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Chapter Fifteen

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Kazuya rushed into her house, ignorant to the loud bang of the door hitting the adjacent wall as she searched for her mother.

"Mom!" she called, sliding into the living room. She finally found her mom lying on the couch with her face frozen in a blank stare.

"He was here…" Elena's voice came out as a barely audible whisper as she clutched a rose to her chest. Its wine-red petals drooped and folded under the crushing weight of her grip.

Kazuya settled into the spot beside her and placed a gentle hand on the woman's back. She caught sight of a note on the table and picked it up without thinking. It didn't take but one read-through to piece together what happened.

"Dad came here?" she furrowed her brows in concentration. All that safety talk, yet he chooses the most obvious place to go.

"I saw this when I got back from work. I went to the bathroom, came back and it was here," Elena's shoulders trembled as she explained as briefly as possible. If she spoke any more, Kazuya was certain she'd cry.

"What are you going to do?" The cobalt-haired girl went still, afraid of her answer. Her mom seemed to mull over the question for a moment. She twisted the rose in her fingers before taking a deep breath.

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Nothing?" Kazuya failed to hide her relief.

"Nada." Elena snatched the letter from her daughter's hands and held her left hand under it.

"Mom, wait!" she screeched, trying to take the letter back, only for her mother to snap her fingers and ignite it. Kazuya watched the remnants of her father's visit go up in flames, stunned by her mom's nerves.

"Kazuya, if you know something I don't, you will tell me now. I want no secrets. Heaven knows we've had enough of those," Elena's hair fell to cover her eyes ominously, her nails digging into the couch. Kazuya felt her throat go dry and she immediately nodded.

Her eyes didn't dare search for onyx irises, "He visited me, too."

"Where?"

"That park Toshi and I used to play at. Just this morning…"

Her mother went quiet for a while. She took a deep breath after a minute but still didn't say anything. Kazuya went to put her hand on her shoulder, but she stood up and quickly dusted the letter's ashes off her lap before she could make contact.

"Tell no one," she ordered, "We won't reach out to him."

"Isn't this against the law?" Kazuya shrunk under the dagger-filled glare of her mother.

"This is my husband and your father, we will handle this however we damn well please," she spoke coolly despite the threatening nature of her words.

As she walked away (to probably find a bottle of her husband's leftover whiskey), a single onyx eye peeked out from behind her dark tresses. Kazuya could see the faintest glimmer of hope within their inky depths. Her mother was holding on to the hope that he'd come back, just like she had with Kagami. She didn't have the guts to warn her of the heartache that comes with hope.

Over the rest of the break, she stayed at home and binge-watched some old TV shows while eating her feelings. Shinso had tried to call and text her a few times, but she always let it go to voicemail out of fear. I'll talk to him later, she kept telling herself but later never came.

Halfway through a random episode of Adventure Time, her phone came alive on her nightstand. She tried to ignore it, figuring it was her best friend again, but couldn't help herself. Glancing at the illuminated screen, she saw various texts from a group chat she didn't know she was added to.

Mina: "Now the gang's all here."

"Hey, losers." As she sent her message, Kazuya piled up every blanket she could find to make an igloo of cosy comfort. She was starting to think Aizawa was onto something with the sleeping bag.

?: "Who u callin a loser, extra?" She didn't have Bakugou's number but it was easy to tell who was who, so she filled in the blanks.

Kazuya: "You."

Pikachu: "Even in text form, you're still an asshole. That's almost funny."

Boom Boy: "I'm gonna put ur face through a wall."

Kazuya: "Kinky."

Boom Boy: "SHUT THE DUCK UP."

Boom Boy: "FUCK!"

Their texts settled into light-hearted banter after a few minutes. Kazuya found herself smiling at her phone in the dark of her room. Kirishima and Sero relentlessly teased Bakugou while Ashido planned a girls' day with the other 1-A ladies. Todoroki eventually appeared and asked how Ashido got his number. To that, she simply replied with a dancing hot dog GIF.

"You scare me sometimes," Kazuya giggled.

"Who is that?" he asked.

Mina: "Kazuya darling ~ "

There was a long pause in texts from Todoroki, but the others continued to talk; his hesitancy was lost in the sea of bubbles. Half an hour after he disappeared, Kazuya noticed a private chat line had been opened between them.

Shoto: "Hello."

Kazuya: "Hey, Snow Cone. How's friendship training going?"

Shoto: "I bought this." A half-visible photo of a book titled Lessons on Companionship popped up on the screen, Todoroki's thumb accidentally covering half of it. Kazuya didn't bother holding back her loud laughter.

Kazuya: "Where did you even find that?"

Kazuya: "Nevermind. I don't want to know."

Shoto: "Was your mother alright?"

It was her turn to pause now. She shook away thoughts of her father and buried herself deeper into her cave of blankets.

Kazuya: "Yeah, just overreacting. Thanks for asking."

Shoto's answer was a photo of a page from his book. The main character was worrying over another after he hurt his leg during some sort of accident. Just by reading this passage, Kazuya knew Todoroki had bought a sappy romance novel instead of a self-help book, yet she didn't have the heart to tell him yet.

Kazuya: "You know what, we'll work on it."

She continued double-sided conversations with the group chat and Todoroki well into the night, only stopping when she could barely keep her eyes open. Her last few messages weren't even real words, she just accidentally hit a few keys and then pressed send when her phone fell out of her hand.

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The day classes resumed, Kazuya could tell it was going to be a good day. She took a little time out of her morning to stand in the falling rain, unfazed by the downpour above her. The smell of stormy air, the dim lighting outside, all of it satisfied her pluviophile heart and put a strange pep in her step as she walked to school.

"Excuse me," a young girl tugged on her uniform's sleeve while she was standing on the train. Kazuya raised a brow and looked down at her. The child grinned and held a marker up to her, "Can I have your autograph?"

"Lily, don't bother her!" her mother chastised in a hushed shout. She then turned to Kazuya and nodded with a flushed face, "I'm so sorry, Miss. She saw you on TV and won't stop talking about it."

Kazuya was at a loss for words. Was she really popular enough to get asked for an autograph? The little girl's smile faded as her mother pulled her back and made her sit down. The disappointed look in her eyes made Kazuya's shocked expression shift into a small, sympathetic smile. In one swift move, she snatched up the marker and wrote out her signature as best as she could on her glove.

"You didn't have anything for me to sign, so I'll give you this," she slipped it off and handed it to the girl.

"Really?!" her face lit up. That innocent wonder and amazement made Kazuya's heart swell until it was close to bursting. So damn cute!

"Really. Now, you can tell your friends that you met the coolest hero-in-training at UA," she winked.

"I will!" The child waved ecstatically as she and her mother left the train, the younger of the two babbling on about how happy she was.

It wasn't until Kazuya looked around that she noticed others were staring at her, a few even whispering to one another but turning when she looked their way. She could act as cocky as she wanted for television, but when people are obviously talking about you from three feet away, it was a wee bit difficult.

Face flushed, she pretended to be busy on her phone until her stop came, then she hurried off the train and booked it two whole blocks to UA. When Kazuya finally made it to class, she was excited to be out of the public eye.

Of course, she had to relive her trauma when Ashido immediately confronted her about her experience.

"I couldn't take three steps without someone trying to talk to me!" she bragged with a grin.

"I didn't have any problems, although people kept staring," Kazuya shrugged, placing her things down by her desk.

"That's because people are probably still scared of you," Eijirou quipped, earning a glare from the bluenette.

"I'm having a good morning. Please don't ruin it," she smiled to cover the threatening undertone of her words.

"I take it you had a good two days off, ribbit?" Asui asked, head tilted inquisitively.

"More or less," Kazuya huffed as she flopped into her seat. The class continued its group discussion of their second popularity wave and she began to prepare for the day.

Hoping they'd start with some easy textbook assignment, she opened the top of her desk to look for her book, only to find a delicious treat waiting for her instead.

This is — !

Out of pure habit, she stuck her finger into the white icing of the cupcake and licked it off. Her entire body tingled from withheld excitement. Little white ears made of fondant and a pink sprinkle nose were placed in the icing to make it look like the Kit cakes she and Kagami used to buy. Even the taste was exactly as she remembered!

Not wanting to draw suspicion, Kazuya closed her desk and let her eyes slowly slide over Todoroki. By process of elimination, he was the only one who could have brought it. They had talked about her craving for sweets the other day, but why would he go out of his way to make her this specific one? She didn't ask for it…did she?

By some fortunate act of divine intervention, Aizawa walked in and shut the class up before she could think herself down a rabbit hole. When no one was looking, she took a huge bite and melted into her chair at the fluffy deliciousness. It tastes so similar.

"We have lots to discuss today on Hero Informatics," Aizawa explained in that indifferent tone of his, snapping her back into reality. Kazuya tensed and wondered if she overlooked something important. She hadn't forgotten a quiz date, right? RIGHT?!

"You need codenames. Time to pick your hero identities."

There was barely even time to register what he had said before the others jumped out of their seats and roared with enthusiasm. Kazuya stifled a laugh when they all dropped back down, her teacher's creepy eyes glowing an ominous red. Admittedly, her adrenaline was pumping just as fast as theirs.

"These are related to your drafts from the Sports Festival," he explained further, "You normally wouldn't worry about those until your second or third year, but you guys are a special case. By extending offers to first years, the pros are investing in your potential. Offers can be rescinded if their interest dies before you graduate."

Cool. Now I am the stock market. Kazuya smiled at her joke then frowned, realising no one would hear how funny she thought she was. On the other hand, no one would have laughed so maybe it was for the best.

Aizawa turned to the board and pressed a button on a remote, firing up the projector, "Here are the totals for those of you that got offers."

As expected, those who did best in the Sports Festival got the highest numbers. Todoroki had the most, with just a little over four thousand, then Bakugou, Tokoyami, Iida…

She blanched slightly as she found her name towards the bottom, right under Kirishima with fifty-nine. It was to be expected. The public still thought she was some egotistical villain, and the way she fought towards the end did her no favours. Needless to say, she had already accepted her fate.

"That's so unfair," Denki melted into his seat.

"At least you got in the triple digits," Kazuya huffed, angrily sneaking a bite of her cupcake. She tilted her head after swallowing and eyed her new peppermint-haired friend. Way to go champ.

"Congratulations, you must be excited," Yaoyorozu spoke with her usual pretty rich girl politeness. Good Gods did she look like a model straight out of some fashion magazine when she smiled!

"Most of those offers are probably because of my father," Todoroki answered bluntly. Kazuya's lips turned downward at the realisation that she was in a similar yet opposite situation. Her offers weren't as high as they could be because of her father. She was too involved with villains and considered a risk.

"Despite these numbers, every one of you will be interning with pros. Got it? Even those without offers," Aizawa added, "You've already had real contact with villains, but it'll help to see up close and personal how a hero works in the field."

"And for that, we need hero names!" Sero pumped a fist in the air.

Aizawa went on to clarify that the names would most likely be temporary, pausing only when Midnight sauntered into the room in that (if not for the white jumpsuit she was forced to wear underneath) would have left little to the imagination.

"Midnight is going to have final approval over your names. This is not my forte," Aizawa sighed, pulling out his sleeping bag. "Think hard about these. They reinforce your image and show what kind of hero you want to be."

Whiteboards and markers were passed around to the kids while their teacher disappeared into his yellow cocoon.

Kazuya stared at the blank board for what felt like hours, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. She wanted something cool, but not scary, hope-inducing but not corny, badass but not sharpened-blade edgy. An annoyed groan escaped her throat as she slammed the board against her head multiple times.

"I. Hate. This!" she cried.

"I think it's exciting!" Uraraka beamed. Kazuya tilted her head to give the brunette some judgemental side-eye.

"Ochako, your blinding optimism is going to make me shove this marker through your eye," she hissed, a dark aura surrounding her. When she noticed Uraraka's pale face, she sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I'm just too indecisive for this!" she whined and slumped into her chair.

She considered making her hero name a word, something short and sweet that says "I'm not the villain you think I am, so please don't threaten me when I come to help." After shooting down all of her own ideas, she began to spiral into a depressive mood. If she had a simple quirk to base her name off of, it would be so much easier to —

Oh, my Gods, I feel dumb.

With a sudden burst of inspiration, Kazuya scribbled down a name and ran it through her head a few times. It sounded good to her, but what would the others think?

Aoyama was first to bring up his name and receive a recommendation from Midnight (changing his "I cannot stop twinkling" to "Can't stop twinkling"), then Ashido.

"My codename is…Alien Queen!" she hissed. Midnight immediately denied it, apparently "grossed out" by the thought of a giant monster.

"It's okay, Sweetie. Sigourney Weaver would be proud," Kazuya patted the disheartened pinkette on the back when she shuffled back to her desk.

Asui was up next with Rainy Season Hero: Froppy. It was adorable and got the Midnight seal of approval. Even the class loved it!

Kazuya swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up next. She walked to the front of the class and paused before Midnight, anxiety obvious in her eyes.

"It's going to be fine," the hero rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, momentarily reminding her of her dad. With a stiff nod, she continued towards the teacher's podium.

"I never really had a name picked. This one doesn't even have some special meaning to it, so…Yeah," she stared hard at the ground while turning over her board in hopes of not seeing anyone's reaction. If she couldn't see their rejection, it didn't happen, right? Gods, seeking approval was hard!

"The Push-Pull Hero: Flick."

The room went quiet for longer than she would have liked, causing her to sweat. It wasn't until Ashido spoke up that she released the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"It's cute!" she giggled.

"Isn't that an Animal Crossing Character?" Asui asked, index finger on her cheek.

"Y – Yeah," Kazuya laughed awkwardly, scratching the nape of her neck. She loved that emo little bug-collecting lizard with her whole heart. When she turned to Midnight for her clearance, she found that the woman's smile had grown twice as wide.

"An edgy look and a fluffy name! I love it," she gave the girl a thumbs up. Kazuya couldn't stop herself from grinning like a fool as she waddled back to her seat, cheeks slowly turning red. For whatever reason, being judged by people she was close to felt harder than being judged by millions of people on TV.

The rest of the students went up one by one, sharing their names. Some were less creative than others (ahem, Shoto) and others were…Bakugou level violent, but everyone seemed happy with the end results.

After codename picking, Aizawa crawled out of his sleeping bag and explained how the internships would work. They would choose from their drafts if they had offers then go shadow the hero and their agency for a week. Midnight passed out booklets full of hero profiles for students to look at before they chose, those with the highest number of requests getting an entire encyclopedia slammed onto their desks.

"Any recommendations?" Kazuya sighed, head dropped to her desk in exhaustion. Choosing a name had taken all of her brain cells and she was hanging on by a thin, emotional thread.

"I can't influence your decision. Just take your time and I'm sure you'll find one that fits." Her teacher flashed her a warm smile and then moved on, but when she looked down, a few pages of the booklet had been dog-earned and marked with the pros and cons of each hero in sparkly gel pen.

So much for not influencing my decision.

Lunch rolled around faster than expected. A few of her classmates were still mulling over which agency to choose, including her. There were a few different types of heroes to pick from. If this decision were up to Kazuya from a few months ago, it would be a hero like Thirteen. Rescue was her only goal when she entered UA, but now she had to make it all her own.

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Kazuya got her lunch, and then looked across the vast ocean of faces in the cafeteria. A cheeky smile graced her face when she spotted a head of red and white hair gliding out the door. Lunch with Todoroki sounded nice, so she picked up speed and lurked behind him. Still unable to keep up with his fast, long-legged strides, she was practically running behind him. By the time he finally stopped at a bench in the courtyard, she was wheezing.

"God…damn you…and your long fucking legs!" she groaned and collapsed into the empty seat beside him.

"You're terrible at being discreet," Todoroki stated matter-of-factly before digging into his food.

"Shut up!" she shot him a pouty look like an insulted two-year-old. When her heartbeat settled, she breathed in deep through her nostrils. That morning's downpour left a hint of dew in the air and every once in a while, a stray drop will hit their heads from the tree branches splayed out above.

"So…what's with the cupcake?" Kazuya asked out of the blue. She couldn't think of a way to ease it into the conversation, not after wasting all her brain power on a stupid hero name.

"Did you like it?" Hidden deep beneath that icy, indifferent expression of Todoroki's was an approval-seeking boy that, for a moment, waited for her answer with obvious anticipation. An earnest yet soft smile grew on her tanned complexion as she toyed with her food.

"You were being modest when you said your baking was okay. That was the best damn thing I've ever tasted," she admitted, noticing the dissipating tension in his posture from her peripherals.

"Gifts make a good impression," he held up the "friendship" book he bought with a far too serious face.

"Let me see?" she snatched it out of his hands before he could defend himself. A bookmark sat in the middle, so she flipped to that page first.

Just by skimming the two pages before her, she knew she was right to assume this book was playing with the "jock falls for their appropriately aged nerdy tutor" trope. There would undoubtedly be detailed spicy scenes within the next few chapters and she thought she'd save Todoroki from ruined innocence.

"This is smut, not a manual. No more book," she sighed and sat it down in her lap.

"What's — "

"I'm not explaining it to you! When I say no book, I mean no book," when Todoroki tried to retrieve his belongings, she activated her quirk with her gloveless hand and shot the book up into the sky, using it and the bench as push factors.

"Really?" He frowned at her but received an unamused stare in response; "You learn from experience."

"I just bought that." It was very subtle, but Kazuya could tell from the way his lips pursed into a fine line that he was pouting.

"If you're going to be a baby about me saving your soul, I'll pay you back, but as your friendship mentor, I need you to trust me," she huffed before filling her mouth with the noodles Lunch Rush served that day. With her free hand, she caught the falling book, "'Ave oo shosen…" she swallowed her food, "Have you chosen an agency yet?"

"Is there really any other option?" Todoroki's brows furrowed at the booklets that sat between them. His top page was about his father's agency.

"Please, you've got dozens of heroes lined up to have you come work for them. I'm sure you could get any of them to take you on if you wanted. The best I've seen so far is Mt. Lady and — " Kazuya flipped through the pages of her own book, "even then, I don't know who would teach me the most."

A strange silence filled the air as Todoroki looked in the opposite direction and didn't speak for an entire minute. She leaned back to look past him and instantly felt her sweat drop from her face.

"I think someone wants to talk to you," he pointed out, nodding to a certain violet-haired friend of hers that stood behind a pillar, watching her like an owl to a field mouse.

"Christ on a cracker," she rolled her eyes and turned back around, "If he wants to talk to me instead of being a creep he can."

"Do you know him?" Todoroki raised a brow.

"He's my best friend." When she saw that her statement confused him, she waved her hand dismissively. "Sometimes friendships go through rough patches. Ours, more than normal, but we always get over it."

"What are you fighting about this time?" he asked before shoving a mouth full of noodles down his throat. Kazuya shrugged and wondered if there was an easy way to deflect the question.

"Have you ever had a crush on someone, Shoto?" she asked after a moment of hesitation. He paused mid-bite, leaving a few noodles hanging out of his mouth. When he shook his head, Kazuya's expression made it seem like she had just witnessed an unfortunate tragedy.

"Seriously?! You could have half the school eating out of your icy hands and you don't abuse that power? Good Gods, you're just perfect aren't you?" she said sarcastically. When Todoroki stared into his bowl and didn't say a word, she realised how weird her comment was.

"W – Well, let me teach you something then," she continued after clearing her throat, "There are a few different types of love. There's love of family or close friends, love of oneself, love for a team, love of humanity, enduring love, playful love, and sexual admiration. Sometimes people get them confused."

"He's confused about how he loves you?" Todoroki's eyes darted to Shinso then back to her. Her lips twisted into a frown that said she was getting annoyed with his inquiry, but she answered anyway.

"We're both confused about the nature of our friendship," she admitted quietly, digging around in her noodles without actually taking a bite. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Todoroki struggle to ask a question for about a minute.

"Have you ever…liked someone?"

When he finally got it out, Kazuya swallowed out of habit and began to choke on a mouthful of noodles. She leaned over the side of the bench and beat on her chest in hopes of clearing her blocked airway. A single limp mushroom slice fell to the floor, earning a deadly glare from the bluenette it escaped from.

You're dead to me, 'shroom.

"I…uh, I guess so. Everyone has at some point, whether they know it or not," Kazuya answered as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Who?" Todoroki's persistence made her face flush. How was she supposed to answer that? Well, I thought you were pretty hot in the beginning, but you seem cool and I don't want to ruin our budding friendship. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm unlovable and most of my confidence is gaslit ego.

"Frogs," she blurted out for no reason at all. Her eyes closed and she took a deep, calming breath.

There's a moment in one's life where they have to ask themselves how did I get here and why am I not dead yet? This is that moment.

"So…Asui?" Todoroki scrunched his brows in thought.

"No," she answered with a blank expression, frozen out of fear, "Just frogs. So sweet. So round. So boy." The silence that followed her odd confession was so damn loud. There was no way she'd ever live this down. Her brain just had to force her to talk, didn't it?! She couldn't be quiet for five goddamn minutes! Now there was no choice but to throw herself into the sun —

He smiled.

Any other normal person's neck might have snapped with the force she turned her head at, but she saw it. He smiled!

"Ha?!" she practically jumped out of her seat and ran to put herself in his line of sight, "Did I actually make the stone-cold Todoroki smile?!" A witch-like cackle bubbled out of her throat as she grinned proudly, "Now, do it again!"

"No," Todoroki replied bluntly.

"C'mon! It looks better on you than that world-hating frown, anyway," she grinned as if to give him an example. He simply stared at her with silent defiance. "Fine. Meanie," her smile faded into a whiny pout as she flopped down onto the bench again, arms crossed over her chest.

Todoroki paused to peck at his meal, giving Kazuya time to glance over her shoulder at Shinso. His head whipped around immediately and he did his best to hide himself away behind the tree. A hefty sigh ghosted her lips before she cupped her hands over her mouth.

"Get over here, stalker!" she shouted, startling the boy beside her who fumbled with his lunch box. Shinso kept still, but when Kazuya got up and started walking towards him, he gave up.

With a huff, she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out into the open. Not many students were around, so it was just them and the awkward silence that lingered in the air.

"What?" Shinso shrugged, hands buried in his pockets.

"You've been watching me for half an hour and that's the first word out of your mouth? What?" Kazuya's lips twisted into a disappointed frown as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Shinso was quick to snap back, "You never answered my texts and you kept avoiding me, so I wanted to see what's so important that you wouldn't talk to me," his eyes passed over Todoroki, "I think I get the idea now."

"Are you serious?" Kazuya scoffed, eyes averted under the guise of an annoyed eye roll.

"You tell me. Why would you choose a powerful, attractive rich boy over me?" her best friend's face only indicated that he was tired, although the undertone of his words contained more venom than a viper's fangs.

"Toshi, it's not like that," she mumbled, praying Todoroki couldn't hear them. The last thing she needed was another goddamn misunderstanding.

"Why then? Why do you keep avoiding me?" Shinso's voice lowered as he took a step towards her. She stood her ground, but she could feel Todoroki's dual-temperature gaze fixate on her back.

Shinso must have noticed too because he tsked in agitation without her saying a word. Kazuya hoped Todoroki would stay out of it, but she wasn't willing to bet on it, so by her logic, that meant spilling her innermost thoughts out like a dropped bowl of curry.

"Look, I just don't understand why you'd — "

"DO YOU LOVE ME?!"

The silence that followed her question was deafening as she snatched his lapels with one hand and pulled until he was hunched down to her height. Shinso stared at her for the longest time, and when he gained any semblance of control over himself, he narrowed his eyes and scanned her face to presumably search for any signs that this was a joke.

"What?" he scrunched his features.

"You heard me. Do you love me?" her voice was a quiet whisper now as her head ducked down.

"Kazuya, I'm not going to answer that," one of Shinso's hands came up and ran through his messy violet locks.

"Yes, you will…and none of that I love you like a friend bullshit! Be honest. Do. You. Love. Me?" Kazuya's whole body was tense as if she were ready to either fight or run away. Perspirant fear dripped down her temple as she slowly let go of his uniform.

"Is that what this is really about?" Shinso frowned down at her. Her cheeks puffed as if she were a pouting, spoiled child.

"I'm serious!" she whined, pushing him roughly.

"So am I," her indigo-haired friend interjected sternly, grabbing her hands to keep her from doing it again, "Why do you feel like you can't talk to me about these things? You're always jumping to conclusions."

"Because if it's true then it messes everything up!" her cobalt hair fell over her eyes and veiled her face. Shinso's grip on her relaxed just enough for her arms to slip out and swing back down to her side. She stood there like a listless doll. With every second he refused to answer, her heartbeat quickened.

"Kazuya, look at me," he tilted her face up to meet his. There was something in those indigo eyes that told her she was okay; she didn't have to worry about villains or unrequited feelings. It was the sensation of home in him that she wanted to protect from being mucked up.

"I love you, Zuzu, just not like that," he pulled her into his chest and whispered into her hair. Her body shook once at the nickname but she never let out as much as a sniffle. Her hands snaked up his back as she returned the hug, unbothered by the way his face buried into the crook of her neck.

"I love you, too," she sighed deeply, the weight of unspoken words and panic finally lifted from her shoulders. Shinso only held her tighter. Unbeknownst to her, he was glaring at Todoroki from over her shoulder. The subtle contempt that flowed between the both of them was like a thin stream of an electric current, yes she was oblivious.

"Now what's with Katy Perry?"

Kazuya lifted her head, lips twisted into a confused frown until she pieced together the reference.

"Very funny. I'm helping him make friends. Apparently, I'm a life coach now," a cheeky smile crossed her features and prompted Shinso to scoff, neither of them caring that their arms were still wrapped around one another.

"You're one of the most socially awkward people I know. How is that even possible?" he raised a brow in disbelief. Kazuya huffed. She leaned back, fully aware he wasn't going to let her fall, and clasped her hands behind his neck so she was looking upside down at Todoroki. The dual-quirked boy was still seated behind her but seemed to be paying more attention now that she was looking his way.

"I'm helping, no?" she hummed with puppy dog eyes. He glanced toward Sinso for a beat then nodded, giving her all the satisfaction she needed. She cracked up as Shinso pulled her upright and finally let go of her. The bell would be ringing soon.

"Are you going to walk with us?" Kazuya asked him once they had gathered their things. He put his hands in his pockets again to top off his "I don't care about anyone and I'm only here because I have to be" look.

"Can't. We're in Gym Gamma today," he shrugged. Kazuya frowned for a moment then smiled again.

"You should come over after school. Mom would like to have some noise in the house again," she gave him another brisk hug and a wink, then motioned for Todoroki to follow along. Violet eyes bore into heterochromatic ones for a beat then turned away without a word.

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"Are you going in or not?"

"Of course I am!"

"...Then why haven't you moved in the past five minutes."

Kazuya whirled around and faced Shinso with rosy cheeks. The papers in her hands had been wrinkled from how tightly she was gripping them and she was sure if she had looked down, there would be stains from her sweaty hands.

"I'd like to go home sometime tonight, so can you hurry up?" Shinso's frown deepened. Kazuya took a deep breath and scanned her draft sheet again.

"What if I choose the wrong one? What if they don't like me?" her frantic gaze turned to him again, hoping to find comfort in his violet eyes, but only getting annoyance.

"Either take the damn request or don't. I don't want to be late for an Imai Elena home-cooked meal," Shinso opened the door to the teachers' lounge, pushed her inside, and then slammed it shut behind her. Kazuya shut her eyes tight, fearful of…well, something, but she wasn't sure what.

"Y – Young Imai!" a new yet familiar voice stammered. She cracked open one eye and found a sad old man in a yellow suit standing next to one of the teachers' desk. He was scrawny and looked rather startled by her presence.

"Do I know you?" she cocked her head like a confused puppy. There was something about this guy that made her think she had seen him before, yet she couldn't put her finger on it.

"No, no, I just – uh – heard about you through the grapevine! That All Might character sure loves to run his mouth," a nervous sweat formed on his brow. Kazuya let loose the breath she had been holding in, somewhat relieved.

"I"m sorry," Kazuya bowed, the weight of important decisions finally lifted from her shoulders, "I came to turn in some papers to Midnight-sensei, but I guess I missed her."

"Oh! Care if I look?" she had no time to answer before he was taking papers from her hands and looking through them. He raised a brow, causing her anxiety to flood back, then placed it on Midnight's desk once finished, "Interesting."

"Interesting? What do you mean by interesting?" her eyes widened and her voice held her desperate need for answers.

"I mean Mirko is a lot like your sister, so I believe you two will get along great," he smiled, sapphire eyes barely obscured by his heavily shadowed face. Kazuya's mind stopped racing as his words sank in. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, trying to think of the right words.

She settled on, "How did you know her?"

"I met Livewire a few times. Never got to know Imai Kagami. However, from what I can tell, she and the rabbit hero have many similarities. No agency, bounces from place to place, likes to work alone…" The man's voice trailed off.

"Were you a hero?" Kazuya scrunched her features in confusion.

"N – No, simply a teacher," he waved his hands dismissively and took a few steps back. They must have crossed paths in the halls, she decided.

"Well, I should really get going. It was nice to meet you, sir," she bowed once more then turned to walk out the door. Upon opening it, she found Shinso standing on the other side, waiting.

"Took you long enough," he scoffed. She stuck her tongue out in defiance and together they walked home.

Kazuya smiled at how normal her life felt: she didn't have to worry about steering clear of her best friend, she was doing good in school, her classmates liked her (for the most part). Everything just seemed…alright. Not perfect, mind you, there was still the issue of her father and the league, not to mention the bastard that murdered her sister, but despite it all, she was at peace.

It was a good day.