"I don't think I've seen Lady Saiko so deep in sleep before."
"She looks kind of adorable."
"Maybe I went a little overboard when battling with her."
"Oh, but you didn't think that WITH ME?!"
"Shush up you two! She's waking up!"
The faint sound of voices entered her eardrums. Saiko recognized them as her class but wasn't completely aware of where she was. Her eyes slowly opened, and a bright light from the sun entered her vision, mostly from the left side. As her eyes began to focus, she could see all of the girls surrounding the bed she was lying in. And by the looks of things, they had sustained their fair share of injuries. Some more so than others, herself being one of them.
"Ah, Lady Saiko!" Kanshō shouted, grabbing her hand.
"How are you feeling?" Yawara asked.
Saiko rubbed the side of her hair, letting her periwinkle hair graze over her fingers. "As of right now, my well-being is satisfactory for the moment. Perhaps I underestimated how much brute force I was receiving."
Shōten sighed in frustration. "It was all Kanshō's fault. She should have dialed back how hard the material in her hammers was."
"I-I…" Those words pierced Kanshō like a knife to the chest.
"Come on, Shōten." Hikari jumped in. "Let's not start pointing fingers."
"Besides, the test was to help us train to be heroes," Kusari added. "Increasing one's endurance is rather critical, wouldn't you say?"
Shōten froze for a moment. "W-Well yes, but she didn't have to be so rough!"
"You literally tried to knock me out with a metal ball!" Kanshō shouted.
"That's not as lethal as a damn hammer!" Shōten argued.
They all had begun to argue. One half was defending Kanshō's actions, the other half defending Shōten's judgment. But that all stopped from a snap of Saiko's fingers. All of the girls went silent and moved their attention towards their Class Representative.
"Come on girls. You are better than this. All of you are." Saiko finally spoke. "Suffering injuries such as these is something I should be expecting as a hero. Nonetheless, you shouldn't be pointing fingers in the first place. Is that what heroes do? Blame others?"
Her classmates looked at each other, then down at themselves. It seems they got the message Saiko was trying to convey. Which was good, as learning from one's mistakes is a step in the right direction.
"I… I'm sorry, Kanshō. It's just, seeing Lady Saiko in her current state had me worried. She's one of our best allies, so to see her like that… I got scared." Shōten explained.
Kanshō's eyes winded. She scratched the back of her neck, "I'm sorry too. Despite being able to control the strength of my hammers, I nonetheless should've still been somewhat cautious. As you pointed out, Lady Saiko is in a damaged state. I just wish you conveyed your worries more calmly, despite my understanding of how you were feeling."
The two looked at one another and nodded, extending their hands out and performing a handshake. However, Surudoi and Tsume pushed the two in for a hug, which the other girls laughed about. Despite their embarrassment, Kanshō and Shōten did as well, even fully embracing the hug. It felt nice. Just being able to talk it all out and make up made a difference for the two.
"Alright everyone," a voice said.
Everyone turned to see it was the nurse.
"Ms. Intelli needs to rest, so I would like to ask you all to step outside. Chōten-san also isn't done with you all yet. There's still work to be done." she said.
The girls saluted, "Yes ma'am!"
"We'll be waiting for you, Lady Saiko," Yawara said.
Before all of them left, however, one of them stayed behind a little longer, that being Nenshō.
"If I may for a moment, Lady Saiko," she said.
Saiko raised her eyebrow but shrugged her shoulders and tapped the side of her bed. Nenshō took a sit down at the edge of it.
"What is it you wanted to discuss?" Saiko asked.
Nenshō rubbed the left side of her neck, "Well, I'm just wondering… have you been seeing someone?"
A pause. One longer than either of them wanted. Eventually, Saiko set in what was said and her face turned all shades of red.
"W-What do you mean!? Seeing someone!? I-I couldn't possibly do that! I'm the—"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Nenshō quickly waved her hands, "I don't mean it like that!"
Saiko took deep, deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down, which did succeeded thankfully. With everything at ease, Nenshō went deep in thought, rethinking how to ask the question.
"When we last saw you, your body wasn't as, for the lack of a better term, amped up as it is now. What I'm saying is, are you seeing a personal trainer?" she asked.
Saiko let out a relaxing sigh, "I see. Well if you must know, I have indeed been taking up someone's coaching. He has helped strengthen my body in a way that I didn't consider, nor thought was possible."
"Interesting. Who is he?"
Saiko paused for a moment. Does she tell her? Explaining that it's just another hero student may be good enough, but what if she presses for more? If she said Midoriya by name, Nenshō would most definitely freak out that it's a U.A. Student, as their class saw every other school as a rival.
"No one important. He is simply my mentor," Saiko answered.
However, she noticed Nenshō with a sly grin on her face. "It took you a while to answer, Lady Saiko."
Saiko felt her heart skip a beat, "I-I mean it, he's no one else. He's just a very unique individual."
"I thought you said he was just a mentor?"
"Same thing!"
Nenshō stood up from the bed, "Anyway, that's all I wanted to ask. Please make a swift recovery, Lady Saiko." With that, she walked out of the room.
Saiko was left to ponder amongst the now various thoughts going through her head. Did she feel her heart skip a beat? That's ridiculous. Why would something like that occur while thinking about Midoriya? It was illogical. They had just met only a week prior. So why was she…?
Much time had passed. Class 2-A had gone about their first day with no sweat, walking away from the U.A. building to head into town.
"Woo!! That was great! Today we really worked up a sweat." Kaminari said.
Jiro sighed. "The only exercise we had was our Quirk training. We just did basic high school stuff the rest of today."
"That doesn't mean it wasn't hard!"
"That was also about five hours ago, giving you plenty of time to rest your body."
Bakugo scoffed, "Okay, so we know Sparky loves to be hyperbolic. Big deal."
Momo put a finger on her cheek. "I'm surprised you know that word, Bakugo-san."
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"I think what Yaoyorozu-san means," Izuku interrupted, "is that given your personality and way of speech, it's just a word she did not consider you using."
Momo smiled, "Exactly. Thank you, Midoriya-san."
Bakugo grumbled but shrugged it off. Ochako giggled at this, which caused everyone else to laugh. Even Bakugo himself joined in on it. After all that they've been through, it felt nice to finally be back to what they consider normal. There were obviously steps they had to take for a better society, but that's the future. It's time to focus on the present, for now at least.
"But man, I can't believe how strong Midoriya was! He's certainly no one to take lightly!" Kirishima said.
"It feels different to fight him yourself, rather than to watch from a distance. I know that firsthand." Shoto said.
"Heh, you guys…" Izuku said, scratching the back of his head from embarrassment.
"So, Deku-kun? What are you doing the rest of today?" Ochako asked.
"Ah, yes. We haven't discussed what festivities we would be engaging in. It is our first days back at U.A. after all!" Iida joined in.
Izuku smiled, but something—or someone else, came across his mind, "As fun as that sounds, I want to save that for another time. There is someone I want to meet up with first."
Ochako and Iida looked a little puzzled. Did he make a new friend over the last year? It was something everyone, even Bakugo, had picked up on. He was still the same Izuku Midoriya he always was, but they could tell something had been on the boy's mind. It was definitely positive, but what?
As they approached the gate, everyone noticed someone. Izuku squinted a little bit to see it was a person in a large brown coat with a fedora. And they seemed to have some shade of blue hair.
"Hm, Midoriya-san." The person said, having a little bit of a low voice.
"A-Ah… yes?"
They grabbed Izuku by the hand and pulled him towards them. "I am quite sorry to interrupt this get-together, however, I urgently need your help with something."
It only took a few more moments to realize who this was, which made Izuku even more confused. What was Saiko doing here?
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Momo asked.
"Yeah, I don't think we've seen you around here before," Kirishima said.
Before they could press further, Izuku interjected.
"O-Oh! See, this is the friend I mentioned. I've been helping them with training. And as you can tell by their outfit, it involves… um…"
"Stealth!" The person finished. "Stealth is my specialty. But he is also helping increase my physical capacity."
Ochako and Iida seemed to understand, but Bakugo and Momo didn't seem to buy the act that was going on.
"So, we have to get going now! Bye!" The two said, fast-walking away.
But they were too little too late to stop the two.
"Is it just me, or was that suspicious as hell?" Bakugo asked.
"I'm guessing Deku-kun is just nervous to introduce us," Ochako concluded.
Iida put his hand to his chin. "Perhaps. Although, it does seem a little unlike Midoriya."
Just like Izuku, Momo herself concluded who exactly that person was. But she decided to keep silent, particularly due to the identity of this character, which had her mind going down in all sorts of confusing rabbit holes. Why was Izuku spending time around her of all people?
Meanwhile, just about 15 meters away, Saiko finally pulled off her disguise. Izuku paused for a moment, noticing that she was wearing a nice deep blue casual dress. He didn't notice it with the huge coat she was wearing. However, he re-focused his attention.
"What was that about? Why were you dressed like that?" Izuku asked.
Saiko took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "Because I couldn't have had your classmates know who I was. It would have been awkward and frankly, embarrassing to admit I'm friends with one of your kind."
"Why is that a bad thing?" Izuku titled his head.
"Y-You wouldn't understand! Our schools are rivals! They can't see us together like this."
"Then why did you take off your disguise."
"Because we're heading to a part of the city where they are the most unlikely to go. Now, let's go."
Izuku blinked. "Go? Go where?"
Saiko smirked. "I'm low on tea and I'm starving. Besides, I think we should go over each other's combat abilities and see what each of us could improve upon."
The green-haired boy gave a bright grin. "I'm guessing I can't refuse this either?"
"See, now you're learning," Saiko replied.
Saiko gently grasped his hand and led him on their way to another part of town. Izuku wondered how he ended up here, but at the same time, he didn't mind it. As they walked, Saiko felt her heart beating a little faster than usual.
"Oh, what about this one?" Izuku asked.
Saiko turned her attention towards the hero, seeing a box of tea bags in his hands. Inspecting the box told her that this contained that of Boba Tea.
"Perfect! This is one of my favorites. Not even just for my Quirk, it's such a delicious substance overall." Saiko said.
Izuku pulled out his notebook. "How does this tea affect your Quirk again?"
Saiko clicked her tongue and raised a finger. "Whereas Black Tea allows my intelligence to increase exponentially, Boba Tea increases my creativity in planning and figuring out different approaches."
"I wonder if her combining different teas would produce different results, such as a combination of the two effects, but with a drawback very severe that it could damage her. Although knowing Saiko Intelli, she most likely has already found out her limits regarding her Quirk and knows how to play around them—"
Izuku felt a tap on his forehead, as he stared at Saiko, who had a smirk on her face.
"If I let you mumble on and on, we'd be here all day. I think we have everything I need. Shall we get a move on?"
Izuku smiled and nodded. Saiko felt her heart clench for a moment.
'What… was that?'
She shrugged it off as the two headed over to the cash register and checked out, and proceeding to head out of the store. As they walked down the sidewalk, Izuku spoke up.
"Saiko, while I understand your reasoning for being secretive about our friendship, why is it like that in the first place?"
Saiko's eyebrow raised. "What do you refer to?"
"You said your school sees U.A. as rivals, correct? But, why does that have to mean we have to be antagonistic toward each other?"
Saiko took a minute to ponder. She supposed he did have a point, however, "U.A. is one of the top schools in the country. As such, while it may have very worthy and heartfelt heroes in training, it also produces rather stuck-up individuals. That in turn, sparks a certain flame when those said individuals decide to stir up the hypothetical pot with other hero schools."
She swore she could see a physical lightbulb pop up above Izuku's head just now.
"I see. That explains Shishikura-san to a degree." Izuku muttered. "But regardless, I still feel like it would be healthier if the schools attempted to work together."
Izuku glanced over at Saiko, noticing her staring at him. It didn't look like she even realized it herself. That is until Izuku felt her hand ruffle his hair a little.
"By my calculations, it seems like there is barely a negative thought that goes through that mind of yours," Saiko said.
Izuku's gaze locked on her. Saiko's gaze locked on him. The two stared at each other for what felt like forever, before realizing what was happening. Saiko quickly pulled her hand away, turning her head to face the opposite direction. Izuku did the same.
'Why did I do that!?' Saiko screamed mentally.
'Why did I turn away!? That was rude of me!' Izuku mentally shouted.
"A-Ahem! Regardless, I see your outlook. It's not necessarily wrong to be perfectly honest." Saiko responded. "However, it does not seem as simple as just working together."
Izuku nodded, "You have a point. But someday, I'd like to make an effort to try and unite everyone."
"That's rather admirable, Izuku." Saiko smiled.
Her smile. Izuku couldn't understand why but, it made his heart jump for joy. So much so in fact, that he grabbed her hand.
"E-Eh?" Saiko blinked.
"You said you wanted to talk, right? We still need to get something to eat. So I'll find us a place!" Izuku shouted.
Saiko had a light blush on her face. "H-Hey! Let's slow down now!"
As the two ran, Izuku bumped shoulders with someone by accident. At a glance, the boy saw it was a young man with short brown hair. He could guess he was around, maybe in his early to mid 20s?
"A-Ah, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Izuku pleaded, as the two continued sprinting.
"I told you to be careful, you idiot!" Saiko said.
"M-My apologies! I just got really excited out of nowhere!"
The man turned around towards the two young adults running the opposite direction. His tired eyes seemed fixated, with his mouth slightly open, as if he were dumbfounded.
He whispered to himself.
"Is… that you?"
"Thank you!" Izuku said.
"You're welcome!" The server replied.
Izuku had found a food truck that sold all kinds of different dishes and desserts. That's where they decided to eat. Although, Saiko was a bit worried, since it was closer to the main area of the city. But, no matter. Grabbing the two bowls, the pair sat down at a nearby table.
"You okay, Saiko? You seem a little on edge." Izuku asked.
Saiko's body jumped a bit before her eyes focused on Izuku. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"If you're worried, we can just—"
Before Izuku could finish, Saiko immediately shut down the thought.
"Nope! Don't even try to suggest something so trivial."
Izuku scratched his nose. "But I didn't even get to say—"
"That we could just end things here? To put it frankly, that is quite a stupid idea. Although I'm not exactly used to the whole friendship thing, I assume that is not something you do, even due to unfavorable circumstances." Saiko said.
Izuku felt a weird feeling in his chest. Like he felt lighter than air. He blushed before replying, "T-That's a fair point."
Saiko paused for a moment, before smiling. "Now, shall we eat and discuss?"
The boy nodded, taking his chopsticks and beginning to dig into the food he ordered. His favorite in fact; Katsudon. Saiko had ordered something as well, albeit a little simpler; good old classic Ramen. Izuku picks up a piece of the pork cutlet and takes a huge bite, enjoying the taste.
"So, you wanted to discuss improvements?" Izuku asked, swallowing his food.
Saiko ate the noodles as she began to ponder in thought. "Yes. For starters, I've been thinking, you don't seem to have many long ranged offensive options."
"Well, I do have Air Force." Izuku said.
"The key phrase is not many, Izuku. You need more than one." Saiko countered.
Izuku raised a finger up, but put it down. She did have a point. Despite the amount of Quirks he had, there wasn't quite one that packed long ranged options. At least, of what he was willing to show off. With that thought, Izuku clenched his hands a bit, which caught Saiko's attention. But, she decided to leave it alone.
"If it makes you feel better, I can give you a suggestion."
Izuku focused his attention on Saiko once more.
"The Quirks you possess are quite fascinating. Even one that seems like it can change the very laws of reality." Saiko said, taking another bite of her food.
"Heh. I keep forgetting One For All is sorta public knowledge now." Izuku replied, doing the same.
"It's not like you hide it. But it's good when you have someone as smart as me here."
"I can't argue there."
Saiko reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out a pen and paper. Izuku blinked with a confused expression on his face as the girl began to write rather intensely. After about a minute, she tossed the pen into her bag and swiftly handed Izuku the paper. Taking a look, it seemed to be quite a detailed blueprint of sorts.
"This is… what is this?" Izuku asked.
Saiko giggled. "For someone rather smart, you sure do need your hand held sometimes."
Izuku blushed, but shook his head and looked over it again. "It looks kind of like a miniature cannon. But more industrial and technologically based."
"One of my classmates has a slingshot that they use. Usually a mechanical one that packs a more potent punch. This would be very similar to that, albeit you would be able to have many more uses, especially with your Quirks. You could fit a number of objects; metal balls, arrows, things such as that." Saiko explained.
The boy's eyes gleamed. "W-Wow… and you thought of that in just about a minute? Even without your Quirk?"
Saiko smirked as she put her hand underneath her chin. "Of course. My smarts do outclass yours after all."
It was a joking jab, but there was some truth to it. She did get a little worried at Izuku's silence, however—
"Thank you, Saiko! You didn't have to do this for me. I'll make sure to put it to great use!"
Saiko felt her heart skip a beat. "I-It's nothing. I promise."
There seemed to be no reason to worry after all. Izuku Midoriya, although talented, is still a simple young man.
"In any case, this should give you more longer ranged options to work with. What do you think?" Saiko asked.
"To be able to have different objects I could launch at my disposal injunction with Quirks such as Fa Jin, Gearshift, or even New World Order, it can provide me a ton of options to go about during a fight. The question is what would be the best option for me? Although the best option may not always apply for every situation, as some weaker options are good for specific—"
There he went mumbling and rambling again. Saiko wanted to say she was surprised, but despite only knowing each other for such little time, she could practically see it coming from a mile away.
"I will take your imagination and creativity finding its flame as a resounding "Yes indeed", haha." Saiko laughed.
Izuku's face turned red. "S-Sorry about that."
"There is no need to apologize. It is an attribute of you, and a good one at that."
"You think so?"
"Of course."
The two stared at one another and smiled. They continued to eat, after which they continued their discussion as they walked along the sidewalk. Once more, Saiko found Izuku mumbling to himself.
"Hm? What has you mumbling now?" Saiko asked.
Izuku snapped back to reality. "A-Ah, well, I was just trying to consider what Support Items would do well for you."
Saiko stumbled a little as she walked, but regained her stance. "Oh! Well, you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No. I definitely want to."
Saiko's eyes met with Izuku's again. His expression showed that classic look of determination.
"You have already helped me. What friend would I be if I didn't return the favor?" Izuku responded.
Saiko smiled and tapped her finger on his chin. "Then, how about this? We go back to your place and we can discuss the more finer details for your ideas."
"M-My place?" Izuku said, blushing.
Saiko moved her finger away, a hint of pink coloring her cheeks. Her tone lowered, "Yes. I would suggest my home, but, well, complications."
Izuku nodded. "It's okay. I understand."
"Only if it is satisfactory with you, however." Saiko added.
"Of course. It's not a problem."
For some reason, the two stared at each other again. But for much longer this time. Nothing else happened. Just their eyes locked on each other. As if they were lost in thought, or perhaps inspecting certain details of the other, or—
"Hide!"
Izuku snapped back into reality. "W-What?"
"Lady Saiko!" A voice said.
"Just hide!" Saiko whispered loudly.
Izuku's instincts immediately went off, as his Blackwhip latched on and pulled him into an alleyway.
Little ways in the distance, walking towards Saiko, was both Nenshō and Tōketsu. Given by the bags they were carrying over their shoulders, the two seemed to be doing some shopping around the area.
'But why here of all places?' Saiko thought, as the two girls approached her. "Hey girls!"
"Lady Saiko, what are you doing here?" Nenshō asked.
Saiko took a mental deep breath. "Oh, I was just here to see what there was to eat around here."
Her eyes instinctively locked in on their expressions. Immediately, she could tell they weren't convinced. Nenshō's eyes brow was slightly raised after what she said, while Tōketsu's eyes seemed to squint a little. Not to mention, Nenshō's right arm seemed to be swaying back and forth; a tell that she's in deep thought.
However, Tōketsu suddenly grinned. "That's really nice, Lady Saiko!"
"But, are you sure you want to be here by yourself? Maybe we should spend the rest of the day together." Nenshō suggested.
Okay, this was most definitely a trap. Whether they knew it or not, they revealed their plan in full focus to Saiko. She could tell they knew at least something, so it was probably best to get out of here as much as possible. Although, it may be just as possible that she's being paranoid, but…
"I'm sorry ladies but, as it happens to be getting somewhat late in the day, I am afraid I must be returning home. I hope you two understand." Saiko explains.
Nenshō gave a confused look. "Really? It still seems a little early to me. It is only about 5pm."
Saiko paused for a moment, but gave her signature smirk. "Yes. My parents are eager to see me back home, so I must depart sooner rather than later."
Nenshō raised a finger, but Tōketsu interjected. "We understand, Lady Saiko. Hopefully we could get together some other time."
"That would be nice." Saiko replied.
"We will see you later then!"
The two girls waved and began walking off. Saiko narrowed her focus on them and their every step. Once she knew they were gone, she called out to Izuku.
"Okay, you can come out now, Izuku." Saiko said.
Suddenly, Izuku suddenly appeared in front of her, as if he appeared out of nowhere. She almost cartoonishly jumped, feeling like she was about to soar as high as the first rocket to the moon. After registering her situation, she began to shoot.
"Where did you even come from!?" Saiko asked.
"…I maaay had been cloaked. I was curious about what was going on. I'm sorry about that." Izuku explained.
Saiko blinked. "You— How— You can just do that!?"
"I mean, kinda yeah." Izuku replied.
"I never took you for the snooping type."
"To be fair, you ushered me into hiding without a reason."
"I… can't argue that." Saiko sighed.
Izuku couldn't help himself and began to laugh. Saiko looked annoyed, but her expression soon softened and giggled along with the boy.
The sky had transitioned from a light blue into a deep orange with the sun setting on the horizon. Izuku and Saiko were walking along the sidewalk pavement while staring at the view. Saiko never watched the sunset much now that she thought about it. She never had the time to. Not until now, anyway. Something about walking down the sidewalk with Izuku put her at ease. Her mind. Her emotions. Her heart.
'These thoughts, again? What is going on with me?' Saiko thought.
Her lavender eyes stared down at the ground. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had been thinking about Izuku for the last few days. A lot more. She can't remember when a thought began, ended, or was interrupted somewhere in the middle without thinking about Izuku. But the one most distinct in her memory was during her last attack in the training today. She remembered watching the fight between Izuku and Todoroki and how she copied Izuku's finger blast move, albeit not as powerful, obviously. Has he really inspired her that much? And without her even realizing it?
"Saiko? Are you okay?"
Saiko was zoned back in by the sound of Izuku's cute voice— There it was again! Okay, she needed to get to the bottom of this.
Izuku frowned. "If it's about earlier, I'm sorry I sorta eavesdropped—"
"No, no! It's okay. I'm the one so desperately trying to keep our relation—FRIENDSHIP! Ahem! Our friendship is a secret!" Saiko cleared her throat.
Izuku's smile returned. "I'm fine with it. You laid out your reasons and I respect them. My only hope is that some change can happen to rectify that. I'd love for you to hang out with me and my friends."
Saiko blushed. "…I'd prefer if it was just us."
"Hm? What was that?"
Saiko looked away. "Nothing! I-I was just merely talking to myself. This is needed to keep my smarts sharp."
"I can see that."
Izuku's green eyes analyzed Saiko. She seemed different. Everything from her posture being off, down to her face looking redder by the minute, her stuttering—which is usually his nervous habit, and turning her gaze away from him. Her body language was all over the place. What was the cause? How could he help her? Was it perhaps him that was the issue? After all, this didn't start until they started spending time together. However, Izuku had to admit that seeing her so flustered and more open, was really adorable. It made his heart flutter, like a butterfly in a small but cool breeze.
…
Huh?
Wait! What was he doing!?
He really shouldn't be thinking about this kind of stuff! Not that there's anything wrong with it. It's very normal, in fact. But something felt off. This was his new friend. Someone he had met only recently. Was it okay to feel something like this for someone you barely know? Then again, talking with Saiko, Izuku can't help but find it easy to do so. In a way, it's like they have been friends for a while with how casually they can keep up a conversation. Although, Izuku assumed that right now was an exception to that statement.
"So, what do you plan to do? It is starting to get late." Izuku said, after spending a few minutes muttering to himself.
Saiko lightly brushed a piece of her hair aside. "I don't know. Although I did want to discuss more with you, I do think it is about that time I should make my way back to my household. I shouldn't keep my Mother and Father waiting."
"That's okay. We can always do it another time. And besides, even if we did it away from my home, I don't want Mom to overly worry about me, as she tends to do." Izuku said.
"She gets worried about you? By my calculations, you're one of the strongest heroes in our country. And you're in your second year. And yet she still has cause for alarm?"
"Once you get to know my Mom, you'll understand. Do you have lenient parents, perhaps?" Izuku asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. We could find out sooner or later," Saiko responded.
"Is that a promise?"
"I don't know, was yours one?"
The two paused and stared at each other. Faced burning hotter than a volcano, they waved goodbye to each other.
"S-See you around, Saiko-san."
"Same for you, Izuku-san."
The two walked to their respective homes. Just what was that? Why were they feeling some sort of intense feeling in their chests? And why did it make them so happy, yet anxious?
Before Inko could say anything, Izuku immediately asked to be excused, as he went into his room and closed the door. He needed time to himself.
Saiko's parents had been waiting for her to return for some time. And they were relieved once she walked through the door—only to immediately go straight upstairs without even a word to them. She did the same, slamming her door shut. She needed time to herself.
Was it…?
Could it be that…?
"I have feelings for her!?" / "I have feelings for him!?"
The room was surrounded by darkness. The only light source was a single overhead light on the ceiling that was over a door. Footsteps could be heard approaching the seemingly barren room. Entering the room from the door, under the shining light, was the man from earlier that day, whom Izuku and Saiko bumped into. He stands under the light, his green eyes shining. They had little bits of purple in them as well. He barely moved an inch, other than taking a bow.
"I apologize for the delay, sir," he says.
There is a dark figure at the end of the room that the man can barely make out.
"That's quite fine, Kanjoo. I assume you have something to report?" The figure said. It was a man's voice.
Kanjoo nodded, messing with a stand of his brown hair. "Yes… I saw him. The one you're after. Izuku Midoriya."
The figure turned away from Kanjoo. It was hard to see, but he had a huge grin on his face.
"Great. It seems now that we have a visual, we can finally put part of our plan into motion. We still need preparations, however, so let's not rush ourselves."
"Yes sir!" Kanjoo saluted and made his way out.
The figure turned on a small lamp nearby, giving more light to the room, specifically the desk. On the table was a book of some kind, looking like a diary.
"We will avenge your honor… All For One."