost every culture! And learning new skills is imperative for well-rounded individuals!" She smiled warmly, watching the gentle laps of waves breaching the shore. " Also…Todoroki was gracious enough to invite me. So it's important I give it my all!" She declared, both fists raised determinedly. Redness creeped upon her face as she remembered who she was speaking with. She turned to Bakugo, flusteredly adding. "With fishing! Give it my all with fishing! Nothing else…"

"...Right." Bakugo replied, unconvinced as he turned back to his rod. "Fishing my ass." He secretly commented, not for a second believing the girl had no other interior motives going on.

Yaoyorozu did the same, suddenly finding herself feeling very self-conscious about being here. "Maybe I should just go?" She felt a small weight fall upon her head. Confused, she reached up and pulled off a ruby red baseball hat with the English words for OKINAWA written upon it.

"I thought it might come in handy." Todoroki explained. "There was a stand selling them next to the vending machines." He handed her a bottle of green tea. She took it, watching as he tossed a water bottle to Bakugo, who caught it easily with one hand.

"Thank you." Yaoyorozu said, about to reach into her small purse. "How much was—"

"Don't. It's on me." Todoroki cut her off, sitting beside her. "When I was younger, my mom used to fuss at me to wear a hat when fishing because of the sun. Something about delicate skin and being out in the heat." He shrugged, as if the idea was ridiculous. "With my quirk, the heat doesn't really bother me. But for you…I thought it might be a little uncomfortable."

Yaoyorozu caught him giving her a quick sideways glance and for a moment, she thought she saw a hint of a blush. Though it could easily have been a trick of the sun. She traced the visor of the hat with her fingertip, feeling overjoyed that he had thought of her. "I…appreciate the gesture."

From the sidelines, Bakugo watched the scene unfold with disinterest. "That idiot has absolutely no clue." Rolling his eyes, he continued watching his line, fully determined on catching the first catch of the day. Despite his efforts, his sharp ears couldn't fully block out the unintentional flirting between his two companions as Todoroki continued instructing Yaoyorozu on the basics of fishing.

"The first thing you need to know about fishing is how to cast your line." Todoroki said, rearing his pole back and then flicking it over his head and onto the open water flawlessly. "Like that. You want it far enough to where more fish are likely to be, but still near enough for you to see your line. Your turn."

"Okay." Yaoyorozu eagerly got into position, flicking her rod over her head. Unfortunately, she had also loosened the line so that it flew to the side, the hook and squid almost colliding into Bakugo's head.

The blonde cursed, leaping away just in time. "Watch it newb!"

"Sorry!" She cried, crestfallen at her blunder. She turned to Todoroki, who merely shrugged.

"It happens, especially on your first time. Here…" An expression of shock came upon her face as Todoroki came up behind her, his hands coming down to cover hers. Even Bakugo found himself gawking at his boldness. "Just pulled back like this." He instructed, his calm demeanor totally contrasting with the frazzled, blushing girl he held. "Then whip it forward, releasing the line." He casually moved her arms in a fluid casting motion, the line moving gracefully overhead and falling several yards into the sea. He nodded, pleased with landing. "See? Easy. Would you like to try on your own?"

"WHO TEACHES SOMEONE TO FISH LIKE THAT?!" Bakugo fumed, clearly seeing that the girl had been too distracted by Todoroki's touch to have any comprehension of what he had demonstrated.

"S-sure." Yaoyorozu answered weakly, her face still visibly steaming. She took a deep breath, concentrating as she held her rod in position. Bakugo found himself ignoring his own line, wide-eyed as he watched her overzealously cast out the line, the force of the throw knocking her off balance. She tittered, almost falling over.

"Damn it!" Bakugo cursed, hand already prepared to activate his quirk to blast in their direction.

There was no need. Todoroki's hand shot forward, grabbing her hand and swiftly pulling her back to safety. She briefly bumped against his chest, quickly moving away and blushing in embarrassment. "My apologies!" She bowed her head shyly. "That…wasn't very good."

Todoroki frowned, head tilting to the side. "No, the fault falls on me. I probably didn't demonstrate well enough." He held out his hand to her. "I can help show you the movement again if you would like?"

Yaoyorozu hesitated, hesitating as she briefly glanced in Bakugo's direction. "Umm…"

"For All Might's sake!" Bakugo growled, shaking his head at the stupidity of the situation. "Please explain to me how the smartest girl in their class could fall for the absolute DENSEST guy in the world?" One thing was for sure. He wasn't about to sit there and barf his guts out again by watching those two be all touchy-feely with each other.

"I'M OUT OF HERE!"

Both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu glanced up in surprise at the sudden outburst. They continued to watch in a confused silence as Bakugo shoved his rod into Todoroki, stomping past them both and towards the beach. Yaoyorozu and Todoroki turned to him in surprise, with the latter asking, "Why? We just got here?"

"Learn to read a room, Todoroki!" Bakugo snarkily called out, not even bothering to turn back.

Yaoyorozu reddened, the meaning of his words ringing loud and clear to her. While Todoroki frowned, confusingly stating. "But….we're not in a room?"

As the loud engine of one of Vitamin C's transport vehicle roared away, Midoriya and Uraraka found themselves staring across the street at their destination, Mihama American Village.

"Is this it?" Uraraka asked, double checking her phone.

"I think so." Midoriya replied, studying their surroundings. "It's very…"

"American?" Uraraka prompted, earning a chuckle from Midoriya. The area did seem quite foreign compared to what they were used to. The buildings were a mismatch of different designs and colors, trying to highlight a melting pot of different cultures that is so often deemed part of the American charm. The overall effect created a vibrant atmosphere that seemed to welcome the tourists to come and enjoy themselves.

The two followed the sidewalk that ran parallel to the small canal that ran in front of the village. They crossed the bridge, pausing to take in the take in the sparkling water streaming below. Uraraka glanced over at the cluster of shops and restaurants. "I heard that this area is really pretty at night. All the buildings light up like it's Christmas."

She passed her phone to him, showing him a glimpse. He leaned in, their heads coming close as he examined the image. "Wow it is pretty–" He gaze shifted, their eyes meeting and both realizing at the same time just how close they had gotten.

The couple quickly glanced away, awkwardly noting that the last time they had been alone like this had been a very intimate affair. The memory of which was still burning fresh in their minds. Midoriya, his cheeks reddening at the thought, distractedly asked, "So, um, why exactly did you choose this place for us to visit?"

Uraraka tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, feeling similar feelings of bashfulness. "A few of the girls mentioned that it was supposed to be a hot spot for tourists. They even have restaurants that serve taco rice here!"

"Taco rice?"

"It's supposed to be an Okinawa specialty that's a must-try!" Uraraka explained enthusiastically, earlier shyness erased by the aspect of delicious food ahead. She paused, suddenly adding. "Oh! There is another reason why I thought we should go here."

"Really? What is it?" Midoriya asked curiously. To his surprise, a sly smirk came across her face.

"You'll see…"

Ten minutes later, Midoriya found himself gaping in stunned silence at the entrance to an exclusive Okinawa themed All Might Store located right inside the village's shopping court. Whatever he had expected Uraraka to show him, this did not even come close. All he could do was stare, dumbstruck. Uraraka puffed her chest out proudly, thrilled at her victory.

The fanboy clutched his head, quietly berating himself. "I don't understand! How could I have not known about this shop?! I'm supposed to be All Might's number one fan for crying out loud! I know I've been busy lately with training and school, but even I should have known about an exclusive All Might shop right here in Okinawa! How come it wasn't mentioned in any of the guidebooks?! How in the world did Uraraka know…" He suddenly turned to her, a maniac glint in his eyes as he suddenly asked, "Uraraka don't tell me….ARE YOU A SECRET ALL MIGHT FAN TOO?"

"Nope." Uraraka answered with a bright smile. "Not even close."

"Oh…" Midoriya replied, not sure how he should feel after that almost immediate response. Uraraka giggled, coming to stand beside him.

"You should really thank Hagakure." She explained. "Apparently this is a local pop-up, so the theme is always changing. Hagakure seems to follow a lot of these types of shops on social media, so she mentioned it to me this morning. We're lucky to be here right when the theme is 'All Might'."

"You bet! I can't believe she knew about this! Hagakure is so awesome! I'll definitely have to get her a…." His voice trailed off, as he noticed a dangerous glint flash in Uraraka's eyes. "Uhhh….I mean…that was…really swell of her. Do you…want to go in?"

"Of course," She replied, grinning as he practically jetted into the store. Once inside, his eyes lit up at the displays. Many of which consisted of All Might figures dressed in traditional Okinawan attire. They moved along walls together, both enjoying themselves as they examined the merchandise. "Oh look!" Urararak pulled down a phone charm, showing it to Midoriya. "It's All Might as a shisa! Isn't he cute?"

"Cute, might be going a bit far." Midoriya chuckled, not quite sure how his mentor would feel about seeing a little figure of himself dressed in a full Shisa-dog outfit. "But knowing him, I'm sure he'll get a laugh out of it."

"Are you going to get one?" Uraraka asked, setting the charm back on its hook.

"Not sure yet." Midoriya replied, studying the charms. "I would like to bring back a souvenir for my mom and All Might. If you want, I can get something for you too." He added, turning to Uraraka.

She blushed, taken off guard by the unexpected gesture. "That's really sweet, but I think I'm pass…." She fiddled with the straps of her purse, mentally fretting. "I can't tell him that it's because I already have an All Might charm!"

Midoriya grinned, unfazed by her answer. "It's okay. I know stuff like this isn't really for everyone."

Uraraka shifted uncomfortably, guilt pricking at her. "It's…not that." To Midoriya's surprise, she reached into her purse, pulling out a small, unmistakable All Might charm. "It's because…I already have one."

Midoriya's eyes widened in recognition. "Hey! I remember this! It's the All Might charm that I bought for the A-1 Christmas party last year. I forgot you were the one who picked it out. I'm surprised you brought it all the way out here…" It was just as the words left his mouth that Midoriya noticed how incredible red Uraraka had become, her gaze steadily averted to the side to avoid him. "Uraraka?"

"I …sort of…keep it around as a good luck charm." Uraraka shyly admitted, her index fingers pushing together as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Her heart fluttered as Midoriyas' fingers found hers, gently setting the All Might charm back into her palm.

"You know…hearing that makes me really happy." He told her, the warmth of his voice genuine.

Uraraka brought the charm to her chest, its presence feeling like a calming anchor against the sea of emotions crashing through her. "I'm glad." She replied, her low, bashful tone sending painful arrows of longing shooting right into Midoriya's chest.

"Umm…pardon me." A male voice suddenly interrupted the two's romantic moment. "Can I just squeeze by to grab that keychain?" The two crimson teens shot apart, sweating profusely as they allowed a fanboy to access the wall of All Might charms they had been standing in front of. "Aww sweet! They have the All Might ryusou addition!"

"Umm…do you want to grab that taco rice?" Midoriya nervously asked.

"S-Sure!" Uraraka replied, equally embarrassed.

Several minutes later, the two sat at a crowded outdoor patio that faced the ocean, admiring their steaming bowls of taco rice. The dish was simple in nature, consisting of rice topped with traditional taco toppings such as ground beef, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes. But even so, both Uraraka and Midoirya were awed with the colorful dish. Uraraka was the first to get a spoonful, humming in delight at the taste. "Mmm! It's so good!"

Midoriya also took a bite, finding himself paying more attention to the girl beside him instead of the meal. "I'm really glad she's enjoying herself. Hopefully today makes up everything that happened yesterday." His thoughts again wandered back to her confession at the All Might shop and then of their conversation of the night before. Redness crept into his face, his heart beginning to pound. "It still feels so strange to believe…" His green eyes looked up, once again falling on Uraraka. "....that this cute girl really has feelings for me."

"You okay?" Uraraka asked, pausing from her meal. "You seem a little red? Is the food too spicy?"

He quickly snapped back to the present, waving away her concerns. "No! No! I'm fine, really! The food here is great!" He illustrated by stuffing a large spoonful into his mouth. "Mmmm, delicious!"

Uraraka laughed, the sea breeze ruffling her hair. She picked her own spoon back up, commenting, "I wonder why an American Village was even built here on Okinawa? Seems sort of random, don't you think?"

"It's actually not random at all. Back in the past, Americans had a lot of military involvement on these islands." Midoriya explained, nodding towards the shopping strips. "A lot of these areas and dishes were developed for American troops living here at the time."

"Really?" Uraraka exclaimed, all this information being totally new for her. "Then what happened? None of our guidebooks mention anything about military stuff on the island."

"From what I've read, everything changed with the appearance of quirks." Midoriya replied, tone growing grim. "As each generation of quirks evolved, becoming more advanced…more chaotic…tensions between not only people, but different countries became strained. A lot of military units situated in foreign areas were forced to shut down as each nation tried to find their own ways of handling the new quirk phenomenon."

"Wow! You really know your quirk history!" Uraraka complimented, truly impressed.

"It's really not impressive…" Midoriya mumbled, blushing at her praise. "I'm really sure we've gone over some of this in our history class."

"Maybe, but I've never been good at getting that kind of stuff to stick, you know?" Uraraka replied. Her gaze moved to observe the array of people crowding the dining area. "It's crazy how much quirks have changed the way things are now, isn't it?"

Midoriya nodded knowingly, fully aware of how true her statement was. "It's definitely caused a lot of chaos."

"Yeah…" Uraraka agreed, " But it's also because of quirks that heroes were born. The pro-heroes we admire, U.A., meeting all our classmates…none of that would have happened if quirks didn't exist!" With a softened tone she shyly added, "Even us meeting like this."

Midoriya nodded, awed by her positive energy. "You're right, quirks are pretty amazing." His smile wavering as he briefly glanced towards the visible scar on Uraraka's arm. "But even so…as we've moved forwards through our hero training, it's becoming more and more relevant how quirks are still tearing apart society….dividing people….causing turmoil…even with the rise of heroes, it still makes me sometimes wonder…maybe the world would be better off without quirks?" His gaze fell on Uraraka, oblivious to his dark thoughts as she happily finished off her lunch. Midoriya smiled, his spirits lifting at her presence. "No….I think Uraraka's way of thinking is correct. Even before quirks the world was filled with good and bad. Quirks haven't changed that."

Feeling more content, he grabbed his glass of juice and took a sip, just as Uraraka suddenly inquired. "Oh, speaking of quirks….has your new quirk acted up any?"

Midoriya spewed at his drink, caught completely by surprise by her question.

"Sorry…were we not supposed to talk about it?"

"No! No! I was just a little unprepared." Midoriya replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He glanced around nervously, quietly answering. "To tell the truth, I haven't felt it activate at all since that first time. Even when I stayed up late and practiced—"

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Uraraka demanded, causing a few heads to turn in their direction. Realizing her blunder, she continued in a quiet, but still disproving tone. "Deku! Do you realize how dangerous that is?! Trying to activate the quirk on your own?! Last time you floated, you almost got lost in the stratosphere!"

Midoriya, who had sunk deep into his chair at her sudden outburst, offered a meek apology. "Sorry! Sorry! I know it was pretty reckless. It's just…" Uraraka could see his frown deepen, a steely resolve seeming to pulse through him. "...if this new quirk brings me one step closer to being a stronger hero, a hero that can stand on par with someone like All Might…then I feel like it's my duty to master it. The sooner the better!"

"He's so determined." Uraraka silently pondered, recalling so many instances where Midoriya had surpassed everyone's expectations. Always moving forward, pushing and clawing his way through every obstacle. "It makes me wonder…just where does that drive come from?"

Knowing that there was still so much she had yet to know about her crush, she decisively placed her hands on the table top. "Right….that settles it then."

Midoriya blinked, confused. "Settles…what?"

Uraraka stood up, beaming confidently as she declared. "Settles what we're going to next! Let's work on mastering that new quirk of yours!"

"WHAT!?" This time it was Midoriya's turn to shout out in surprise. "But Uraraka! Today was supposed to be a day for you to have fun! Isn't there someplace you'd rather visit?"

"Not particularly." Uraraka replied, undeterred. "Come on Deku! I can tell this is super important to you. And who better than to teach you to use your float quirk than the Float Master herself? Besides…" She added, giving her cheek a self-conscious scratch. "...after everything that's happened…I'm also pretty curious about your new quirk."

Midoriya reddened, his pulse racing at the thought of Uraraka and him training together. "But…she does have a point. If anyone can help me with this quirk…." He lifted his head, their eyes meeting as she lifted her fist toward him. "...it would have to be Uraraka." He grinned, standing up and bringing his fist up. "I guess…I'll be in your care then!"

Uraraka nodded, returning the smile. "Let's do this!"

Their fists came together in a fist bump that sealed the deal.

"Look! There's the boat!"

The class of 1-A scurried to the railings of the dock, Sero's call reeling them in to gaze upon Vitamin C's own personal ferry. The class's fascination with the vessel was only intensified by its rather unique palette choice. The sides of the boat were painted a sunshine yellow, with fruits of various colors splattered across the hull.

"My, my, my, it's quite…." Aoyama pursed his lips, pondering the correct adjective.

"Bright?" Jiro ventured.

"We'll go with that." Aoyama concluded, flicking his shades down in contempt.

"She….seems to really like her fruit." Tokoyami remarked, the rest of the class nodding in agreement.

"Okay! Move aside here!" Sirius ordered, briskly clapping her hands together to get their attention. "We have some fragile cargo coming through!" The class parted, allowing an apologetic Ripper and concerned Iida to pass through, both supporting a sickened Koda between them.

"Do not fret, Koda! As soon as we're aboard, I shall personally make you a cup of tea that will surely calm your ailing spirit!" Iida promised.

"Yeah, sorry mate." Ripper added, "Guess it was a bad idea to do that shortcut through the fish market, eh?"

A sickly shade of green took over the poor student's face. "So….so many screams…."

The class watched them carry their unfortunate animal-understanding classmate away to the boat to recuperate. Hagakure stretched her arms up, her bright voice cutting through the solemn atmosphere. "Welp! I guess that's my cue to skedaddle!" Her friends turned to her, surprised.

"You're not staying for the boat ride?" Asui asked.

"Nope!" She pointed at her heavily bandaged thigh. "Doctor's orders! I can't get these stitches wet."

"Oh, I guess it can't be helped then." Jiro said, brows furrowed in disappointment. "But Asui, wouldn't that mean you can't come either?"

The frog heroine shook her head. "Nope, I'm good. My skin is special. Water actually helps with the healing process."

"Lucky you!" Hagakure teasingly remarked.

Her two friends frowned, with Jiro asking tentatively. "Will you be okay? If you would have told us, we could have planned to do something else together…."

"No! No! No! I'm totally fine!" The invisible girl promised, pushing the two girls towards the pier. "You two just go have fun swimming with the fishies!"

"Yeah, but what are you going to do, kero?"

"It's Okinawa! There's like a million things for me to do! Don't even worry about me!" Her two friends exchanged a look.

"Okay…." Jiro replied. "If you say so." The two girls joined the rest of the class on the pier, where they filed onto the deck of the S.S. Fruitbowl. They watched Hagakure waving merrily to them from dock railings, each with itching misgivings. "She's…up to something, isn't she?"

"Probably, kero."

They were one-hundred percent correct. Once she was sure her classmates were out of sight, the invisible girl gave an excited whoop, eagerly pulling out her phone. "Okay! Now to begin Operation: Invade My Friends' Privacy!"

With Officer Uehara and Midnight's earlier support still ringing in her ears, Hagakure started to narrow down her targets. "Okay, so far Jiro and Kaminari have not made any progress at all. Which is so weird because I KNOW I saw them exiting a spare room together last night! Something had to have gone down for them to look that uncomfortable." She frowned, unused to her instincts on these matters going astray. "Well I guess even pros have their off days. ANYWAY! Since those two are a bust, I'll just move my romantic exploits to a different couple."

She scanned her texts, grinning to herself. "Okay, so I know for a fact that Mina and Kirishima are doing their date at Okinawa World. I COULD head that way. Those two are rather forward, so I'm almost positive a kiss is DEFINITELY going to occur…But Okinawa World is supposed to be pretty big. At this point it might be difficult to track them down, unless I contact Mina. Knowing her, she'll catch on to what I'm up to and attempt to sidetrack me. Hmm…if that's the case…"

Her attention moved to her texts with Uraraka. "Maybe I should head over to see how those two love birds are faring? After all, I know EXACTLY where they will be due to my cleverly hinted suggestion to Ochako about that pop-up All Might store. There's no way she could pass up a chance to impress Midoriya with his weird obsession…" She snickered maliciously, already making her way to the nearest bus stop. "Detective Uehara and Midnight Sensei were right. No way am I letting this trip go to waste. I'm going to catch a romantic kiss between my classmates and NOTHING ON THIS ISLAND WILL STOP ME!"

She then peered at the bus schedule, her hopes suddenly dissolving before her. "An HOUR DELAY on all routes due to the NESTING OF AN OKINAWA RAIL ON THE ROAD?! Wha–What's an Okinawa rail?!"

Whipping out her phone, she quickly typed in Hashtag#Okinawarail. Instantly, photos of an odd looking brown bird with long, bright orange legs appeared. With the most recent photos being of a particular rail sitting on top of a nest set in the middle of a busy road. The photo showed residents guiding vehicles to detours so as not to disturb the mother.

Hagakure stared at the screen, trying to come to terms that her free day of spying on her friends was ruined by this small, endangered bird's unusual choice of a nesting spot. Heaving a heavy sigh, she moved to the nearest bench, collapsing on it in a depressed heap.

"Now what am I going to do…." She lifted her phone up, miserably scanning it for inspiration. "I guess I could do some shopping in this area." The thought of a solo shopping spree didn't particularly appeal to the social butterfly. Her fingers scanned her contact list, pausing over Bakugo's name. "We're not supposed to meet till lunch…."

She let her hand fall, letting out a miserable groan. "Thiiiiiis suuuucks….Everyone is off having fun with their crushes…while I'm sitting here all alone." She threw up her arms, wailing. "WHEN WILL MY AWESOME HIGHSCHOOL ROMANCE HAPPEN!?"

"What the hell are you blabbering about?" A familiar voice snapped from behind.

Hagakure opened her eyes, mouth dropping at the sight of a Bakugo sneering down at her from over the bench. "Ba-Bakugo! What are you doing here?!"

"Having my morning of fishing in quiet solitude completely ruined."

"Oh tell me about it!" Hagakure replied, sitting up brightly. "My morning plans also got a bit derailed…by an actual rail to be precise. I even have a pic….. Wait! Did you say FISHING!?" She asked, ramming her face close to his. Bakugo reeled away, a red tinge stinging his cheeks.

"YEAH, WHAT OF IT!?" He snapped, anger hiding his surprise. But Hagakure didn't answer, her bandaged hand coming to rest on her chin in calculated concentration.

"Isn't Momo also fishing with Todoroki today for their date? Is it too much of a coincidence that Bakugo also went fishing? Did Bakugo go fishing with them?! So what does that mean for Momo?! What is with all these highschoolers fishing on their class trip?! Seriously, who does that?! Am I missing something here…."

After several seconds of silence, Bakugo, growing annoyed, snarled "Hey! If you've got something to say! Spill it!"

"Bakugo!" Hagakure snapped, breaking out of her stupor. "Did Todoroki ask you out on a date too?! GAHHH!"

For the second time that day, she found her cheeks caught in Bakugo's death grip. The blonde wore a blank expression that clearly expressed his belief that this girl lacked any functioning brain cells. "I mentioned fishing and THAT is the conclusion you came to?"

"Buuut Momo is also fishing with him!" She managed to say through his torturous hold. He released her, allowing her to continue. "And they are DEFINITELY on a date! At least I think they are? Are they? Hey, you were there! YOU can tell me! I want all the detai—HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?"

In the middle of her lively chattering, Bakugo had begun to walk away. However, the escaping teen had only managed a few paces before he felt the loud presence of his classmate tagging alongside him. He shot her a sidelong glare. "Buzz off. Hell will freeze over before I start gossiping with you over what our dumb classmates are up to."

"So they are up to something!?" Hagakure squealed. Bakugo flinched at the sound, a guttural growl escaping. "This is great! Hehehe! Looks like my day isn't going to be a waste after all!" She chortled gleefully, twirling away from him as she frivolously declared, "Thanks for the hint, Bakugo! I'll just make my way over and see for myself. See you at lunch time!" But before she could take a step, she felt Bakugo's hand grip the top of her head, halting her progress. "HEY!"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." He stated, dragging the protesting girl in the opposite direction.

"Let me go!" Hagakure demanded, trying to pull away. "What is your problem!?"

"I smell something fishy." Bakugo answered, not loosening his hold.

"Then it's probably you! You're the one who went fishing!"

"Nope, it's DEFINITELY you."

Realizing that there was no escaping from his iron grip, Hagakure gave an annoyed sigh, crossing her arms in a pout. "Fine! Fine! You win! I'll leave them alon–ARGH!" She stumbled, not expecting Bakugo's sudden release. His arm shot out, allowing her to find her footing.

"Oh, thanks."

He rolled his eyes, turning to stalk away. Hagakure skipped behind, eyeing him with interest. "You know, for someone not interested in romance, you were pretty quick on stopping me from seeing those two." A sullen silence followed this statement. Hagakure continued, mischievously adding. "Trying to help a buddy out, perhaps?"

"Why are you following me?!" Bakugo snapped. This time it was Hagakure's turn for an eye roll.

"Uh, hello?! Isn't it obvious?! Didn't you say you would take me out today?"

"I said I would buy you lunch. That's it." Bakugo corrected, not meeting her gaze. "Which is HOURS away."

"Come on! It's our school trip!" Hagakure exclaimed, flitting around him like a bothersome butterfly. "Do you really want to spend it exploring Okinawa alone? And it's not like either of us have any other plans."

Bakugo scowled, annoyance radiating from him. Hakagure grinned victoriously. "Don't worry! You won't even know I'm here. I am invisible, you know!"

"Oh, I know…" Bakugo muttered, unconvinced.

But before he could complain further, Hagakure quickly cut him off, growing animated as she exclaimed. "Buuuut…before I go all stealth mode on you, I just need you to give me all the deets on what happened while you were with Momo and Todoroki! Tell me everything! Like what did they talk about? But only the juicy bits! None of the boring stuff about fishing. Was there physical contact? Because, I'm sure you know, even the little things count when it comes to contact between a man and woman. Please, please, please tell he had least held her hand! Also—"

"I think I'm going to be sick again…." Bakugo grumbled, causing Hagakure to sigh dramatically.

"Come on, I'm just asking for the most basic of basic details here!"

"This is going to be a LONG day…."

Author's Note: All the places featured in this chapter are real locations in Okinawa. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please Review!