Authoress' Notes: I am alive and well. This story was definitely not forgotten. I just get afflicted with Seasonal Affective Disorder every winter, and I had a small goal not to update anything until I pump out chapter 60 of Shaman King.
Todoroki-kun to Koi no Yamai
[ 11 ]
It was obvious that their partnership was bringing Kagome and Shouto closer together. Despite Shouto not displaying any signs of romantic tension or attraction to Kagome, her girl friends were still enthralled by her progress. Shouto was still largely antisocial and reserved but they couldn't help but notice a significant shift. For a while, the pair's interactions were one-sided and initiated by Kagome. Momo was the first to notice that Shouto was becoming talkative with Kagome, developing beyond providing curt answers to her questions or remarks about their training. Furthermore, he was initiating their conversations and engagement more often these days.
It was usually something simple like Shouto stopping by Kagome's desk after classes were dismissed to invite her to train further. But ever the eavesdroppers, Kagome's friends picked up on a few times that he unknowingly made small talk, such as asking how she performed on an exam or what answer she submitted for exceptionally difficult questions.
Denki, who had his eyes set on Kagome since day one, also picked up on Shouto's gradual transformation. He looked between the faces of his closest confidants' faces and Kagome's as she sat across the table from Shouto during lunch. "Whaddya think, guys?" He queried, showing an uncharacteristic level of awareness and concern. "The ice king himself can't possibly be into her like that, right?" He searched his friends for affirmation.
Eijiro and Momo exchanged sympathetic, reluctant glances but remained silent as Tsuyu spoke up, "I don't know about that, ribbit." Her voice was nonchalant and observation as she stated, "Todoroki-kun seems more emotionally stunted than heartless, ribbit."
An invisible arrow pierced Denki's chest.
"Right?" Momo nodded before raising her finger, "They're both oblivious to it but I think Todoroki-kun is starting to take a liking to Kago-rin~!"
Denki flinched as another arrow lodged itself in his heart. He quickly recovered and looked to Eijiro for backup, "What about you, man?" The blond pointed at himself, "I still have a shot with Kago-rin, right?"
"Erm..." Eijiro's expression was crestfallen but he tried to put on his best smile, "I don't know, dude. You might wanna try shootin' your shot with someone else."
Eijiro hated being the bearer of bad news, especially to people who he cared about. But at the same time, he didn't have it in him to give a friend false hope. He, himself, was no expert on girls or romance, but he definitely understood where the girls were coming from with their assertions. Even Eijiro took note of a change in Todoroki.
Just yesterday during P.E., Shouto regarded his partner with a thoughtful expression., "Higurashi-san." The girl had just finished straightening her posture after completing her warm-up stretches. 'Hm?' When she lifted her eyes to meet his, she reacted the way that she often did. Her lips pursed and her complexion flushed. After spending a considerable amount of time together, Shouto felt compelled to point out, "The effectiveness of your quirk is highly dependent on your ability to control your breath."
"I've observed a phenomenon; it's inconsistent, but it's frequent enough for me to notice," he explained calmly, "Sometimes, you have difficulty breathing," Shouto gripped his chin. He failed to notice the flash of realization and then mortification in Kagome's eyes as he expounded, "Specifically when I am near you, you tend to hold your breath."
Eijiro noticed Kagome shrink but not shy away from Shouto's cool gaze. The girl was lucky that Mina didn't notice the topic of their conversation; lest she be teased for weeks on end. The pink-skinned teen teased Kagome with dramatic, exaggerated re-enactments of Shouto's declaration of his goal to be the top pair for weeks.
Instead, Kagome only had to bear through raising her hands, blushing brightly, and reassuring her partner that she'd get the problem taken care of.
Furthermore, just this morning, Kagome and Shouto entered the classroom not one by one but side-by-side. That change alone seemed like Kagome made more progress than he had anticipated. To Eijiro's surprise, Shouto didn't simply continue to his desk when Kagome arrived at hers. Instead, he lingered as the girl unpacked the necessities from her backpack.
It appeared that Shouto was making more plans to meet with her later. But his eyes followed the motions of her hands and spotted something within the hidden confines of her bag.
"Ah..." For a moment, there was a brief, uncharacteristic change in Shouto's facial expression. His usual dispassionate face thawed into a subdued emotion that resembled sympathy. "You're still carrying it around with you," his voice lowered.
Kagome flinched before her hands scrambled to cover the object with other items. It was a feeble attempt to shield the truth from Shouto. But she resigned and realized that it was a futile effort at this point. She lifted a smile to Shouto—one that Eijiro had never seen on Kagome's face before. It was fixed and tense, as if she wanted to convince Shouto and the people around them that she was okay.
"Yeah..." She replied just as softly in an attempt to keep their conversation clandestine. "Even after these years... That part of me hasn't changed."
Shouto was silent for a moment, as if he was digesting the revelation. The fleeting human emotion on Shouto's face faded as he returned to his usual self, "I see." But Eijiro wasn't certain if he truly understood how Kagome felt.
"Honestly," the strained smile didn't leave Kagome's face as she admitted, "I'm surprised that you recognized it. I didn't know if you remembered that day."
"I remember that day perfectly," Shouto informed her without missing a beat. Despite her wry smile, a bit of pink rushed to Kagome's cheeks. "We're similar in a way—" Kagome's eyes widened as he told her, "That part of me hasn't changed either." Shouto didn't take notice of the way Kagome's eyes glistened beneath the fluorescent lights. "I'll see you in P.E.," With those words, he left the girl standing there, stunned and on the verge of tears.