There was no denying what had just happened. With her hearing enhancement quirk, there was no way out of this one. She knew she was caught.
"Jirou, it's Tsu. Are you okay?"
"Ugh. What do I do?" Jirou whispered.
"I am not going anywhere until you open this door, Jirou. I know something happened. Please, I just want to make sure that you are okay," Asui said.
Jirou sighed. After a few more moments of staring up at her ceiling, she trudged over to join Tsuyu in the hallway. They looked at each other, reading one another's expressions before beginning their conversation.
"I'm fine, Asui. See, here I am. Same old Kyouka Jirou as always," Jirou said with a blank look.
"Your reaction earlier suggested otherwise, ribbit."
"What reaction?!" Jirou said.
She twirled one of her jacks rather fast now. Was Tsu really going to press her on this, she wondered?
"When Midoriya and Uraraka hugged, I saw how you got red and sprinted away. Midoriya told us about how you had a great time at that convention today. So he was confused as to why you just took off like that. I do not think anyone else there noticed your reaction in particular though, ribbit."
"I, um… I have no idea what you're talking about," Jirou responded, not even sure herself now what the emotions were that she was feeling. They were unwelcome, regardless.
"You know me, Jirou. I say it how it is. I saw you get embarrassed directly from them hugging. It does not take someone with an intelligence quirk to know what that stems from. I just want to make sure that nothing bad happened otherwise."
Asui had not changed her stance since they began talking. Jirou did not even think Asui had blinked yet, either. But it did not matter what either of them said at this point. Asui caught Jirou's embarrassment, and no matter what convoluted lie or excuse she came up with, Asui would never believe her.
"I dunno, uh, Midoriya and I have just been around each other a lot recently… I, well, just think he's special, you know," Jirou said, looking away from Asui while she tapped her jacks together with a light blush.
"Special, ribbit? Are you more than friends or something?" Asui said, placing her pointer finger beneath her chin.
"Together?! No we're not!" Jirou said.
"You're really blushing though," Asui said.
Jirou quickly placed her hands over her cheeks as she realized her face was getting hotter and hotter. Asui placed her hand on Jirou's shoulder as she tried to calm her down.
"Jirou, listen. I am not here to spread gossip or embarrass you. And I deeply apologize if I did, ribbit. I just wanted to see if everything was alright, but it is clear that you have strong feelings one way or another. I only pursued the answer because, well, if Ashido, Hagakure, or Kaminari found out instead… everyone would know by tomorrow. You can trust me, I will not tell anyone about this. Not even Midoriya, ribbit," Asui said.
"T-thanks Tsu," Jirou croaked.
"Good night, Jirou. Please do not be upset or embarrassed. Your feelings are totally valid," Asui said.
As Asui walked away, Jirou tried her best to recollect herself. When she realized her friend was about to enter the elevator, she called out for one more question.
"Tsu, wait. First, I don't… know if this is really what you think it is. I was, um, probably just jealous that Midoriya didn't give me a gift too, that's all. But, are Uraraka and Midoriya… you know, together?" Jirou said.
Asui turned around and shook her head. "I will not be the one to tell you what your feelings are, but actions speak louder than words. Please do not beat yourself up over it, regardless. And no, Midoriya and Uraraka are just good friends, ribbit."
As Asui left, Jirou scrambled back into her room. She closed the curtains and turned all of the lights out to make the room as dark as it could possibly be. Her favorite headphones were on the desk right next to her bed, so she put them on and listened to a Deep Dope playlist to block out the thoughts she had been feeling. But after several songs, she realized nothing could be changed. All she had thought about was Midoriya, and the convention earlier, and how she analyzed their interactions. And then she visualized the scene of him hugging Uraraka. Before she knew it, she passed out.
Jirou slowly opened her eyes. The morning sunlight shined through her curtains, illuminating her clock which read 7:19AM. She had forgotten to set her alarm, but she figured she must have fallen asleep early, as it was way before the normal time she would get up on a Sunday morning.
She ripped the headphones off of her head, although they were not playing any music. Noticing her phone laying next to her, she picked it up to notice one new text message.
Izuku Midoriya: Hey Jirou. I really enjoyed the All Might convention yesterday. Are you okay? Once we got back, I didn't see you the rest of the night.
"I… completely ditched him, didn't I? Damn it. I'm such an idiot," Jirou mumbled.
Although she felt bad, she knew that she needed the alone time. She remembered how Asui basically made her admit how she felt, although she still refused to officially say it was a crush or anything along those lines. It was a rather draining experience, but she knew Asui was trying to be a good friend. Besides, it was not like it was Ashido who had figured it out. Her secret was safe for now.
Jirou decided to answer the text from Midoriya after a few more moments of waiting.
Kyouka Jirou: Sorry, I wasn't feeling so good out of the blue. I wasn't trying to be rude. It was a lot of fun yesterday!
Midoriya ran down the street, going on his daily morning jog to help keep his cardio in check. It was also a great way to keep discipline as he went out to run the same time every day barring any weather mishaps. As he ran, he felt a buzz from his pocket that came from his phone.
All Might: You need some advice? Sure thing, kiddo! I'll be in my office at 9am.
He had also finally gotten a response from Jirou earlier, though he had not opened it yet. His heart thumped a little faster when thinking about seeing the message.
"I must have made her really angry or something. We had a great time at the convention, she even bought something there, we were together the whole time, she never seemed to be bored surprisingly. Although she did run off on her own during lunch, so maybe it was related to that. There can't be any other reason she possibly ran off," he muttered to himself.
He continued his run, taking in the crisp morning as birds flew above. He chuckled to himself as he thought of Tokoyami, a bird like human, and whether he would fly with other birds as well. But then he remembered he did not have wings, so it was a moot point at best.
After about another half hour or so, Midoriya arrived at the main school building. He checked his phone to make sure it was after 9am, and then he entered the building while mentally preparing himself. It was time for another conference with his mentor.
"Heroes… oh forget it. Can I go one minute without thinking about that dude?"
Jirou shook her head while strumming her bass. She had tried playing a few songs, but Midoriya yet again intruded her thoughts when she tried to shake them off. The same visuals would play like a movie over and over again no matter what song she played. The training session last week. The convention. His embrace with Uraraka. And if she tried to play a song with even the slightest hint of romantic undertones, gasoline was added to her brain's burning images.
"You know what… no matter what this is, I can't let Midoriya flood my thoughts. He's a great friend, not some villain hunting me down. Not to mention that we have to present that damn project tomorrow."
She decided to leave her room for the first time that morning. After cleaning everything up and packing her bass away, she went over to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead.
"And I know exactly who can help me."
"Young Midoriya, welcome."
Midoriya entered All Might's office and joined him over at the couches they typically sat at for their meetings. Given it was a Sunday, not many were around in the UA School building today, so there was no worry about anyone being suspicious of what was going on.
"Quiet today, are you okay? Did you enjoy the convention yesterday?" All Might asked. He drank a hot cup of tea, his second of the morning.
"Ah yes, your convention! It was great as always. And it was amazing to see you there too!" Midoriya said, scuffing his foot on the ground as he gripped his fingers on the cushion.
All Might stared at his successor for a few moments as he put his tea cup on the table. He could have sworn he saw Midoriya flinch and gulp, further arising his concerns.
"I can tell you are at unease. Did you discover something new about One For All? Are you caught up with a villain?" All Might asked.
"No, All Might, I, um… I think I made a friend of mine angry. And I don't know why."
All Might nodded as he looked towards the window. "Who?"
"Kyouka Jirou. So we went together to your convention yesterday, we had a lot of fun, but as soon as we got back to campus, she just ran off. I didn't see her the rest of the night, not even at dinner," Midoriya spilled out.
"I see. But why do you think it was because she was angry? Maybe she was just tired, or had something to do. It's not like she left you while you were there. I don't think you have much to be concerned about, kiddo."
Midoriya lightened his grip on the cushion and took a deep breath. Perhaps All Might was right. Maybe he was just overreacting for no reason.
"That's a great point, thank you. Sorry that this is a different topic than usual, but it was really bothering me."
"Trust me, I asked my mentor plenty of general life questions as well," All Might said with a smile.
But behind his smile, All Might wondered why Midoriya was so urgent and nervous about this. It seemed like one small suggestion completely changed his cadence, too. He and Jirou did seem to be with each other more recently, after all… He figured it was none of his business and remained quiet about it, as the conversation moved on to something school related.
During All Might and Midoriya's meeting, Jirou had also entered the UA school building. After some searching around the massive structure, Jirou found the person she was looking for in an office space.
"Sensei?" Jirou asked, as she cracked the door open.
"Hmm… - oh, Kyouka. Something on your mind?" The man wearing all black said, meaning it was none other than Shota Aizawa.
"Yeah, it's about my mind actually. I don't know how to put this… how do I, uh, think more rationally?" Jirou asked, now sitting in front of his desk.
"You want to think more rationally? Elaborate, please," Aizawa said. Although he refused to change his expression, he grinned internally. Hearing a member from the next generation even thinking about wanting to be rational pleased him.
"Sometimes I try to focus on something, but I can only think about other things in that moment. Not being able to think about one thing at once… really hurts my ability to use my quirk. Since it's, you know, based on my hearing and heartbeat. So since you're always talking about heroes needing to be rational, I wondered if you could give some insight," Jirou asked.
While focus was important for her quirk, it was at best a convoluted way to conceal her true reason for asking Aizawa for advice. Ever since she had gotten back from the convention, her mind had been racing with flashbacks and thoughts about Midoriya. If she asked a classmate like Yaoyorozu or Kaminari, she figured she would be more likely to accidentally give away her thoughts. Aizawa's strictness, along with being her teacher, seemed to be the more… well, rational choice.
Aizawa, meanwhile, cracked his knuckles. "Sure. There's three components to consider. First, you need to be honest with yourself. Hypotheticals and what-ifs will only slow you down. Focus on the facts. Second, practice thinking about specific things in certain situations. When you're in a training session, it's an opportunity to sharpen your mind in a safer scenario compared to the real world. So only focus on things that will only help you in the moment. Finally, for a lack of a better term, go with your gut. Trust your instincts first and foremost."
"I see, that makes sense," Jirou nodded.
"Honesty, focus, instinct. Those are the three components that I use to think rationally. It will help outside of hero work as well," Aizawa said.
"Thank you, Sensei. That helps a lot."
"Good. See you tomorrow in class. Make sure you are ready to present your project," Aizawa said, as he went back to typing on his computer.
Jirou left his office and twirled her left jack as his words ringed in her head.
"Honesty. Focus. Instinct. I knew Sensei would have a good approach," Jirou said to herself.
"Oh, Jirou!"
She turned around to see Midoriya speed walking towards her from the other direction. Her twirling's pace increased sharply as she made eye contact with Midoriya's black eyes.
"Honesty. Focus. Instinct. I'll be fine," Jirou thought.
"Where were you last night? I didn't see you anywhere," Midoriya asked, oblivious to the text he had not yet seen.
"Oh, um, I was feeling like shit so I went straight to sleep. Sorry if I worried you," Jirou said without delay.
"Well, I did feel like shit, so technically I'm being honest," Jirou thought.
"Oh, I see. It's just, I was worried I angered you or something," Midoriya said, looking towards the ground.
"Angered me? Not at all, green. You could never anger me," Jirou said with a smirk.
"A-are you sure, Jirou?" Midoriya said, now making eye contact.
Just as he finished his sentence, Jirou placed her hands on his shoulders. After staring into each others eyes, she slid her hands down his back, and they embraced. Midoriya tried his best not to interrupt the moment despite the suddenness of the hug. Little did he know that Jirou was grinning a smile as wide as All Might's behind his back.
"Kyouka. Call me that instead," Jirou said.
"R-really? We are, uh, just getting to know each other and - "
"And what? You can call me Kyouka."
They pulled away from each other as Midoriya's face now had a pink tint to it.
"And you can call me Izuku, or Deku," Midoriya said.
"Alright, Izuku," Jirou said in a higher pitch. "See you tomorrow for that project presentation."
"Right! K-Kyouka!" Midoriya said.
The two went their respective ways down the opposite ends of the hallway. Midoriya was very surprised at Jirou's sudden move, along with her being cool with calling each other by their first names. Jirou, meanwhile, felt her face flush to a shade of red that she had never felt before. It was pure ecstasy for her. She began talking to herself as soon as she knew the coast was clear.
"I - I did it. Sensei's advice really worked! I just went with my instincts, and he was fine with it too. I guess I do like him if that's how I act without overthinking. I mean, I have no idea why I like him, but that's for later. Now I can play bass with a clear mind too. Iz-"
"You like someone? Jirou?! Who?!"
Her dazed off state was shattered upon hearing the voice. Looking down the hallway, it was unmistakable as to who had overheard her.
"Damn it!"
A/N: Happy New Year, here is the first chapter of 2022! This chapter is a bit longer than normal since the ideas just kept on flowing. The last part was originally going to be kept for next week… but consider it a New Year's gift for today instead.
Who do you think overheard Jirou? And what's to come for these two in class? Find out next Wednesday! Thank you for reading, and thank you for the favorites, follows, and comments!