As he played with his pillow, Izuku lay on his bed, pondering the imminent future. First, he had the school festival, where he had to learn dance moves to put on the best show for the entire school and Eri. Then he had personal training with All Might along with improving the skill of his quirk. Finally, he had the potential of a cat tail growing from behind to worry about.
Was there anything else he was potentially missing?
Oh, right. Other cat traits coming to the spotlight. That's what he was missing.
But he didn't think night vision was something he was going to focus on since he would sleep during that period. Maybe some cat features were null as they clashed with his humanoid characteristics?
But he still had some instincts. And Izuku wasn't keen on experimenting with himself since he had mixed feelings about the quirk affecting him.
Especially when he took Eri to explore the preparations for the upcoming school festival with Mirio. While Mirio was enthralled and touched his cat ears, Eri refrained, afraid it would bother Izuku. Though she still thought it was cute.
And when they met Nejire Hado in the equipment room, things took a turn for the worse. Everyone was attracted to his cat ears. Even Yuyu liked them. Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn't burning with humiliation from head to toe.
As for All Might, his reaction wasn't any different. He also thought it was cute. But because of their prolonged training session, All Might repeatedly acknowledged the way Izuku's cat ears moved when he went for intense moves. Another moment where his face burned with embarrassment.
And now here he was, unaware if the cat-like attributes were going to occur, but so far, he didn't have to pick up the phone and text Nejire about it. And that was for the better.
But that still brought Izuku back to his key problem. Was there a reason a cat tail didn't grow? Izuku was sure it would happen eventually, but nothing materialized.
At least, for now.
"Is it because he only threw the powder on my face? Would that make sense?" Izuku asked, sitting up on his bed before grabbing his notebook to write core fragments of information and piece it together like a puzzle. "That would be the best explanation why I didn't grow a tail yet, so if I meet the criminal again… Would that mean I would grow a tail if he threw it at my back? But I don't want to test it out by meeting him in person just to grow a cat tail... That would be mindless if it came true."
Izuku grabbed his phone and wrote a small paragraph to Nejire before he deleted it. How was he supposed to word it in a way that didn't sound urgent? And if she visited at this exact moment, didn't that mean she would mess around with him with more toys?
Izuku paced around his room, planning the perfect paragraph, but the harder he strived, the worse it was to get something out of his brain.
"Uh… How do I write this without appearing weird or beckoning an invitation? Come to my dorm room, I figured out why I didn't grow a cat tail? Doesn't that sound perverse?"
Izuku's brain transported him to the time he fell on top of her. With a grimace, Izuku didn't think inviting her to his room was the best idea. The incident was fresh in his mind and it haunted him. He was afraid she was hiding her disgust for him.
But this wasn't true.
After all, Nejire had texted him several times since then. The latest they talked to each other was a phone call two nights ago about his encounter with her in the equipment room. But it was more of a one-sided teasing party for Nejire to poke fun at Izuku. Luckily, he kept most of the details for Class 1-A's live concert under wraps for the big surprise as they continued talking.
Izuku stared at his phone and wrote something before squeezing his eyes shut and sending the text.
There was no turning back now.
Izuku didn't know what he expected, but when he heard a knock at his balcony door a few minutes later, he thought it was Aoyama with cheese again. Fortunately, it was Nejire. Her eagerness was a bit frightening.
"Nejire? T-That was quick..."
"Of course! When you text me something about the quirk that gives you cat traits, I'll be there in a few minutes at best! At worst, maybe ten minutes... But what is it? You only sent me something about how you figured out the absence of your cat tail. So what is it? What is it?" Nejire asked, floating into his room.
"So… This might sound crazy, but I think I know why I don't have a cat tail. It could be something to do with the location where the criminal threw the powder. From what I recall, he only threw it at my face, so that means it would only affect this area, right?"
Izuku circled his face with his hand and pointed at it.
Nejire put a finger on her face to consider his deduction with introspection as she studied his face. Because of her constant stare, Izuku averted her gaze to save himself from blushing in front of her.
"That makes total sense... From what we've seen so far and tested, you also possess a portion of cat instincts like rubbing your head on hands and pouncing on enticing toys. And the powder technically reached your brain, since you most likely inhaled it. Right?"
The word 'pouncing' made Izuku grimace, but he nodded.
"But wouldn't that mean you would grow a cat nose and whiskers too? Or is the criminal's quirk very specific to cat ears, instincts, and tail? Has anyone caught the criminal? Maybe we could test it out by having him throw powder on you again," Nejire said with a mischievous grin.
"I mean we could-" Izuku cut himself off when he realized what she said, his cat ears following suit by perking on alert. "Wait, what?! No, let's not test it out in person! That's the last thing I want to do, and I don't even know if he got caught or not!"
"I'm just kidding~!" Nejire sang, landing on his bed and motioning for him to sit next to her. "But it sucks that you won't be having a cat tail. I was really looking forward to it… Phooey."
"You were? But what's so special about a cat tail?" Izuku asked.
He cautiously complied with her beckoning by sitting next to her.
"Well, I think it would look cute. Imagine if you had a cat tail that swished back and forth every time I patted you on the head. Wouldn't that be so adorable? And I love cute things! You're already cute with the cat ears, but with the addition of a cat tail, you'd be triple the cuteness!"
"Eh? T-Then what if I had no cat-like features on my body?"
"I think you'd still be cute, Izuku! Like, look at you! You have messy, but soft hair. You're just as tall as me, though I'm sure you'll grow taller in a couple of years. And you're strong from what I recall when I saw you use your quirk multiple times. And your embarrassed reactions every time I tease you. You're just such an easy target! Did anyone tell you that?"
"I, um... Not really. I don't think anyone from my class has a crush on me. Maybe Uraraka, but I think she's just a good friend."
"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone. Maybe someone like me~."
"What? I-I don't know how to respond to that properly..." Izuku said, trailing off.
To make matters worse, his ears drooped down, displaying his sentiment. And they turned a shade of red at the end.
"You see what I mean? You're just so cute to tease!" Nejire exclaimed, cupping her hands over his face. "And those cat ears just emphasize it to an unbearable degree! I just want to hug and cuddle with you! And gobble you up, haha!"
Didn't she say the same thing the last time they met in person?
A drop of sweat rolled down Izuku's head as Nejire shook his face by rubbing her hands back and forth with delicate aggression. Despite his yearning to look elsewhere because of his bashful behavior, he couldn't since she locked his vision to look at her with her hands. With no choice left but to stare at her, Izuku could see Nejire was enjoying it.
Izuku felt something stir within his heart. He was developing an insane crush on her from the short time he spent with her. Was this the power of a cute airhead?
Once Nejire released his face, Izuku sat still and stared at her. At first, he wanted her to let go of him, but now he wanted her to keep touching his face. It was a weird thought to entertain, so Izuku shook his head to banish it.
"Anyway, you remember the phone call we had a few nights ago? I still have a few questions about your live concert you never revealed. And I know you're doing it on purpose, Izuku! I revealed everything to you so far about my dance rehearsal that we have been planning as we create it, so why can't you, hm?" Nejire asked.
"Hehe, you know, I don't want to spoil it when you watch it…"
Nejire pouted and tugged on his sleeve. "You know, I won't be able to watch it because I'll be wrapped up with last-minute preparations. You know that, right?"
"You are? Well, we don't have everything prepared yet since the school festival is still a month away..."
"I'm still curious about the details of your plans so far! Tell me, tell me! What is your specific role in the live concert? And who's playing the instruments? Are you going to be a major part of it?"
"Well… So far, the band comprises Jiro, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, and Bakugo. Jiro wrote the song first, allowing the dance squad to practice their dance moves ahead of time. Kirishima, Todoroki, Koda, Aoyama, and Sero make up the stage crew. The rest of Class 1-A is part of the dance squad, so I'm going to be dancing... It's going to be weird doing it with the cat ears, but I don't think turning down an event all my classmates want to partake in is possible, and I want to see Eri smile. So everything's perfect."
"Save for those cat ears, right?" Nejire asked, reaching to flick his cat ears with mirth.
Izuku reared from Nejire's touch, but she giggled and retracted her hand to her side.
"Um, anyway, so I'm not having a major part in the live concert like the others. But I'll let you know if anything changes. I think I can have someone record it, but I'll have to look into that later."
"Then I look forward to seeing it in video form, though it won't beat going to the experience in person... Speaking of which, I better see you at the beauty pageant for my event! I know my event's after you guys! I'm weighing the complicated details with Yuyu, Mirio, and Tamaki, but it's going to be great! I'm going to make sure I take the prize home this year with everything I've got within the legal limits I've been given, so keep your eyes on me!"
Izuku smiled, acknowledging Nejire's excitement. "Though you won't be there to see the live concert, I'll be there for you to see the beauty pageant."
Nejire stared at him for several seconds before she hugged him, taking him by surprise. "Aww, I look forward to it, Izuku~!"
"Gah!" Izuku yelped.
It took a second to process, but once Izuku realized he was embracing one of the most beautiful girls in the entire school, his heart almost beat out of his chest. There's no way this was real life, was it?
One pinch told him the opposite.
Author's Note: I am going on vacation starting tomorrow for the first time in exactly a year! It's going to be so exciting and hopefully fun! I hope I get to start a new idea while I'm out there on a peaceful retreat from my hectic life!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter!
And yes, there will be a new chapter uploaded next week Saturday! I can't wait to release that one because, well, let's just say Bakugo's in it. Muahaha XD
With love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!