The time for Koda's match had finally come. He, Jiro, Iida, and Asui waited for Reika in the clearing for their match to start. "I think I've heard the song she's going to use for our match before. It sounds very sad so I'm wondering why she chose it." Jiro said.
"It's one of her favorite songs from the movie it's originally from. What I wanna know is why she isn't singing any of her father's songs." Reika explained as she walked towards them. She looked down in thought.
"Her father's?" Jiro asked as they looked at Reika.
She looks back at them and nods her head. "Her father is a famous American singer that has a quirk that basically makes him sing multiple parts at once, as if he's in a band or an acapella group. He's currently on tour with her mother and his band. She doesn't like talking about her mother much but her quirk is a combination of theirs." She explained.
"But then is her mother or father a Neko too?" Iida asked as he adjusted his glasses.
"Th-That's something for her to tell, not me." She said.
"Sh-She'll talk to us about it when she wants to, b-but for now we need to listen for her. W-We have to find her before time runs out again." Koda said. He looks towards Jiro. "C-Can you hear her anywhere, Jiro?" He asks.
"Not yet. If I remember correctly, The song lasts a max of eight minutes but there are rarely any lyrics." She explained.
"Which means we only have five minutes to find her before she starts to get sick." Koda says to himself.
"It would be best if we all split up into teams to search for Mayson. Jiro and Koda will be searching for Mayson, while Asui, Takami and I will figure out what her illusions are. It's highly possible that Takami knows where Mayson is hiding but leads the team away from her so that we don't suspect that she knows. Which is why the two of you will find her." Iida said as he adjusted his glasses again.
"Smartass." She said in a quiet pouty tone.
"J-Jiro…Can you try and pinpoint wh-where she is in that direction?" Koda asked as he pointed to the east from where they are now, without looking at her.
After a couple of minutes, Jiro found her. She points towards the east. "About forty meters that way." She said as she stood up and ran after Koda, who was already running in that direction. "W-Wait for me, Koda!"
'I'm not sure how but it's as if her song is tugging at my heart. Jiro did say that the song itself was sad but, hearing her voice now compared to the last match…is this…what falling in love feels like?' He thinks to himself as he runs through the forest. He stops behind one of the larger trees, catching his breath. He looks up to see Keralynn sitting on a tree branch above him. Her eyes were closed and slightly sunken in, yet tears were falling from them as she sang. His eyes widened as he felt his heart sink to his stomach when he saw her crying. His heart ached at the mere sight of her tears.
"Koda! Did you find her?" Jiro asked as she caught up to him. He put his finger to his mouth, signaling for her to keep quiet. They hear her stop singing and he looks back up to see her staring at him. She dried her tears and looked at them with a fake smile on her face.
"I guess you two found me. Team five wins." She said. He gives her a worried look before he holds his arms out to her.
"J-Jump down to me. I-I'll catch you." He said.
"It's alright. I can get down by myself." She said as she began to stand up but felt a bit light headed and lost her balance. She begins to fall but Koda catches her.
He holds her tightly in his arms and leans down to whisper in her ear. "You don't have to tell me anything. Just know that I'm here for you whenever you need me." He whispered. She looks at him with wide eyes as he looks at her and smiles.
A few hours later classes were done for the day and everyone went to their dorms. Reika was in the common area talking to Tokoyami and the others about Keralynn's father. Keralynn and Koda were in his dorm petting Yuki and the black bunny that they saved. She explained to him about how she got a call from her mother and grandfather the night before that her father was killed in an accident that morning during his tour around America. She tried to have the song for the match changed but Aizawa didn't allow it, so she had to endure the pain in her heart as she sang. He held and comforted her as she spoke. "I'm just glad…That I was able to talk to him and mom about you and my new friends here in Japan. I love it here but because of what happened to dad, I don't know if mom will let me come back to Japan in the future." She explained as she cried.
"I-If you're mom won't let you come back to Japan, then we'll come visit you in America. To be honest, I'm p-probably the happiest out of all of Class A that we met and got to know you." He said as he tapped his index fingers together.
"I'm glad I met you too, Koda. But you don't have to worry about getting a Passport anytime soon. I've been sorta keeping this a secret from your other classmates but come our second year. I'll be attending UA as a foreign exchange student in their hero course. So starting in the spring here, I'll either be in your class or class B. Though, I don't think I'm that powerful to be a part of the Hero course. That's why I was in Hero Support at NHA. It wasn't until the night that the video was taken that my quirk became so powerful. Before then I was only able to create illusions that casted shadows, but they never had the power to physically touch people or cause them harm." She explained.
"I-I think you've always been this powerful. It's just that your quirk needed t-time to grow and evolve, just like everyone else's." He said as he petted her head. She looks at him and smiles sadly.
She lays her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, not realizing that she was beginning to purr. 'His heartbeat is so fast, and yet, it's soothing to my ears.' She thought.
He begins to blush as she purrs. "Y-Your…p-purring." He said in a soft tone. She blushes as she realizes what she was doing and moves away from him, hiding her face.
"S-Sorry!…I-It's a reflex. I guess I should probably tell you about something that no one knows but Reika. I-I'm-" She begins to say before he gently puts his finger over her mouth and smiles.
"I-It's okay! I-I think your purr is ad-dorable, t-to be honest. You don't have to tell me. I-I think I have a general idea on what you are exactly. Your secret is safe with me as well as Takami…So long as you don't call yourself a monster anymore." He said before he frowned, looking at her seriously. "You're NOT nor will you EVER be a monster to us. Your secret is an amazing and beautiful part of who you are and because of it, you're able to understand the animals of the kingdom. So don't try to hide it anymore because to me, you're beautiful just the way you are."
She hides her face, trying to hide the dark red blush across her face as tears start to form. She looks at him and opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted when her phone starts to ring. She sighs "Way to ruin the moment, Mama." She said in a soft tone. Koda smiles and stands up.
"I'll leave you to talk to your mom in private. Come find me and the others when you're done, alright?" He said. She gently grabbed his hand as he turned to leave.
"N-No!...I-I mean…W-Will you get Reika for me? You don't need to leave when we talk to her. I want her to meet you, face to face. I want to let her know that I'm happy here and that I have friends besides Reika." She stuttered. He smiles and gently pets her head.
"Of course. I'll be back then." He said before he left the room.
She answers the phone to see her mother, a beautiful humanoid fluffy white cat with stunning green eyes that sparkled as radiant as emeralds. Serving her some tea was her father's best friend and the guitarist in his band. "I'm sure you've heard the news about your father by now. We are scheduled to have his funeral the day after you return home. I was told that one of the teachers at UA is to escort you home. I believe his hero name is Eraserhead. He and I are supposed to talk about you attending UA for your second year of high school. Have you made any new friends there, besides that winged girl? What's her name again? Reika I believe. Where are you anyway?" She explained, getting right to the point.
"Yes mama, I have made new friends here. I've actually met a boy here that I really like named Koda and he has an adorable pet bunny with a teleportation quirk." She said as she blushed when she talked about Koda then gently held up Yuki to show her mother. "Her name is Yuki."
"She looks like something my family would eat as a midnight snack." She said as she glanced at Yuki. Keralynn's eyes widened before holding Yuki protectively in her arms and hisses at her mother, the fur on her ears and tail fluffed up. "Don't you hiss at me young lady. Without any real fangs you're better off acting more as a human than a cat. But a teleportation quirk you say. That's very rare among our kingdom. And you said that this rabbit belongs to this Koda boy that you like." She said as she smiled. "I'm glad that you are finally making some true friends, Keralynn."
"He's really shy and doesn't usually talk much. But once you get to know him I'm sure you'll like him. Then there's Reika's boyfriend, Tokoyami. He's a gloomy guy that normally keeps to himself but he's still really nice to me." She said. She explained to her mother a little bit about each of her friends from Class A as Reika, Tokoyami, and Koda entered the room. Reika waved at her mother before she sat down next to her.
"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Mayson." She said in English as Tokoyami sat next to her and Koda sat a little away from her mother's view next to Keralynn.
"This is Fumikage Tokoyami, Reika's boyfriend and the one sitting next to me but can't see him very well is Koji Koda. As I said, he's shy." Keralynn said as Yuki hopped off of her lap and started tugging on the sleeve of Koda's light blue hoodie, telling him to get into her mother's view. She giggles. "She's more like his emotional support animal and right now she's trying to get him to meet you." She said as she giggled.
"You seem a lot happier since the last time I saw you, Keralynn." Her mother said.
"To be honest, I've never felt this happy before since I started getting depression. Ever since I met Koda and Tokoyami, I haven't been thinking about those awful thoughts since I arrived here. They don't treat me like I'm a monster that doesn't deserve to exist. They treat me like I'm a real person." She explains as she smiles then looks at Reika, Tokoyami, lastly Koda.
"And I'm making sure those thoughts don't come back. The twins and I are making sure she gets lots of love so that those thoughts stay out of her head." Reika said as she hugged Keralynn. Reika and Keralynn explained to her mother about the mission they went on to save some animals with quirks. Reika showed her mother the black rabbit that's currently staying with Koda for the time being, then told her about the puppy that Tokoyami is looking after until she returns to the dorms.
Keralynn looks over at Koda and Yuki as she continues trying to get him to sit closer to her. She hops off of Koda and stares at him, lightly tapping her foot on the floor. She turns back to her mother. "Oh! I forgot to ask. Mama, Have you ever fallen asleep to dad's heartbeat before?" She asked. As she was talking to her mother, two small silver rings appeared around Yuki's ears. She threw one at Koda making him disappear and the other just above the empty space right next to Keralynn. Koda appeared through the silver ring before it disappeared. She hops back on his lap then hopped across to Keralynn. Reika and Keralynn giggled as she laid down on her lap with a proud look on her face.
Her mother smiled at them. "It seems she accomplished what she wanted to do. I take it that he's the one that is growing on you, Keralynn." Her mother said as she looked at Koda, examining him.
She blushes a deep red and covers her face before she glares at her, giving her a small growl. "Yup! This shy bean is our adorable Petting Hero, Anima. But in the class, we call him Koda. The day Kera arrived here, He, Fumi and another of our classmates, Sato, prepared for her a welcome party. And it was all our precious Koda's Idea." Reika said happily.
Her mother chuckled. "It appears she's very well loved there. I am glad that she has true friends like the three of you to look after her. She didn't have many friends growing up. And what little friends she had betrayed her when she started middle school when she started acting more cat like than human. Since then, she's truly hated her feline features that she would hide them under her clothes when she went out somewhere. But now I see it in her eyes that she's learning to accept her feline heritage. Even finding that one special heartbeat that soothes her." She explained as she smiled.
"What do you mean, Mama?" Keralynn asked.
"To answer your question from before. The only other heartbeat that was soothing enough to make me fall asleep, no matter what mood I was in, besides my mother's, was your father's." She said. She looks towards Koda before speaking again. "In our Kingdom there are more than one ways to find out if our mates are our chosen ones. When Keralynn and I use our quirks, our downsides are becoming weak and sick for a while, but for us cats when we become sick, our hearing is slightly enhanced to the point where we can hear someone's heartbeat like a drum when they hold us. Most of the time those drums would be so loud for our ears that we react to get away from them. But there will always be one heartbeat that is quiet enough that it soothes us into a peaceful slumber in their arms."
"The day we helped train her quirk. She never told me the whole story of her downside so I didn't know, yet somehow Koda did. She looked so pale that some of our classmates thought she was a ghost. Since then he has helped me with her recovery. He rarely leaves her side when we're on school grounds." Reika said.
Her mother gasped. "Keralynn Isabelle Mayson! Don't tell me you sang for more than ten minutes straight when you used your quirk again?! How many times do I have to tell you? Using your quirk for more than ten minutes a day or thirty minutes a week will result in you going to the hospital again!" She lectured. Keralynn shrunk back with her ears pulled back, Shutting her eyes tightly.
"W-With all due respect, M-Mrs. Mayson. The three of us a-as well as many of our other cl-classmates are helping her with her quirk, s-so that she will be able to sing for a longer period o-of time without getting worn out. Sh-She's been doing really well with that so far." Koda said shyly in English as he tapped his index fingers together.
"Koda's right, and he, Jiro, and Shoji are making sure that she takes numerous breaks during our training sessions so that she doesn't strain her vocal cords." Tokoyami said.
"Our shy bean is taking good care of her." Reika said as she petted Keralynn's head. They said their goodbyes to her mother before Keralynn hung up. Both Yuki and Keralynn's ears started to twitch before they looked towards the window. "What's wrong Kera?" She asked. Yuki hopped off of Keralynn's lap and hopped under Koda's bed, while Keralynn pulled her ears back.
"Looks like a storm is coming." Tokoyami said as he got up and looked outside Koda's balcony.
"I should get her home before the storm hits. Nekos don't do very well in the rain. And this one in particular is afraid of thunder." She said.
"Allow me to accompany you to the gate, my Dove." He said as he helped Reika up.
"There's no school tomorrow except for our extra classes so both of us will be here tomorrow. She can hang out with all of you guys while Fumi and I are gone." She said as she smiled.
Koda nodded his head. He gets up then holds out his hand for Keralynn's. "Need a hand?" He asked as he smiled. She smiled back but before she could grab his hand a loud thundercrack boomed through the sky, making her jump. She tries to run with cat-like reflexes but Koda gently grabs her. "It's alright, Keralynn. Everything's gonna be okay. You're safe." He says in a calm and gentle tone as he holds her to try to calm her down.
"Damn. That was a loud one wasn't it. Are you two okay?" Reika asked as she uncovered Tokoyami's ears.
"I am alright now. Thank you, my Dove." Tokoyami said as he smiled lovingly at her.
She smiles back before looking at Keralynn and Koda. "How about you, Kera?" She asked.
"A little shaken up, but otherwise okay." He said as they saw him sit down on the side of his bed, setting her down on his lap as he held her. "Everything will be alright, Keralynn. For now, just focus on my heartbeat." He smiles as he gently pet her head.
Tokoyami watches as he comforts her and smiles. "Have you figured out what you're feeling?" He asked him.
"Y-Yeah…I think so." He said as the three of them see her starting to fall asleep in his arms. 'Having her in my arms like this just feels…natural somehow. Is this how Tokoyami felt when he was falling in love with Takami?' He thought. He covered her ears when they heard another loud thundercrack.
They hear a knock at the door then hear Aizawa's voice. "Are Takami and Mayson in there, Koda?" He asked.
"We are. Keralynn is a little shaken up from the thunder but we're fine." Reika said.
He opens the door to see Koda comforting Keralynn. "Hawks has to work late tonight so he's asked one of his sidekicks to bring the twins to UA. The four of you will be staying at the dorms tonight due to the storm. The girls are already preparing the room next to Jiro's for Mayson to sleep." He explained as he saw her fast asleep in Koda's arms.
"Okay." Reika said. She turns to Tokoyami. "Can I count on you to look after Rhyan tonight? The beds here are only big enough for two kids." She asked.
"Of course, my Dove." He said as he nodded his head.
"If he needs anything, I'm just on the other side." She said as she smiled.
"I remember where your room is, Dove." He said as he smiled.
Koda watched as the two interacted. 'I can see it in his eyes that he really cares for her. I'll have to ask him for some advice on how I can ask Keralynn out before Shoji does.' He thinks to himself.
He thinks back to the day before when class A was working on their homework during free time. He overhears Shoji talking to Jiro, Sato, Mineta, Kaminari, and Kirishima about Reika and Keralynn. "That Mayson girl is a total hottie. What I wouldn't give to be close to her and smell her sweet delectable scent." Mineta said. He turns to Shoji. "You've hung out with her before, Shoji. What's she smell like?!"
He looks at him before he looks away, blushing. "Like autumn leaves with a hint of winter berries." He said.
"How would you know that? Every time you pick her up like a cat she tries to get away from you." Kirishima asked.
"You've been picking her up like a cat? You know what Reika told us the first day we met her. She doesn't like her appearance." Jiro said as she looked at him.
"I know you think she's cute and all but dude, she's not a cat. She's a human just like the rest of us." Kirishima said.
"I never thought she was a cat, I just think she's cute when she acts like a cat." Shoji said.
"You know she does that unintentionally, right? Even Koda thinks she's adorable when she acts like a cat." Jiro asked.
Koda turned away when they started talking about him. "Of course he thinks she's adorable. Have you seen the way he looked when she first walked into the room? He totally has a crush on her." Kirishima explained.
"Did I just hear that Koda has a crush on Mayson?" Ashido said as she snuck up behind Jiro.
"Not just him but Shoji does as well." Kirishima said as he smiled.
"Kirishima!" Jiro said as he smacked him upside the head. Then motioned towards Koda before glaring back at him.
Ashido gasped. "They BOTH like her?!" Spill the details Kirishima!" She said excitedly.
"Stay out of this, Mina!" She said before she walked towards Koda's desk and dragged him out of the room.
He comes back to his thoughts when he hears Keralynn beginning to purr in her sleep. He smiles as he pets her head. "It's only been a few minutes since we said goodbye to her mother and already she's fast asleep." Reika said as she smiled.
He grabs his phone from his bed as he sees a text from Jiro that was sent about ten minutes ago. "Mayson's room is all ready for her!" Was what the text said.
"I can take her to her room if you want me to?" Reika said as she held her arms out to take Keralynn from him.
He nods his head no and stands up, putting his free arm under her knees, holding her like a bride. "It's okay. I-I can take her there myself. She's not heavy." He said in a low tone.
"Despite her size?" She asks in a surprising tone.
"He is as strong as he looks, if not stronger, Dove." Tokoyami said. She looked at him and smiled as she crossed her arms.
"You really care for her don't you, Koda." She said.
"I-I'm not sure how but, holding her like this j-just feels…natural to me somehow." He said as he looked down at her sleeping face, blushing.
When they brought her to her room, he gently set her down on the bed and tucked her in. He smiled as he petted her head one last time. She tilts her head towards his hand as she sleeps, purring. "This is a rare sight. She only purrs in her sleep when she knows she's safe during a storm." Reika said.
"She can purr?! That's so adorable!" They hear Ashido say from the doorway. She walks into the room during a thundercrack. It wasn't as loud as the first two but they still saw Keralynn pull her ears back and stopped purring. Koda sits down on the ground beside her, starting to pet her head again.
"We should head to our own rooms and get some sleep. It's almost lights out. I'm gonna guess you're gonna stay here till the storm passes. Right, Koda?" Jiro said as everyone left the room.