After standing motionless for several moments, Uraraka finally found her footing to enter the school building. Although it was a quick walk to the classroom, it felt like an eternity to her. Only a few of her classmates were already in the room this early in the morning. Asui was flipping through a bulky book at her desk. Meanwhile, Todoroki and Ilda conversed towards the back of the classroom in a voice no louder than a whisper. Uraraka paid no attention to this, though, as she sat and stared at the blank chalkboard at the front of the classroom.

The chalkboard reminded her of what her mind was like since she had entered the room - blank. She was out of ideas. She was out of people she could talk to. Searching for any sort of answer, Uraraka then looked at the clock above the chalkboard. 20 minutes sharp until Aizawa would show up. Soon enough, the rest of the class would appear.

But there was still no sign of Midoriya.

"Well, if Deku doesn't show up sooner than later, I guess I'll have to get this whole 'date' thing cleared up another time," Uraraka muttered to herself. "I can't do it in front of everyone."

"So, Midoriya, are you excited for your concert date with Jirou tonight?" Tokoyami said before taking another sip of coffee.

"Ugh, not you too!" Midoriya said with a weak chuckle.

The two of them had departed the dorms at the same time and decided to walk together to class that morning. The truth for Midoriya was that he was more than excited for the concert tonight. More excited than words could even describe. So excited that he was wearing his Deep Dope shirt underneath his school uniform. Remembering his discussion with Todoroki and Tokoyami about the whole 'date' fiasco only added to his excitement and anxiety.

Midoriya gave Tokoyami a doubletake when he realized Tokoyami had remained silent to his answer. After taking a moment to do a scan of his surroundings, and with no one else around, Midoriya knew he was in the clear.

"Does Dark Shadow have your tongue?" Midoriya said.

"No, I'm just perplexed by the fact you said 'not you too' like that. Kind of a strange answer to a light-hearted joke if you ask me."

"Um... I know we had that whole talk about the whole date thing the other day... well, turns out Jirou thinks it's an actual date, apparently?" Midoriya squeaked.

Tokoyami almost choked on his coffee, coughing several times before catching his breath at last. As they were almost at the entrance of the school building, Tokoyami thought of a way to make his point as quick as possible.

"Midoriya, either it's a date or it's not. Goodness, I was just trying to ask if you were excited for the concert, that's all..." Tokoyami said, making a mental note to himself to not make sarcastic comments to the overthinking Midoriya in the future.

"I know, I know, it's just that Jirou called our concert a date," Midoriya said, as they entered the building. "You see, Jirou and I have barely talked to each other since Saturday. But she said she was looking forward to our date the last time we actually really talked... agh, why is everything so confusing?!"

Tokoyami nodded as they came closer to the classroom. He would have never guessed that he would start his morning off by giving advice of this accord, but there was no way out of it now. Embracing the dark helped him to remain unfazed in moments like this.

"Well, listen, I wouldn't worry about it. The bottom line is that you're both going to a concert together. Date or not, just enjoy the moment. And if anything romantic comes up, just tell Jirou how you feel," Tokoyami said.

Now it was Midoriya's turn to nod. Perhaps it was just classic overthinking on his part, but for one reason or another, nothing seemed to make sense to him at the moment. But Tokoyami's advice was exactly what he needed to hear.

"Just enjoy the moment... thanks, Tokoyami!" Midoriya said as they reached the classroom. "Oh! I needed to go to All Might's office for something. I'll be back later."

While Tokoyami entered the classroom, Midoriya kept the phrase 'just enjoy the moment' on repeat in his head. Even if Tokoyami had assumed that he was giving advice on how to get out of a date... well, Midoriya thought about how he could parlay it into a date.

"And if anything romantic comes up, just tell Jirou how you feel... yeah, if Jirou really wants this to be romantic, then I'll confess to her. That way I don't have to have any pressure about it so I can just enjoy the moment," Midoriya muttered to himself. "Now to schedule that lunch today with All Might!"

Back at the dorm building, it was Jirou's turn to depart for the school day ahead. She gave one final look at herself in the mirror before she left her room for the day.

"This is it. Just a day of classes, and then, I'm going to a Deep Dope concert tonight... with Izuku. Today's gonna be a great day."

As Jirou left her room and navigated her way down to the lobby, the crisp winter air that greeted her outside was the perfect wake up call for the long day ahead. Despite wanting to stay up to jam out, Jirou had gone to bed early last night. Prior experience had taught her that a rough night of sleep prior to a concert only asked for trouble.

Thankfully, despite all the uncertainties with Izuku and whether it was a date or not, she had fallen asleep rather quickly. She had decided that playing the 'what-if' game was no longer worth it. She knew how she felt. She knew Izuku had fumbled over his words on Saturday. And she knew that she had even told Izuku that this was a date in her eyes.

What more could she do?

"Today's the day... I'm not chickening out this time. I'm telling Izuku how I feel about him. Either he feels the same and we're finally together, or he doesn't and I move on. I'm done with the questioning already. Either way, we've got a Deep Dope concert tonight to enjoy... but first, classes," Jirou said, as she reached the school building's entrance.

She was grateful that the walk to her classroom was quiet. The last thing she wanted was for Mina Ashido to interrupt her morning routine - they had still not talked since Jirou had told her to leave her alone in the limousine. After entering the classroom with only a few moments until Aizawa would show up, she took her seat, noticing most of the students were already there. Midoriya, however, was nowhere to be found.

Then, as if it was right on que, Midoriya entered the classroom. He waved to a few students that had greeted him, including Uraraka. Right as he was about to pass Jirou, he stopped.

"Good morning, Kyouka! Ready for Deep Dope tonight?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah! I - I c-can't wait," Jirou responded.

Midoriya then made his way over to his desk and took a seat, reaching for his hero journal from his backpack. Jirou, meanwhile, was grateful that Midoriya sat behind her at that moment, as she could feel the burn of her bright red face.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought. I barely muttered that out, how am I supposed to say I like him to his face?" Jirou thought to herself.

Uraraka's face was also bright red as she saw the whole event unfold in front of her.

"Well I can't talk to Deku about this stupid date thing with Jirou in the room, and of course Deku only talked to Jirou of all people..." Uraraka thought.

Moments later, Aizawa trudged into the room with his sleeping bag. He yawned and took his place standing in front of the classroom, failing to change his facial expression even once. Right as the bell rung to start homeroom, Aizawa began to speak.

"Alright. Don't get too excited when I tell you this. But Principal Nezu has informed me that UA High School will be moving forward with hosting a school festival - "

Aizawa was interrupted with a flurry of cheers from almost all of the students. Aizawa then gave them a scolding look, causing the commotion to evaporate.

"As I said, do not get too excited. There are more rational things to do than discussing the school festival, so you have until the end of homeroom to pick Class 1A's festival theme. Go."

Almost everyone shot their hands up into the air, wanting to be the first to suggest their idea given the limited amount of time before homeroom adjourned.

"How about a play of some sort?" Asui then interjected.

"Maybe a haunted house!" Kirashima suggested.

"In the dark, nonetheless," Tokoyami said.

"Perhaps a contest or competition between all of us?" Sero said.

"Maybe like a game show!" Ilda offered.

"These are all good ideas... how are we supposed to choose just one?" Hagakure pouted.

"Not my problem. Pick one and move on," Aizawa said.

The class then went silent. Who had the best idea? Would a vote be necessary to decide on which idea to pursue? What if there was a tie? What if they failed to agree on something before homeroom ended? They knew Aizawa was not messing around when it came to wasting time...

"Oh, I know. How about a talent show?" Midoriya said.

"A talent show?" Todoroki said.

"That's a great idea! That way, we can all do what we want to do individually as an organized, collective group," Yaoyorozu said.

"I like that. Let's do the talent show!" Jirou said.

Ashido squirmed in her seat at the thought of an obvious joke involving Jirou agreeing with Midoriya, but knew she had no leverage to even attempt it.

"So everyone's in agreement? A talent show?" Aizawa said.

The whole class nodded besides Bakugou.

"Oh, sensei? Can we do partners or groups for the talent show, or does it have to be individual?" Midoriya asked.

"You can do partners or groups. Just make rational choices. Alright, so it will be a talent show for Class 1A. Brilliant. Homeroom is about to be over. I will see you later for the heroics course," Aizawa said.

After a hectic morning full of classes, it was lunch time.

And for Jirou, she knew it was time to strike.

This was the moment.

As the class scrambled out of the classroom, Jirou waited at her desk for Midoriya to clean up his school supplies. By now, she had figured out that Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were the last two students to leave the classroom after a class ended, so it was the perfect time to stall to avoid Uraraka, and more importantly, Ashido. As Yaoyorozu left the room, Jirou walked out of the room with Midoriya.

"Oh, Kyouka," Midoriya then said.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to sound weird... but I'm so excited for Deep Dope that I'm wearing my Deep Dope shirt under my uniform!" Midoriya said with a blush.

"Hey, me too!" Jirou said, as they both laughed.

But Jirou knew not to get too far off track. Midoriya had brought up the Deep Dope concert. No one else was around. This was the moment. The moment to set things straight and end the misunderstanding once and for all.

"Izuku, look... I." Jirou started.

"I what?"

"I - I want to know something - "

Midoriya's eyes were deadlocked with Jirou's.

"You can tell me anything, Kyouka."

Jirou's heartbeat thumped faster and faster. She could hear Midoriya's heartbeat thump faster and faster as well.

"I want to know if you would like... like to have lunch together?"

Midoriya's heartbeat calmed.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, but I'm actually having lunch at All Might's office today."

Jirou was dumbfounded. Whether she was dumbfounded with herself or Midoriya more, she had no idea.

"You sure do have lunch with All Might a lot! Well, I guess I'll see you in heroics class, and then after school for the concert," Jirou said.

"Yeah, see you - " Midoriya was interrupted as Jirou gave him a quick hug, and then dashed towards the lunch room without him.

Once Jirou turned down towards another hall, out of Midoriya's earshot, she groaned. The groan turned into a yell.

"Why can't I just admit how I feel to him already?! Why is it so tough to do?!"

Realizing she would receive no answer in the moment, Jirou set off into the lunch room in defeat. She decided to get a sandwich for lunch, and after receiving a water bottle, departed Lunch Rush's line and headed towards the tables. Seeing an empty table, she sat down and began eating by herself.

Talking was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. Well, besides talking to Midoriya, of course. Her one goal of transparency had failed. Knowing today's heroics class would only be a dry lecture, there was no more opportunities available to be alone with Midoriya before the concert. She would only have a few moments back in her room after the final class before it was time to leave, which was barely enough time to get ready for the concert. Considering how many people would be at the concert tonight, she figured the chances of them being alone during the event were slim to none as well.

As she nibbled her sandwich, thoughts swarmed her mind. Was it a date? Would she ever admit to Midoriya that she liked him? Why had Midoriya never asked her why she called the concert a date the other day?

"Does he... does he not care whether it's a date or not? I was trying to get rid of these mental gymnastics... I've only added more," Jirou thought.

"Jirou?"

Jirou looked up from her sandwich, hoping it was Midoriya. She hoped she had another chance to admit her feelings to him right then and there.

It was not Izuku Midoriya.

It was Mina Ashido.

"Ashido. I don't want to talk to you right now. Go away," Jirou said with a flat tone.

Ashido took a seat across from Jirou. "I know, I know, but I just wanted to let you know I'm really sorry. I should've never done that. I learned the hard way."

"The hard way, huh? Your words don't mean anything. If you're really sorry, I'll know by your actions. Stop being a matchmaker. Stop exposing people's feelings. And don't even think about telling anyone else about how I or Uraraka feel."

"Fair enough. I'll be as quiet as possible. I'll leave you alone now," Ashido said, as she left the table.

Jirou continued to eat her sandwich. She plugged an earphone jack into her phone to listen to Deep Dope.

The school day could not be over soon enough.

After a rather boring heroics lecture for anyone not named Midoriya, class was dismissed. The school day was over at last. As everyone departed from the room, the entire class walked back to the dorms in a pack.

Jirou did not bother to wait around for Midoriya to leave. There would be too many students around from all of the other classes to make a move right now. She figured it would be better to go back to her room, get ready for the concert, and then wait in the lobby for Midoriya.

Already having her yellow Deep Dope shirt on under her school uniform, Jirou quickly took off her uniform and got herself ready for the concert. She had been to plenty of concerts over the years thanks to her parents involvement in the industry. But knowing it was Midoriya's first ever concert overall, she thought of some pointers to give him about concert etiquette. Once fifteen minutes had passed, it was time to head down to the lobby.

"I wish I would've told him how I feel about him earlier on... I don't want to do it right before his first Deep Dope concert of all times. Date or not, it'll be fun for both of us. No need to stress about it."

As Jirou left the room, her heartbeat began to quicken again. Her palms became sweaty as well. Entering the lobby and seeing a few of her classmates watching sports in the common area, she sat on a couch and tapped her foot on the ground while she waited for Midoriya to join her. She tried to convince herself that she was only feeling excitement for the concert as she twirled her left jack.

Midoriya then entered the room. He wore a black shirt that had a white 'Deep Dope' logo on the front.

Reality had finally set in for Jirou. All of the years she had longed for someone to enjoy Deep Dope with her was finally coming to fruition. Just seeing Midoriya gave her all of the reassurance she needed that she had finally found that person.

"Are you ready, Kyouka?" Midoriya asked.

"More than ready, Izuku," Jirou said, mirroring the smile Midoriya gave.

As they departed the building, Midoriya and Jirou walked side by side. The concert venue was about ten to fifteen minutes away from them in walking distance. Jirou could tell that Midroiya had a hop in his step as they left UA's campus.

"When the moment's right... I'll make my move," Jirou thought to herself. "I won't mess up again."

A/N: And it's off to the Deep Dope concert for Midoriya and Jirou!

Since this chapter revealed that the school festival will be a part of this story, I wanted to clarify a few things about it. I won't be copying what canon MHA did for the school festival. I'll just be using the event as a frame for what fits this story instead, as the talent show angle of it implies.

Next time in Chapter 25 - the Deep Dope concert! How will the event go? Is it a date?

Thank you for reading! Thank you for the comments, favorites and follows as well - I appreciate the support!