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Chapter Fourteen

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Shoto had always had his life planned for him. Each step – each milestone – was predestined by his father. His family had suffered enough to attest to that. His remaining siblings grew further apart, his mother was locked away in that God-awful hospital, and his friends…Well, something can't fall apart if it never existed in the first place.

During the Sports Festival, Midoriya made him realise how similar to his father he had become, even if it was the very thing he was trying to prevent. Being angry and shunning everyone wasn't going to get him anywhere. He was supposed to be a hero, after all.

Then there was Imai – that weird girl who was either too tired to walk or so hyper that she couldn't sit still. No in-between. She could be so annoying at times. While he was initially regretful of overhearing her conversation with his father, he would admit only to himself that he was impressed with the way she handled being intimidated. He had never heard anyone talk to the number two hero Endeavour without fear. She even had the nerve to threaten him. With friendship, nonetheless.

It was an odd thing to imagine, having his first friend be someone so…strange. Their previous encounters made it clear she wasn't scared to confront whoever about whatever was on her mind, and that's coming from someone who has little to no skills in reading people. She was easy to read and her mere existence irritated his father. She was the perfect balance of hero and villain.

The notion floated around in Shoto's mind during the taxi ride to his mother's hospital. Emerald and monochrome blurs of urban commercial districts passed by in streaks, mesmerising him into deeper thought.

His mind replayed the moment they shared during training when he watched her realise the dual nature of his quirk. Even after he hurt her, she still seemed unafraid. Maybe that was something she learned from being raised by a villain.

He didn't feel sorry for almost killing her father back at the USJ, but he was apologetic for all the hurtful things he heard people say behind her back and even when she was in the room. People can be so mean. He should know.

When he finally made it to the hospital, he was greeted by a desk of nurses who seemed shocked by his arrival. He had never visited his mom after her admission, so he found it weird that they already knew his name when he went to sign in. It took a minute for it to click that they probably watched his fights on TV. A nice woman pointed him in the right direction and he began to walk down the hall, echoing footsteps a stark contrast to the quiet medical ambience.

As he neared his mom's room, the peppermint-haired boy lingered in front of the door. Imai Kazuya entered his thoughts again. She was a pesky little fly in his mind, buzzing around incessantly with no clear reason. A soft sigh exited his nostrils. What would she do?

At times, she was less than forthcoming, even somewhat aloof, but there was something about their similar situations that made him wonder what she would do in this situation.

If her father, the scientist who fell from grace and fame, who nearly killed a class of kids training to be future protectors of Japan, had sat down in front of her, what would she do?

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Kazuya fidgeted nervously with the hem of her sweater as she neared the end of her walk. Just around the next corner was her father, whom she had been dying to see under friendly circumstances (if that even existed anymore) since the USJ.

"No!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands and turning in the opposite direction, "If I talk to him does that make me an accomplice? Would it stop me from getting my hero licence?"

But at the same time, how could she not? It was her father. She missed him so much that the mere thought of never talking to him again made her chest feel hollow and her brow furrow. She wanted to cry, to throw up, and to scream all at the same time. Was it even possible to act like everything was normal?

With a hefty sigh, Kazuya spun back around and marched right up to the park. She couldn't live with this feeling and if this was the last time she'd get to see him, she'd take the chance; consequences be damned.

She hesitated a moment when she saw him sitting on the rickety swing set, nudging himself back and forth with his foot. His gaze snapped up when her shoes crunched the playground mulch beneath her.

"Hey, Spitfire," he smiled with crinkles in his eyes. He looked old. Tired and old. Even from a few feet away, she could tell he reeked of whiskey and poor choices, the bags under his eyes could carry a small dog, and his clothes looked like he hadn't washed them in a couple of days.

"Dad," her face dropped as she rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his thin frame. If she squeezed too tightly, would he crumble to ash and scatter in the wind along with the rumours of their family?

"I watched your fights. You were awesome! Did you learn those moves from Kagami?" Taigen asked with his head buried in his daughter's matching hair.

"Yeah, I did," her face brightened slightly, "I was a little bummed that my cooldown time caused me to miss so many fights, though."

"I don't think you missed much. You're a star, kid," Taigen chuckled as he messed up her hair.

She scoffed before readjusting her part; "How have you been? You look like hell in a handbasket."

"I'm still alive and that's what matters. The League's been relatively dormant as of late," he took in a staggering breath when they separated from their long embrace. Kazuya took a seat in the swing beside him and thought about what questions to ask first out of the millions running through her head.

After a moment of silence, she chuckled, "God, I…I don't even know what to talk about. There's so much that's happened."

"Hmm," her father hummed, "How about we start with the basics? How's school? Have you made any friends?"

"A few. Most of my classmates are pretty nice, although Kaminari and Mineta are being shunned after the cheerleading incident," they both scrunched up their noses at the memory. "Izuku – you know that green-haired kid who packed a hell of a punch?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he and I got to be good friends after you left. He, Mina, and Tsu are the only three that I have openly confided in about Kagami, so I guess you could say they're my closest friends?"

He let her ramble on about her new companions, briefly describing them so he could remember them from TV before explaining their relationships: Mina and she were pretty close, Tsu was an adorable frog girl she loved to be around, Iida was Ingenium's brother and a stickler for rules, etc.

"And then there's Todoroki. He's pretty cool (no pun intended) and I'm pretty sure I almost fought his dad," she paused when her dad's eyes snapped wide open.

"What do you mean you're pretty sure you almost fought him?!" Taigen's expression was a cross between annoyance, anger, and pure confusion.

"I may or may not have – " her dad threw her an unamused look, "Fine. I definitely threatened the country's second-best hero before my last match," she cringed at how bad it sounded now.

"Kazuya!" Taigen pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as if he were disappointed.

"He's an ass on fire! A burning lump of — " Kazuya tried to explain herself but he shot her a pointed look.

"That doesn't mean you can just go around insulting him!" he shouted, hands thrown up in disbelief.

"Your next family reunion will be happening behind bars. I'll see to that myself."

"He insulted you and he's done horrible things to his own family. I can't beat sense into him, so I have to get under his skin instead," she crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. At this revelation, Taigen paused. She could feel his eyes rake over her as she sat defiantly on the swing like a bitter toddler.

"I'm glad you're sticking up for others, but there are other options to try instead of going straight to violence," he sighed, running a hand through his shaggy, cobalt locks.

"If his son is his pride and joy, that's where I'll be able to hit him where it hurts," Kazuya grumbled under her breath. After a minute of awkward silence passed, her father smiled again.

"God, it's hard to think that you've grown so much in such a short time. You used to just be this little tot, running around with Shinso, and playing tag with those dumb gloves we made you wear," he snorted with laughter and let his eyes wander over the old playground. At the mention of Hitoshi, Kazuya's frown softened.

"I wonder if that Gashadokuro statue is still in the forest," she muttered while staring down at her quick-bitten thumbnails with gently creased brows. Taigen shook his head and laughed lightly.

"Uh-oh, I know that look," he said.

"What look?" she scrunched up her face in confusion.

"The look that says you can't figure something out," Taigen grabbed the chains on her swing and spun her to face him directly. "What's eating at you?"

She didn't even know where to start. Everything was just so messed up that she wanted to hit some giant reset button and go back to the beginning. If she could forget, she would, but that wasn't possible right now. Instead, she'd spare her father the details and keep the conversation light.

"It's nothing, really, just some school drama," she rolled her earthen eyes.

"Oh, please. I heard all the gossip as a teenager, especially after I met your mother. That woman can hear secrets from miles away," Taigen snickered at the memory of his younger years.

"That sounds like my friend Mina!" Kazuya barked out as she roared with laughter, "I mean, she just knows everything! No one is safe. For Christ's sake, she even figured out Hitoshi's in love with me before I did!"

"Yeah, it's crazy that — wait a damn minute."

Kazuya winced, "I, uh…didn't mean to share that. Love's a strong word."

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually," Taigen scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"What does that mean?" the teen at his side gave him a pointed, accusatory glare.

"Elena and I used to joke about whether or not one of you would end up falling for the other. She owes me money now, I suppose," he turned his gaze to the sky and watched a murder of crows fly overhead. Kazuya let out an annoyed huff so that he would look at her again. "How do you feel about him?" Her father monitored her as if she were a fragile glass sculpture on a ledge. He was right, of course. He always is, she thought with unheard sarcasm.

"Honestly – "As soon as Kazuya opened her mouth, she knew it was over. A rush of held-back emotions welled up to the surface before she could deflect the question, "I'm terrified. I don't think of him like that, and I don't want to ruin the friendship we've spent so long building because of some stupid crush. On the other hand, if I don't say anything, then it's like I'm leading him on. What if he decides to confess to me first? How do I let him down without making it awkward or hurting his feelings?"

"There will be a time for the truth, kiddo," her father rested a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve before her tears could fall.

"Is that the advice that landed you in this situation?" she quipped with a snort-like chuckle. Taigen's shoulders bounced from laughter.

"Hey, it's worked before," he admitted with a shrug.

"Where was that truth when I was being accused of eating Mom's leftovers?!" Kazuya snapped. Her father turned up his nose and shook his head.

"You have no proof, young one," he feigned ignorance, only to be pushed out of his swing by an invisible force. His muddy-water stare was met with an equally fierce glare. They stood in momentary silence, neither moving a muscle until they both burst from their spots and started running.

"I got grounded for that! I want compensation!" Kazuya shouted as she chased her old man around the playground. He was much taller with longer legs, so it didn't take much for him to leave her in the dust. Not willing to accept defeat, the teen ran her hand along the ground and tapped her shoes. Repel flared to life, its ruby aura leaving a trail behind her when she ran.

"Do you, now?" Taigen roared with laughter. As he lifted his hand, Kazuya felt something wiggle in her pocket.

"Hey!" she gasped when her phone slipped out and flew towards her dad. He hopped up and caught it with a victorious hoot.

"Let's see…What was the name of that kid you said you stuck up for? Todoroni? I'm sure he'd love to hear about your valiant efforts to defend his character and your dying devotion to his happiness," he couldn't even keep a straight face at this point. When Taigen looked down at her locked screen, he slowed down slightly and gave Kazuya enough time to catch up.

She let out a fearsome screech and snatched the device right out of his hands, "HA! My secrets remain within the confines of my own mind, sucka!"

"I guess so," Taigen's smile wasn't nearly as bright as it had just been. Noticing the shift in his mood, Kazuya glanced down at her phone and felt her face grow pale.

She had forgotten that she changed her lock screen to a picture of one of Kagami's scrapbook pages. In the photograph, their family sat in front of a giant Hello Kitty statue, with the much younger Kazuya saddled on her father's shoulders and Kagami leaning against their mother's arm. All of them wore Sanrio character-themed outfits: Kagami as Kurumi, Kazuya as My Melody, Taigen as Gudetama, and Elena as Hello Kitty. It was a fun day that she didn't think about often, but always had a special place in her heart.

"I know she's not coming back," she smiled down at the screen for a little while longer, not quite yet ready to face her dad.

"Why now?" he asked in a tone that said he expected this long ago. She nodded.

"I think I always knew, it just…it just felt too real if I said it out loud. That's why when those reporters would ask, I'd always deny it and get angry," she finally pocketed her phone and sighed internally. Slowly, she lowered herself until her back lay against the grass and her face was turned towards the sky, "I don't know what happened to her or where she is now, but her disappearance and your leaving to be with the League makes me consider how fast things change."

"I didn't mean to make you all existential," a bead of sheepish sweat glided down Taigen's face, "I do, however, think that's a very grown-up way of thinking. I'm so sorry this world has made you reach that level of maturity at this young of an age."

"I'm young, not stupid. It was always going to happen. I'm not broken or anything, I'm just a little bruised," Kazuya's lips curved into a warm smile as her dad joined her on the floor. Together, they stared up at the clouds that swam by like stark-white fish against the vast, blue ocean.

"I'm sure your mother blames me for all of this. God, what I wouldn't give to hold that woman right now," he sighed with a sense of forlorn longing.

"They all talk about our family like we're cursed or something. They speculate out loud as if what they say doesn't matter because it's about someone else's fucked up family: the mother was forced to marry, the younger one will become a villain too, the father probably…" Kazuya didn't feel the need to finish her thought.

"They think I killed Kagami. I'm aware," his eyes closed as a passing cloud covered the sun and cast a melancholic shadow over the deserted park, "They can spread as many rumours as they want, but we know the truth. I know what I've done isn't right and I can't take it back, but I have my reasons. You and your mother are strong enough to handle this, just not alone."

"She misses you," Kazuya explained what he already knew.

"I love that woman more than the sun loves the moon, kid. Arranged marriage or no," her father let out a daydreamy sigh, causing her to shake her head as if she had just drank lemon juice.

"Someone's got a crush!" she mocked as she shoved him until he rolled over and she could poke his back like a pest. He erupted in infectious laughter and she followed suit, doubling over as they shared a moment of forgetful joy.

The park was void of people, which, in moments like this, made it easier to forget that there was anyone other than them in the world. No missing daughters/sisters, no threat of death constantly looming above, no strained relationships. Just a father and his daughter and the ever-shifting sapphire sky.

"So, you don't need your gloves anymore?" Taigen asked when they settled.

"Nope!" Kazuya beamed proudly, "As long as I don't get too emotional, I can control my quirk better than ever."

"Still have a problem with those outbursts, huh?" he rolled his head so he could throw her a sarcastic look.

"Breaking stuff is so much easier than therapy," she snickered.

"Just don't let it fester to an unhealthy amount," Taigen scoffed, a grin tugging at his lips. Before Kazuya could retort with some witty banter, her father's phone rang. He sat up on his elbows and answered it immediately.

"Boss…" he stopped himself and side-eyed his daughter before getting up and walking a good distance away. Kazuya couldn't hear the conversation but the disappointed look on his face told her enough.

"Duty calls?" she asked when he was done.

He sighed and helped her to her feet, "Unfortunately."

"I hate them," she pursed her lips into a fine line. Taigen chuckled and tousled her hair, making her look even more like an angry macaw.

"I know you do, kiddo, but I still have a job to do," he explained as he planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Promise me you'll be careful? If anything happens to you, I won't be able to deal with Mom on my own." She was only partially joking. His hefty pause felt like an eternity, but eventually, he nodded in agreement.

"I promise, Spitfire," he wrapped his arms around her in another bear hug, "Besides, I have to wait to get captured until you become a hero. Can't have anyone except my little girl arresting me for federal crimes."

"Damn straight!" Kazuya giggled despite the heavily implied sarcasm as she buried her face in his shirt. It had been so long since she laughed this genuinely.

"I love you, Kazuya," her dad spoke softly.

"I love you more, Daddy," she smiled, albeit bittersweetly, then watched as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked towards the forest, disappearing beyond the tree line. It was hard to tear her eyes away from his vanishing form, but she eventually mustered up the strength to turn around.

As she took in a lungful of the crisp morning air, she felt that familiar loneliness sink in once again. Her mother was at work and the house was far too empty to provide any comfort, so she decided to make a day of her lingering nostalgia and visit some old haunts. With the Hitoshi situation still an issue on her mind and classes cancelled for the next couple of days, she had nothing better to occupy her short attention span.

"I think that boba place moved over by…the behavioural hospital maybe?" she muttered to herself as she pulled out her phone and did a quick Google search. Sure enough, there was a café a few blocks down that used to be Kagami's favourite. She smirked to herself in satisfaction and began her walk. May the Boba Gods have mercy on her aching soul.

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Shoto felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Visiting his mother was liberating in a sense, a reminder that some things weren't completely lost and there was a glimpse of a better life he could hold onto. He had hoped that with due time, he could mend their relationship.

Sitting down and having a conversation with the woman who attempted to raise him within the burning house they were trapped in. Despite his usual emotional blockade, when he entered the room, a deep sense of sentimentality filled his chest. She looked older, that was a given, but something in her eyes was different as well. A hint of the fractured woman he knew was still present, but the insanity caused by her husband had been shed. She was at an awkward crossroads between tranquillity and numbness.

As he walked out of the hospital, he wondered what to do with the rest of his time off from school. Fuyumi had work for a few more hours and Natsuo had class, so it was him against the world for now. He could always go back home and sleep like usual, but for reasons unclear to him, he felt like taking a walk.

Meandering down the street, he looked through the passing windows of various shops and restaurants. He walked past couples clinging to each other, a flower shop lined with blue hydrangeas, and various boutiques filled with the newest fashion fads, but it was a café that wafted the smell of vanilla and gingerbread into the street that made him pause. The monstrous grumbling of his stomach was all it took for him to wander inside.

The atmosphere was light, with a few tables scattered around for in-house dining, although many of them were taken by people on laptops and chatting with friends. Shoto took his time scanning the menu as he waited in line. His gut urged him to buy everything in the display case, but he didn't want to ruin dinner. Fuyumi was making soba tonight and it was his own fault for skipping breakfast, anyway.

Ten minutes in and the line still hadn't moved. He questioned whether it would be worth it and even turned to leave when a sudden shout in a different language had him glancing over his shoulder.

"¿En serio? What do you mean you don't have cupcakes?! How hard is it to put frosting on a muffin?!"

A red-in-the-face, blue-haired girl slammed her hands on the countertop. She was two inches away from the barista's face and looked like she was about to jump over the register to strangle her. Shoto knew that voice all too well.

"I - I'm sorry, we haven't sold cupcakes in…in ten years!" The poor woman was on the brink of tears. Imai took a deep breath, shoulders shaking briefly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, too," she sighed, face still flushed. With a cup of bubble tea in her hands, she awkwardly shuffled out of line. The girl that had invaded his mind that morning without his consent turned and locked eyes with him as she went to find a table. Neither of them spoke for a hot minute.

"That…did not look good on my part, huh?" she winced, shrinking into herself. With her face buried in her free hand, she groaned in discomfort and began to explain herself, "My sister and I used to come into this place when we were kids. They had these awesome vanilla cupcakes with white frosting and little cat ears made of fondant," she paused to shake her head dismissively, "It's been a rough morning."

Shoto could relate.

"You have leaves in your hair," he noted, eyes dipping to focus on the chips of pine, leaves, and dirt that clung to her. She looked down as if she had just noticed and laughed in disbelief.

"I guess I really look crazy now, don't I?" she laughed nervously. A few awkward seconds passed before she spoke again, "I meant to talk to you after the festival, but you seemed like you weren't exactly up for small talk."

Shoto knew his problems were his and nobody else's, but he also recalled that scene in the hall, where Imai snapped back at his father. True, she was an irritatingly unpredictable presence in his life that he couldn't seem to shake, but she was the antithesis of everything Endeavour stood for. Her balancing the hero and villain world disrupted his black-and-white thinking. That alone made him respect her just a little more. So, he nodded for her to continue.

"I know I bugged you a lot at the festival and I'm sorry about that. The truth is, I hate your dad's guts. The things he says about my family…I've heard all the rumours, but what he says is more like a personal attack on my family," she stared down at her drink as she spoke, stirring the contents of the cup with her straw with a thoughtful yet distant glance. Her earth-coloured eyes flicked up to meet his heterochromatic gaze mere seconds later as if she just remembered he was there. "I'm sorry."

Shoto furrowed his brows a bit, "For what?"

"I guess if you're supposed to be the next top hero, I should be more respectful, huh?" she leaned back in her chair and smiled awkwardly.

"Why does what he says bother you so much?" Shoto asked with eyes that gave nothing, never once hinting at how hard he was trying to understand why this girl was the way she was. She had put up with his father for ten minutes – nothing compared to the years he'd spent ridiculed and pushed to be better – yet, she already held a grudge. He had an inkling she overheard his conversation with Midoriya but debated asking her directly. Either way, she knew more than she was letting on, that much was certain.

"As far as rumours go, my family has heard them all. It's different when it comes from a stranger on the street versus when it's from the mouth of one of the highest-ranked heroes in the country. It…solidifies my dad's status as a villain somehow. Makes it all the more real," Imai's frown twisted with her words as if she had tasted something sour, "My dad is not a villain, despite what everyone thinks. Yeah, he did some bad things, but his heart is in the right place. I'm just not sure why he's doing it, yet," she whispered the last bit so quietly Shoto nearly missed it.

"So you don't think he killed your sister?" he asked, watching her flinch at his question as if he'd tried to physically attack her. Too far?

"Someone else took my sister…someone even she didn't want to be seen with," she spoke with fierce determination. Her creased forehead relaxed as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

Shoto thought he understood her a little bit better. Endeavour was an incessant reminder that her family was fractured, possibly beyond repair – an idea that shattered what little hope she had for its recovery. Until now, she had clung to that hope like there was nothing that meant more to her. However, having the worst example of a parent telling you that your family was ruined was somehow more heartbreaking for her than the disappearance of her father or sister.

He recalled the tinge of jealousy he felt at the USJ when she wholeheartedly protected her father with such devotion despite him being their enemy. He didn't even fight back. He apologised and tried to console her. For a second, he saw the kind of relationship he lacked between his father and grew envious. Maybe that's what he felt even now. Envy towards Imai for her optimism despite the world caving in on her; envy towards Imai for so openly defying the villain expectations placed on her without warning; envy towards Imai for continuing to smile and laugh even if she was screaming on the inside.

It was that envy that made him understand so well the feeling of having your spirit want to claw its way out of your body and leave behind the forgotten shell it once inhabited. What he did not understand was why she was the way she was, and why she went out of her way to defend him.

And maybe it was that envy that led him to his next proposal.

"Help me," he offered without context. Imai cocked her head like a confused puppy.

"With…?"

"Help me understand." Help me understand why I want to know more about you.

A gradual smile graced her lips, "I'd love to be your friend." She extended her hand across the table.

That hand was his apple of knowledge from the Garden of Eden. He was not supposed to talk to those beneath him, as his father would say, but this girl…She was strange. Different. New. In a world where he had little experience with the unknown, this was his first bite of that forbidden fruit – his first indulgence in something he wanted – without the influence of Endeavour or someone else's expectations. If it took hanging out with a so-called villain spawn to prove he was less like his father, he'd do it.

He shook her hand.

"Now that that's over…" she retracted her palm and sighed, tapping her nails on the barren table, "I really want that cupcake now."

"Why don't you bake them yourself?" Shoto suggested.

"Please, my family can cook like there's no tomorrow, but baking? My mother once burnt a cake so badly that if I threw it at someone's head, I'm pretty sure they'd end up in the hospital," she scoffed, only baffling him more.

"Why would you throw a cake at someone?" his brows furrowed when she let out a bark-like laugh. A few people looked their way, but Shoto seemed to be the only one who noticed.

"Some people just need a brick of cake to the face, you know?" Imai shrugged, "You any good at baking?"

Shoto hesitantly sat down and nodded, "Sometimes when I'm home alone or if my sister needs something for her class."

"Aw, that's sweet of you. My sister would eat everything (the box included) before she even left the house," he didn't let her sombre smile go unnoticed. Thinking back to right before the Sports Festival, he overheard Midoriya mention her sister and she was very dismissive about the subject. She seemed more comfortable now. She deflected the topic instantly, as expected, "Onto more pressing matters, how's your day off? What brings you to Shizuoka?"

"I live here," Shoto didn't see the need to bring up his mother. Imai might understand his paternal plight, but his mother was an issue to tackle on its own.

"No kidding?! Me too! Funny how we never notice these things," she chuckled and eased into her chair, looking far more relaxed. There was a definite change in the atmosphere. "We should totally get drinks more often! I know plenty of good spots to hang out around town and Toshi and I have tried everything like twice," she continued, instantly quieting down after mentioning Toshi.

"Shinso Hitoshi?" Shoto asked, remembering how Ashido Mina pointed out their familiarity with each other during the Festival (something he hadn't noticed beforehand).

"Mmhm." Imai hummed, "We've been best friends since we were kids. I think you two would get along. You're both very…direct?"

"Thank you," Shoto nodded, fully accepting the hesitant compliment. Imai paused for a second before laughing loudly. Did she not mean to compliment him? Had he already made a fool of himself?

"You're welcome, Shoto!" she beamed as she spoke his name in unison with the barista who sat out his drink.

Rising to get his cup, he heard Imai's phone beep a couple of times before watching her pick up the device through his peripherals. When he thanked the barista and turned to sit back down, he noticed the sour look on her face as she glared down at the screen. She grumbled something in another language and shut it off. Imai let her stress leave her in the form of a heavy sigh before reapplying her smile. She got up with an awkwardly loud screech of her chair against the tile.

"What do you say we get out of here?" she asked and nodded towards the door with a toothy grin.

"And go where?" he answered unconsciously. She paused, expression shifting between contemplation and excitement. He hadn't seen much of the city other than the hospital on account of never really having a reason to explore.

"There's plenty of arcades and other fun stuff to check out. You might like the museums, maybe the snacks," she explained flippantly as she somewhat rushed out of the building. He noticed her quickened pace but didn't acknowledge it.

"What do you usually do, Imai?" he asked, taking broader steps to keep up with her shorter, quicker legs.

"Oh, call me Kazuya, and I don't really care what we do. I just need to get out some," she sighed after mumbling the final sentence. He didn't disagree. Not wanting to be at home was exactly why he stopped at the café instead of heading towards the subway after visiting his mother. It was too cold there.

"Kazuya's a boy's name isn't it?" Shoto asked once they settled into a slower pace. She shrugged as the roles reversed and she now had to take larger steps to keep up with his long legs.

"Yeah, I guess my parents weren't expecting another girl. I like it, though. It means peaceful night," the cobalt-haired girl waved her hand dramatically before raising a brow at him, "Speaking of, isn't Shoto a bit on the nose? Fire Crotch couldn't think of anything better than burn and freeze?"

Shoto once again found himself admiring her audacity. He thought it both amusing and disturbing how she just spoke with no fear one second but could become a mumbling, anxious mess the next.

"If you're waiting for me to apologise, we're going to be here a while," she added with a chuckle when he went quiet.

"You're strange," he bluntly noted before taking a sip of his drink.

"Strange is a good alternative to interesting," she smiled softly and looked up at the passing clouds as they stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the cars to pass.

A gentle breeze blew by and her cobalt hair danced with the wind in a way that made Shoto stop mid-sip. Her lips were moving but he couldn't hear a word over the sound of the rustling from overhead trees and loose leaves. When Shoto was caught unconsciously staring, Imai moved so that she was standing in front of him and looked up with those big, doe eyes of hers.

"Earth to Shoto! What's going on behind that pretty little head of yours?" She waved a hand in front of his face. When Shoto's eyes finally moved to meet hers, she jumped back, a bead of sheepish sweat rolling down her temple. "I, uh…I was just trying to snap you back into reality."

Shoto nodded a silent thank you and they continued their walk in awkward silence. He learned a few things about her as they wandered aimlessly down the sidewalk; for instance, she loves food and frogs, but never both at the same time.

"People who eat frog legs make me seriously consider a life of villainy," was her excuse. He figured that's why she took so well to their frog classmate, Asui.

He shared his love for cold soba and sweets and she promptly described some foreign dishes her mother could make that he just had to try.

"I'll get her to make you some sopapillas sometime. My mom would love to have some company some time," she nudged his ribs with her elbow. Shoto was going to ask her for her address and if she was free that evening, but her phone once again began buzzing in her pocket. She took it out and answered without hesitation once she read the screen.

"Mom? What's going…okay, slow down. Who?" There was a long pause, followed by Imai pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Okay, okay, okay, I'm out with someone right now, but I can be home in ten," her eyes flickered apologetically towards Shoto, "A friend. Yes, he's a guy. What does that have to — Oh my God, can you stay focused on the problem at hand?!"

With a swift click, she hung up. Shoto was quick to ask if everything was okay, but she brushed off his worry while hailing a cab.

"Sorry to cut our day short. I hope we can do this again soon. See you in class!" she flashed him a bright smile before diving into the taxi.

As she drove away, Shoto realised how quiet it was without her around. He always liked the quiet, but there was something comforting about her endless rambling. He couldn't think of anyone who had ever wanted to talk to him so much besides reporters. She was different, and he needed different. Maybe this change would be for the better.