Another Day

Estelle gave a disgruntled look towards Shinsou, who stood in the middle of the gymnasium. She had felt a little bad for disregarding his training a little too much recently since she had gotten so busy with hero work. Shinsou was supportive in that aspect and understood Estelle's reasoning even if he was a little sad that he couldn't be as present as he wanted to.

Either way, he never stopped his training. Estelle watched as he moved with more agility than he ever had before. It was a significant improvement from when they started when Estelle had to show him the basics.

Jumping back into the fight, Estelle and Shinsou moved with ease as they danced around each other. They didn't put too much power into their blows since they mainly focused on technique rather than strength, so it almost made it seem like they were dancing to their own music.

Flipping the purple-haired male onto his back, Estelle was faced with a raised brow as he lay on the floor. "I've never seen you make that move before."

"That's the point. You're getting too used to how I move. You need to expect the unexpected, and it's why I told you to train with other people besides me and Mr Aizawa."

"They're all annoying, though," Shinsou groaned back, a whine underlying his tone.

"I know, but that's not the point."

"It's totally the point!"

"Shinsou... I will hit you."

"Pfft, like you haven't already beaten the crap out of me already."

"Don't make it sound like that."

"What else would I say? Oh no, please don't hit me, madam!"

"Touché"

Smirking, Shinsou stood back up with a light groan. Turning his head back to look at the time, his eyes held a glint as he shifted back to Estelle. Lifting a brow in question, Estelle watched as Shinsou slowly took her hand and tugged her to the gymnasium exit.

"Come, let's talk."

"Huh? What? Why?" Estelle asked in bewilderment, curious about the sudden switch occurring within the male.

"We haven't gotten the chance to; you've been so busy."

"But, why are we leaving the gym?!" Estelle shouted out towards Shinsou with perplexity as he laughed, dragging her out and slamming the door shut behind them.

"Shut up, and follow me."

Estelle really wanted to be mad.

She couldn't be mad with all these kittens surrounding her. Estelle was in heaven as she gushed over the animals, her previous anger and annoyance shooting away as soon as she saw the sign on the doors.

'Cat Cafe'

Stunned, Estelle had no idea that this was even a thing. Was it a cafe that was themed around cats? Did they serve animal food? Do you just look at pictures of them?

So, when she finally got through the door. Estelle experienced the best form of euphoria as cats lazed and played around the room.

"Oh my god." Estelle had muttered when it actually sunk in that this was, in fact, a cafe that had living cats inside it.

"You like it?" Shinsou grunted out; his question answered when Estelle completely ignored him in favour of playing with the kittens on the ground.

"You are so cute," Estelle muttered, disregarding the fact Shinsou was watching her with a soft gaze.

"Thank you", The purple-haired floof responded back, a grin on his face when Estelle turned back to him with a scowl.

Sitting beside her on the ground, the two used the animal toys and continued awe at the creatures. It was a while later that Shinsou broke the peace with a mutter. "We should probably buy something."

"Oh yeah, one second. I have some money-"

"Shh. It's my treat. I'm guessing you want tea?"

Startled, Estelle's mouth opened to argue with the teen in front of her. It was only when his eyes gazed down at her seriously through his tired eyes that Estelle decided to leave the battle for another day. Nodding slightly, she was left to her own devices as she stayed on the floor. Not realising how much time slipped by, Estelle jumped from Shinsou's interruption.

"Estelle, as much as I would love to stay on the floor all day to love on the cats. Can you sit by the table? They'll come to you if they want affection."

Pouting slightly, Estelle could hear Shinsou's chuckle of amusement as she held a look of childlike annoyance. Standing up, Estelle finally joined him at the table, the tea ready in front of her. Taking a sip, the pair marinated in the silence for a moment before Shinsou spoke up. "I heard you're doing hero work now."

"Yeah, I need the public's support due to the recent attack. I can't have people stop me from finding the bridge."

"You made any headways?" Shinsou questioned with an uneasiness plastered on his face whenever he asked. Estelle wondered why he would ask for an update every time they met with that look on his face.

It confused her. The longer Estelle remained around him, the less supportive Shinsou seemed. He had never explicitly stated that, but she could see it on his face. She wondered why he would always make a point to ask if he didn't want to hear the answer.

Shaking her head, Estelle grunted out a blunt, "No, as usual. This whole situation is a pain in my ass."

Scoffing, Estelle relaxed when Shinsou's tense shoulders dropped, his face easing back to his usual lazy expression. "How does it feel to be working as a hero?" He changed the topic.

Seeing the curiosity on Shinsou's face, Estelle tilted her head as she contemplated the answer. "It's strange. The people are very expressive here."

"Really? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, yes. Technically, I'm not a real hero. So, you'll be able to tell me when the time comes."

"You won't be here."

Putting down her mug with wide eyes, Estelle realised he was right. Feeling a rush of conflicting emotions, Estelle shook her head to rid herself of her wild thoughts. It was just a slip of the tongue, an easy mistake.

"You are correct. I guess I'll never know."

"I forgot to mention. I've been working on my quirk lately, and I sent a request to the support course for a mask with a voice modifier."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, so I can copy a voice to trick the opponent into speaking."

"That's very smart. It would be good to investigate strategic ways to implement that into different scenarios. Could you potentially save a voice and reuse it later?" Estelle pondered out loud.

"Um, no. Not yet, at least. The mask can save several voices, but they would remove as soon as new ones are added. I could only guess how much storage that would need, but it would be a good idea for the future."

"Ahh yes, it would probably need- what do you call it?- WeFe?"

"WiFi."

"Yes, that thing," Estelle answered, her finger raised up like she was having a lightbulb moment.

Chuckling, Shinsou shook his head at the female in front of him as he muttered the incorrect phrase in amusement. "WeFe."

"Shut up."

"WeFe."

"Shinsou..."

"Sorry, I can't hear you. My WeFe is acting up."

"I'll WeFe your ass if you don't shut your trap."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Is that agreement, I hear?" Estelle retorted, her eyes mischievous as she gazed at the stunned male.

"Hey, Estelle. Have you ever considered staying?"

"Here, kitty kitty kitty."

Shinsou gave a deep sigh as he looked up from his mug to find Estelle missing. The courage that he had built inside him simmered away in his disappointment. Turning his head to the floor next to him, he was greeted by the sight of numerous kittens surrounding the otherworldly girl.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Estelle questioned innocently when she realised the silence was lingering for too long.

"Hm, never mind."

Strolling into Height's Alliance with Shinsou behind her, Estelle questioned the male if he wanted a drink.

Shaking his head, Shinsou gave a soft smile as he muttered, "Nah, I should probably get going."

Furrowing her brow, Estelle was internally confused about why Shinsou demanded to walk her back if he was just going to leave. It wasn't like she was complaining, so Estelle moved to leave with a lazy shrug.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait!" Shinsou startled, his arms raised to stop her from leaving. He should have expected that Estelle would just go without a single goodbye. "What about my hug?"

Sighing deeply, Estelle's shoulders dropped as she stared at the floofy haired male. "Seriously?" She muttered back.

"Yeah, seriously. What are besties for?"

Grunting, Estelle scowled as she turned her head away. "Tch, you're more like a nuisance."

"You wound me with your pretty face and harsh words." Shinsou groaned with his hand on his heart.

Deepening her frown, Estelle wasn't given a chance to retort as she was encased in a bear hug. Awkwardly patting the male on his back, she could feel the vibration of his chuckle as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Just a fair warning, the class is behind you."

Groaning, Estelle's cheeks turned hot as she changed her awkward pat to a violent thump. Smirking at his grunt of disapproval, Estelle's joy didn't last for long as he answered. "Yeesh, seems like you've been spending too much time with the aggressive blonde."

Estelle didn't have enough time to answer yet again as he continued, his hot breath hitting her ear. "You should rectify that by hanging out with me more, kitten."

Finally letting go, Shinsou took a step back with a mischievous smirk. Gazing at Estelle deeply, the female had the urge to step out of his vicinity and walk (run) the other way. Her cheeks slightly warmed from the attention as she glared at him.

"I'm sure you would love that." He finished with a wink.

Remaining silent, primarily out of stunned surprise. Estelle could hear the aggressive growl of the blonde behind her as they both continued to watch each other. It was almost like they were scanning each other for the next move.

Tilting her head slightly, Estelle muttered her final reaction. "You say that like I want to hang out with any of you guys."

Hearing the classmates behind her groan of dismay and defeat, they perked back up as Shinsou moved towards the exit. His final comeback rang out before the door clicked shut behind him. "Don't lie. You're more fond of us than you think."

'He did that on purpose', Estelle pouted in her brain. She knew it was probably because they would have battled back and forth all day otherwise. Turning to face the students behind her, Estelle rolled her eyes at the various expressions on their faces. Shaking her head, she moved to leave the room.

"The hell are you hanging out with that nerd for?"

"Huh? The hell am I hanging out with you for?"

"Cheeky brat! Come here!" Bakugo growled as he wrapped his arm around her neck. Estelle was pretty fed up with the male's questioning at this point, so she just let him aggressively rub the top of her head as she glared at the floor with a huff.

Growling when he didn't stop, Estelle elbowed his stomach and smirked at the grunt he let slip. Bakugo turned his head down to put her back in her place, but when he saw her expression grow, the male's furious eyes flamed. Raising his hands up to show the crackle and pop of his quirk, Bakugo let out a manic grin that could only be described as 'Oh, you're in for it now.'

Bracing herself for impact, Estelle mentally prepared for a second to make sure she didn't harm him in this fight. Lunging at her, Bakugo barreled into Estelle and pushed her onto the couch. Grabbing the male's arm, so he fell with her, the two bounced on the sofa with a loud thud.

Glaring at each other, Bakugo didn't rest as he moved in for another attempt. Estelle ducked under his arm that he flung out to grab her head and raised her leg to kick him in the stomach, effectively knocking him off the couch.

Smirking, Estelle leaned back, victory on her mind as the aggressive male foamed at the mouth on the floor. Feeling a sweaty palm grip her ankle and roughly pull, Estelle accidentally let out a squeak as she slid off the couch with a harsh thud. Holding in her pout, Estelle watched as Bakugo howled in laughter next to her.

"Your face!"

"Don't say it."

"Your face!" Bakugo howled out again, cackling at the innocent 'o' shape of her mouth as he pulled her to the ground.

Scowling, Estelle shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I can't believe you actually made that noise. You sounded like a dying mouse!" Bakugo continued, gripping his stomach as he failed to stop the humour from slipping out of his lips.

"Shut up," Estelle growled, pushing her hand in his face with a loud smack to get him to quiet down. This was a massive blow to her pride, and she just had to do it with Bakugo, of all people; what a pain.

"Don't worry. It was mildly cute." Bakugo muffled out in her hands, his shoulder still trembling from his continued chuckling.

"Just shut up; I don't need your compliments!" Estelle snapped back, heat growing on her cheeks as she pushed his face further down, toppling him, so he flopped onto his back.

Estelle was unsurprised when a beep came through on her spirit tracker. Flying down to handle the hoard of creatures, Estelle found herself more tired than usual. She could keep fighting; that wasn't the issue. But, when Estelle informs others of her constant fatigue, they seem to get the concept mixed up with mental and physical exhaustion.

Estelle had fought all her life; she was skilled. That was easy to guess, but ever since the war ended, Estelle was just tired of the constant loop her life was in. It surrounded her like a haze that she couldn't get out of, and she was left making circles in the dark with no way out.

Her mind still heaved with memories of her past, but she tried her best to not show it to the other students. She already felt guilty enough for intruding on their lives, and the type of baggage she had was just not okay to dump on anyone.

Bakugo had probably seen the worst of it from the few nights they shared together. He had gotten used to her jolting awake during the evening that he had resorted to just patting her head before going back to sleep as if it was a reminder that she was here and whatever she experienced was over.

Still, it made her feel better.

Oh yeah, she should probably remind herself to stop sleeping on the couch. It was getting too frequent for her liking. Putting those thoughts away, Estelle realised that two ghouls were chatting between the trees.

Strolling up to them, Estelle put her fatigue to the side to help them. Surprisingly, when she reached the duo, they were the first to speak. "So, you are Estelle. The hero of the two planes?"

"That is correct," Estelle confirmed, not willing to open the box of worms which was her hero title.

"I see. You helped a few members of our group pass on yesterday when we were separated."

"Apologies I could not reach you sooner." Estelle supplied, hoping their experience wasn't too tricky.

"No! It's okay. We have something to tell you anyway."

Startled, Estelle took a step back with befuddlement. Something to tell her? That was new. "Go on," She responded.

"Tensions seem to be rising quickly within our world. I am sure you have noticed the amount of beings coming through to this place has increased."

"Of course," Estelle acknowledged with a nod to her head in hopes of prodding them forward.

"There are rumours. A dark spirit was burning down territories as if he owned them. Nobody has seen him properly, but he is powerful. Strong enough to make spirits pick up their things and run."

"So, that's what caused the increase in activity", Estelle stated. Her head leaned back in thought as her mind whirred away with possibilities.

"The dragons have been looking for him, but nothing was ever found", The other ghoul continued.

Perking up, Estelle questioned them further. She had to force down the hope of her following words. "Did you meet the dragons by any chance?"

"No, I'm sorry. But, the word is that the dragons have been searching the spirit realm for a long time. We assumed they were looking for the dark spirit."

'So, they were looking for me.'

"I see; thank you for speaking with me. Now, let's help you both rest."

"We are afraid of passing on. Is it okay if we stay with you?"

"I'm sorry. But, you already know that this is the next step for you. You both have nothing to fear. I have helped many like you pass onto the afterlife, and from what I can tell, it's a peaceful experience. You will not feel any pain." Estelle assured with sympathetic eyes.

"We will trust in our saviour," The two ghouls synchronised accidentally. Estelle winced with a hidden glower that held disgust for the term so readily put on her by others. She was not a saviour; she was not a hero. Estelle was just a girl who tried to survive.

"Please don't call me that."

"Of course."