Chapter 4: A Deeper Understanding

Jiro stood awkwardly outside the sparring room. It was a section of the gym where students could spar with one another, though it was restricted to hand-to-hand combat. An instructor also monitored the room to prevent anyone from going overboard. Most of it had a wooden tiled floor, but a section had foam mats.

Kyoka's target was in said room on said mats, but he wasn't alone. She aimed to finally talk to Mashirao about Koji. Momo had told her she could find the boy at the gym today, but she was surprised to find him sparring with Ochako. Approaching him would have been simple if he was working out on his own, not like this.

For the last half hour, Jiro had waited outside the room. She was starting to regret not working out herself to pass the time, but she didn't want to miss her chance. Instead, she focused on what to talk about with Ojiro concerning Koda. As she replayed the game plan for the umpteenth time, the door beside her opened, and out walked her two classmates.

Ochako said with shortness of breath, "Oh hey Jiro-chan!"

Kyoka awkwardly stated, "Uh, hey."

Mashirao looked at his classmate, still wearing her school uniform, before asking, "Were you waiting for us?"

Jiro pointed at Ojiro and answered, "Yeah, for you in particular."

"I see. Sorry I kept you waiting, but I still would have kept working with Ochako-chan even if I knew you were here. It would be rude of me to interrupt my gift to her."

"I understand, no worries." Ochako-chan though? Kyoka had never heard Mashirao address her like that. Though to be fair, this was the first time she had seen the two interact since the last week of the second term. It was now the first week of their third term. She knew they always ate lunch with the others in their circle of friends, but she still wouldn't make them that close. Right? Did something happen over the break?

Ochako finished taking a swig from her water bottle before asking, "What did you want to see Mashirao-kun for Jiro-chan?"

Kyoka pondered; so the feeling went both ways, huh?

The tailed teen answered, "I have a feeling I know what, and I don't mind talking about it Jiro-chan. If you don't mind, can it wait until after I shower?"

"Sure thing, Ojiro-kun."

"Then I'll see you in the lobby shortly." Mashirao then took his leave.

Once the boy started to descend the stairs, Uraraka asked, "Is everything okay between you two?"

"What? I just have questions about Koda-kun since they went to the same school together." Jiro hoped whatever Ojiro had guessed was correct.

"Oh right, you've been helping Koda-kun these last few months. I'm sure Mashirao-kun will be more than willing to tell you."

Kyoka was surprised her classmates knew about that. Then she remembered the girl was good friends with Izuku, so it made sense now. She then nodded. "That's my hope, too. Anyway, I won't keep you anymore, Uraraka-chan. I don't want to be the reason you are late for dinner."

"Right. Thanks. See you then." Ochako ran on ahead to the locker room.

Jiro went downstairs and sat in the lobby. She was in the same chairs as Koda when they clarified their misunderstanding last month. She pondered what was happening between the two but eventually remembered Uraraka had turned 16 over the break. The gift may have had to do with her birthday.

Time passed, and soon enough, Ojiro could be seen walking down the hallway. He wore blue jeans and a black jacket with a hoodie. He approached but didn't sit down across from his classmate. "Mind chatting while we head to dinner?"

"Sure, but I want to confirm that you know what I want to discuss."

Mashirao rubbed the back of his neck. "About me and Momo dating, right?"

"WHAT?! No, not that at all!" Kyoka ignored the looks of passersby and took a deep breath before calmly saying, "I just want to know about your friendship with Koda-kun." Sure, she did get entirely blindsided by the two being revealed as a couple at the Christmas party, especially since it involved Momo kissing him under a mistletoe she produced for everyone to see. However, Jiro felt it was not her business to indulge in it.

The reaction caused Ojiro to step back. "Sorry, I thought otherwise. Uh, yeah, we can talk about that, but let's take our leave. We're attracting unwanted attention." He then flipped up his hoodie.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry about that." Kyoka led the way out of the gym. As she stepped outside, she zipped up her yellow jacket.

Once they had turned onto the main walkway, Mashirao sped up his pace to catch up and slowed it to hers once he was on her left. "A few people have approached me since we got back from break about Momo, so I figured you were doing the same. Since you two are good friends and all."

"I'm guessing it was Ashido-chan and the boys that approached you?" Besides Bakugo, Jiro figured that group would be the ones to be most curious about it.

With a nod, Ojiro answered, "Precisely."

"Well, anyways, if Momo-chan wants to tell me how that happened, she's free to tell me. I'm not the nosey type when it comes to romance." Thier talks since the break had been as usual, so Jiro didn't see the need to bring it up.

"Appreciated. So, why do you wish to know about me and Koda-kun?"

Kyoka brought both of her jacks and pointed them at her classmate. "He's mentioned you a few. Like of you trying to help him but being frustrated about it."

Mashirao sighed. "Oh, that." He took a moment to respond again. "What brought that up?"

"I've tried to help him myself, but he got mixed up about my willingness to follow through, and you were brought up as being similar to what I was doing."

Ojiro looked lost when he tried to respond, but eventually, he cleared his throat. "Well, Koda-kun appreciates what you are doing regardless of how effective you think you are."

"Oh, I know, we cleared up that misunderstanding. But how did things go for you two back in your previous school? I think knowing will help me get to know him better."

Mashirao's tail began to hang low before he explained, "Well, I only knew him sparingly before the school merger. He is hard to miss with how big he is. I didn't even learn his name until I pulled a guy off of him."

"Was it a fight?"

"Nah, Koda-kun was just tripped, and the guy who did it placed his foot on Koda-kun's back like he conquered something. So I threw that bully to the ground, who ran away crying like I had broken his arm or something." Ojiro had a slight smirk on his face.

There may be a bit of a hothead in him, Jiro pondered. Did Yaoyorozu like that part of him? Gah, like it matters. The girl cleared her throat before asking, "So you became friends after that?"

Mashirao shrugged. "Sorta. At first, I got Koda-san out of trouble, but eventually, that song and dance happened enough times we learned a good deal about each other. Even invited him over a few times to help."

"Help?"

"Like you, to get him to open up to other people. I tried getting to know him better and even introduced him to my few other friends, but I didn't get far. Looking back, I didn't let my frustration stay hidden, which probably didn't help. There's only so much I was willing to do, considering I was already taking the brunt of his bullying when I could. However, that wasn't fair for him. I should have kept at it or been happy enough with whatever progress I made."

Jiro could see the parallels in how they both struggled to help Koda. She then wondered if the difference in their success was simply the setting. Jr. High definitely would have a different impact versus their hero academy. The teaching of heroics and the, mostly, better classmate attitude would have had a more positive effect than a typical education. She noticed Ojiro was giving her a look; considering her silence, she asked, "So you were the only one who stood up for him?"

"No, there were others, but he didn't talk to them afterward. So, it was only a one-time thing for them. I think he spoke to me because of my quirk, being a mutant and animalistic in nature. He tended to only ever interact with others that were like me. So that limited whoever he even wanted to become friends with."

So what changed in this sense, Kyoka wondered. Koji initially gravitated to Fumikage and Mezo, but then she opened up to Izuku and eventually her and Denki. Did their persistence help win them over? Something to think about more later. "So you still tried to help even after coming here?"

"When I could, he started to rely on others slowly, so I let him be mostly. In the end, it seems to have worked out." He then looked at Jiro and said, "You've definitely exceeded my efforts. I could never drag him to something like a live concert."

"Oh, so you heard about that? Yeah, though he still struggled at times, and it was the start of his misunderstanding of how our meetings were going. Even if we fixed that, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for me and Kaminari-kun."

"Is there an end game in mind?"

Kyoka stopped walking before asking, "Uh, what do you mean?" This question, indeed, came out of nowhere.

Mashirao stopped as well and looked uncomfortable as he responded. "You know, once you think Koda-kun won't need any more help anymore. What will you do then?"

"That's well beyond anything I've considered." Jiro felt it was best to tackle things as they came up. There was no end game in mind, though at the moment, she considered the possibility for the first time. "I guess, though, I would just continue being a good friend to Koda-kun; he's interesting."

Ojiro raised an eyebrow.

It took the girl a moment to realize how that could be interpreted, but she rushed ahead and said, "Not like that!"

Mashirao chuckled. Once caught up, he said, "Okay, okay, sorry. I get ya. Sorry for the odd question."

Kyoka grunted before slowing down and sighing. "It's fine. You were just worried I might stop hanging out with Koda-kun eventually. Right?"

"Yeah. Losing a friend wouldn't go well with him."

"Well, luckily, he's warmed up to Kaminari-kun as well. The more friends, the merrier, right?"

"Heh. Just don't smother Koda-kun, alright?"

Jiro smirked. "We might have gone a little overboard with the concert, but my next plan will be more to his liking." The girl had an idea in mind but wondered when would be a good time to tell him.

"And what do you have in mind?"

"Secret."

Ojrio sighed. "Figures."

"It's not set in stone anyways."

Mashirao sighed. "Fair enough."

The two walked in silence until the cafeteria came into sight. Kyoka stopped not far from the entrance. Her classmate noticed and turned to see what was wrong.

"Something up?

"Hey, I have an odd question for you as well."

"Uh, yeah?"

Jiro took a moment to reconsider asking, but something had been nagging at her the whole time. She might as well get this over with, she thought to herself. "Has Koda-kun always struggled with girls?"

Without skipping a beat, Ojiro answered, "Oh, most definitely. The fact that you have become a good friend of his is quite the achievement."

That's bad, huh? Kyoka mused. "Do you know the specific reason why it's like this?"

This question took Mashirao a moment to answer. "It's typical for a guy to be shy around girl stuff, but it's enhanced because of all the history with bullying."

"So it wasn't just the boys."

"Most were guys, but yeah. Usually, the girls were just verbal abuse, and from what I heard, that happened at his previous school before he moved too."

Jiro sighed. She felt she shouldn't be surprised. The girl had seen it from time to time in her own experience. They are always the ones with the mutant quirks. Usually, they are just snide comments under their breath or just dumb gossip from girls. The stuff she would walk away from. Whenever physical bullying occurs, she puts a stop to herself. It might have gotten her in trouble a few times, but nothing serious. Unlike Mashirao, it seems.

"Well, I guess I should count my blessings."

Ojiro nodded. "I'm guessing your team up for our first term's final let him break through whatever fear he had, for you at least."

"Yeah, I don't want to think how things would have gone if I tried to talk to him out of the blue consistently."

Mashirao turned and spoke as he began walking again. "Like to a brick wall, I imagine. I've seen it enough to know." He then sighed. "Anyways, we've blabbled plenty, time to eat."

Before Kyoka could ask more, the sound of a girl from behind her stopped her attempt.

"Oh, I didn't expect to catch back up to you two." It was Ochako, now sporting some jeans and a white jacket. "Did everything go okay with your talk?"

Jiro looked back to Ojiro, who had just opened the door to the cafeteria and stepped inside. "Enough to satisfy my curiosity for now, I guess."

Kyoka and Koji stood before the entrance to the stairwell for the girl's side of the dorm.

Jiro asked, "You're sure about this?"

"Y-Yup!"

Kyoka still wasn't sure about that response, but she figured that more stalling wouldn't help at this point. Besides, she was sure Mina was spying on them from behind a couch. "Alright, then." She started to climb the stairs, and her friend slowly followed.

It was decided they would hang out in Jiro's room, which was Kaminari's suggestion. The idea was to do a round-robin of visiting each other's rooms. However, the electric quirk user wasn't able to join them today. Kyoka was willing to postpone it for next time, but Koji insisted he was okay with continuing with the plan.

Once on the third floor, Jiro immediately turned left at the first door and opened it. She looked at Koda and asked, "Are you ready?"

The boy nodded, but he still looked unsure of himself.

Kyoka remembered what Mashirao had said the week before about Koji's issues with girls. Just why was he pushing himself so hard, she wondered. Before, she thought having Denki around would be the only way for this to happen, but here he was without his usual crutch.

Jiro stepped inside and flipped a switch to illuminate the room. She thought that spending forever questioning him wasn't getting us anywhere. The girl reached her keyboard and picked up the chair that stood by it. After turning it around, she sat down, resting her arms on the backrest.

Koda closed the door behind him and scanned the room in silence for a short while. "I-It looks different."

"Oh, you noticed?" Kyoka was surprised he could remember after only seeing her room once. It was about five months ago, after all.

Koji was now in front of her drum set by her left side. He was looking at her back wall. "There's n-new instruments."

"Oh yeah, I had my folks ship me the ones mounted on the wall shortly after the cultural festival. Mostly just for decoration, though, as I only know the basics for these."

The boy asked more confidently, "Did you try a bunch of instruments until you found what you liked?"

"Sorta. My parents tried to have me dabble in a lot so I could find my groove. Of course, I landed on the bass and guitar. Still, it doesn't hurt to have general knowledge of the others, so I kept learning here and there afterward. Besides, I wanted to write music eventually, so it didn't hurt to know more."

Koda looked to his right. "I know these are saxophones, but," he looked behind Jiro. "Are those different types of flutes?"

"You're half right. From top to bottom, it's a piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. The piccolo is a half-flute, but the rest require a reed to blow in to play. They just share the same body type, that's all."

"Uh, all these are woodwinds, right?"

Kyoka raised an eyebrow. "Including the saxes over there are all the basic woodwind instruments. You know of them?"

Koji looked away from the girl as he answered, "I did a little research before coming. But, uh, do you not own any brass instruments?"

"Just a trumpet back in my old room, but they're my least favorite group to play. I have little desire to have anything in here that I won't play at least sometimes; even if I did, my room is already cramped. They and some of the bigger string instruments are not feasible for me to bring in here, or my room will end up like Momo-chan's."

Koda softly chuckled. "Yeah, I see your point." He looked at Jiro's bed and then back at her. "U-Uh, got anywhere I could sit?"

Kyoka got the picture and then nodded. "Give me a second." She walked over to her shelves of recording equipment and vinyl records. Between them, she pulled out a foldable chair. She then passed it to her friend, who set it in front of the drum set.

Koji sighed in relief and looked at the ceiling. He stated, "I've been listening to a lot of music over the break."

"Anything in particular?"

"More of Deep Dope at first. Then, more progressive rock bands and eventually everything else started popping up in my recommendations." Koda then took out his phone and fiddled with it momentarily before handing it to Jiro.

Kyoka scrolled through his "recent history" on his music app and noticed old and new progressive bands. She then noticed all the various rock genres he had been listening to: acid, alternative, arena, blues, boogie, country, folk, hard, heavy metal, pop, psychedelic, reggae, and southern. It just kept going and going. "That's, uh, a lot of research. Did you only listen to music the entire holiday?"

Koda pulled at his collar. "Kind of. I had a lot of free time before the internship at the start of the new year. Even then, I listened to it after work and fell asleep to it."

"And what spurred this exactly?" Jiro figured it couldn't have been just the Deep Dope concert, as that was in November. He specifically said over the break.

"Well, u-uh, once we cleared up our m-misunderstanding in December, I wanted to get to know music better. Hearing our concert for the cultural festival, your favorite band, and how much you cared for the hobby made me want to see what it is all about." Koji rubbed the back of his neck. "It might sound weird, but I never cared for the stuff growing up. This is the first time I've been engrossed in music like this, and it's kind of addicting. Anytime I have free time, I want to listen to my favorites or discover something new. Even if it's not something I resonate with, it usually links me to something else that does."

Jiro sat there, wide-eyed, as she heard all this. It was already surprising to see Koda almost lead the entire conservation since they entered the room, but his dedication to music in such a short time threw her for a loop. Still, she saw that her guest had noticed her expression. The girl cleared her throat. "So why rock and roll?"

The boy rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I don't come off as someone who would like the genre, huh?"

Kyoka shook her head. "Nonsense. How you are and what you like can have no correlation. Take my mom, for example. She's quiet and timid. Her favorite genre? Punk." The girl then smirked. Now, my dad? One look at him and it makes sense why he likes rock. So I ask again, why do you like it?"

"A mix of things. First, it gets my heart rate going sometimes with the kind of energy it carries. Something I didn't think music could do. The lyrics can also be uplifting or interesting. Ranging from freedom and inspiration to pursue your dream, transcending yourself, and uh r-romance."

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Romance, huh?" She couldn't argue that a lot of rock and roll wasn't; in fact, it went all in and referenced sex a lot. However, she couldn't fathom it being what Koda had drawn to the music.

"I mean, I just find the genre covering the subject interesting, is all. I didn't expect it from rock music. Before listening to all this, I figured it was mostly just having a good time and lots of hyper-musicality. I thought that was only the focus in boy band pop music."

"Some subgenres are like that, but I see your point. It's pretty open about talking about it, which most music didn't cover when it started." Specifically again about sex, but that wasn't something the girl was comfortable talking about with him. Trying to change the subject, she asked, "So, what are your favorite bands at this point?"

"Well, out of the progressive bands, David Bowie, Rush, and Queen. The genres outside are AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and The Cars.

"Good choices with the progressive bands and interesting choices with the others."

All in all, that wasn't too surprising. Most were popular bands, for good reason. Kyoka was intrigued to hear about these other bands outside the progressive genre. The first two he mentioned made sense; they shared genres: blues, heavy, and hard rock. But The Cars? They were pop rock, specifically synth-pop. They were also lesser known. They were not indie or underground level but were not ultra popular like the others. It was an odd match.

"Well, Koda-kun, you've blown my expectations away with your visit today. To be fair, considering Kaminari-kun couldn't come cause of being sick, I just figured I would play some tunes while you listened." Denki, along with Hanta and Minoru, had stayed outside playing in the snow a little too late last night, and all had come down with a cold. The girl had warned them after dinner not to go overboard. So much for that, she sighed internally.

"W-We can still do that."

"You sure? It sounds like you would rather discover some new music."

"It is nice, but I want to spend time with you. I can always do that on my own time."

"Fair enough." Jiro got up to retrieve her electric guitar. She spun her chair around once more and took a moment to think of what to play. Considering everything she had just learned, she found her answer. "I'm guessing you wouldn't mind some heavy meal stuff?"

Koda looked excited at the suggestion but still stumbled over his words. "S-Sure! Is this o-original music?"

"Yeah, though it's not exactly finished yet. I have mostly memorized it at this point, however." Jiro's jacks poked together a few times. "Uh, sorry if it sounds unrefined at this point."

Koji stood up with vigor and stated, "I'm sure it will be fantastic, Jiro-chan!"

The girl's sudden burst of confidence caught her off guard. Now, she felt compelled to play the best she could for her friend. She readied herself and put on a show.

Kyoka walked into Koji's room with excitement at the sight of Yuwai roaming the floor. She approached slowly and went to her knees before slowing out and reaching her hand to give it a few pets. It was unbothered by her presence.

Koda knelt on her guest's opposite side of the rabbit. "She's become used to you girls."

"Yuwai-chan is a smash hit."

"More than I thought she would be."

"I've been meaning to ask. What breed is she exactly?"

Koji leaned back and sat down before answering, "A Vienna rabbit, a white variety. They also come in brown, black, and blueish-grey colors, but they all share blue eyes."

"Vienna, huh? So it's from Europe?"

"Yup. It originated in Austria, but it's one of the most popular breeds in Europe. My parents really went out of their way to get one for me, considering Japan has slim pickings for breeds of white rabbits. I didn't find out until after they purchased her."

Jiro tilted her head. "Not a fan of the Japanese variety?"

Koda shrugged. "Well, the Ezo yuki usagi (Hokkaido snow hare) are not domesticated and only have a white coat in the winter. The Watanabe rabbit (Japanese white rabbit) is strictly a laboratory animal for testing purposes. The only option that's close by are New Zealand Whites, but they are quite large and have red eyes that freak me out."

"Well, when you put it that way, Yuwai-chan was the perfect fit, even if she had to travel a bit to get here." Jiro gave a playful jab to her friend's side and stated jokingly, "You didn't just get her to impress us girls, did ya?"

Koji gave an awkward chuckle. "I did expect some of the g-girls to be a fan of her, but I've had her ever since I moved to Tokyo."

"Ah, was that to help you feel more comfortable with your new surroundings?"

Koda nodded. "It wouldn't have been fair to my cats to bring them along so convinced my parents and the adults I was staying with to get a rabbit."

Kyoka's eyes lit up. "You have cats too?"

The boy sat back and sighed. "Well, just one now. The other passed away last year. The one still at home is Crystal, a female grey tabby. She's still got many years left in her.

"Oh, uh, sorry to hear about that." Jiro really didn't know how to respond, considering she didn't ever have a pet.

"That one was a stray we had got when it was already old. My not being around made it easier for me. It would have been different if I had been there.

Trying to change the subject to something more positive, Kyoka stated, "Well, I guess having Crystal back at home is something extra to look forward to when you visit your parents." Though it's not like we can leave anytime soon considering all that's happened, the girl mused. She then scooted back a bit, and her back was pressed against her host's bed. Yuwai followed and sat by the girl's left side. "Growing up, I always wanted a pet, but my parents weren't big fans."

Koji looked intrigued. "Why not?"

"My mom felt all our instrument playing would stress them out, and my dad just didn't want to deal with hair clean up and accidents. He's a neat freak.

Koda then seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Did you ever suggest something that's not a mammal?"

"Yeah, a snake, but the answer was still no."

"You're okay with snakes?"

Jiro pointed at her friend, "Hey, reptiles are cool, and snakes are the coolest. Sure, they are not as cuddly as a mammal, but they are still neat."

"Ah, sorry. It's just that most girls are not into snakes, let alone reptiles."

"Are you?"

"They are fine. They are the middle of the pack for animals I like. I am more a fan of lizards than the other reptiles, though."

Kyoka nodded. "Geckos are pretty cute, I'll admit." Then a thought came to her: "Hey, so are there any other animals you can't stand besides insects?"

Koji shuddered a bit. "Arthropods, in general, have always freaked me out. I guess crustaceans don't bother me, and I'm slowly getting used to insects." The boy then rubbed his right shoulder with his opposite arm. "Annelids are also gross."

"Uh, what are those?"

"Oh, right, uh, worms and leeches."

The girl's face turned sour. "Yeah, I get that. No worries there."

"Anyways, why were your parents against you having a snake? It sounds like the perfect pet considering their grievances they had said."

Jiro shrugged. "I don't know." Her voice then became sickly sweet. "Kyoka, dear, you can get any pet you want once you have a place of your own."

Koji held back a laugh. "Is that supposed to be your mom?"

"Nah, she's not like that at all, but it always came off as such in my mind. But anyway, when I do move out, I am definitely getting something." As Kyoka began to pet Yuwai again, she asked, "What about you? Do you have any pet plans after you get a place of your own?"

Koda put a hand to his chin. "I haven't really thought that far. I mean, I want to get more, but I don't want to get so much I can't get them the time and attention they will need once I go pro. So, I figured I would see the workload before committing to anything. But I had to choose anything, a bird for sure. Some small breed of parrot, finch, or parakeet."

"Why those?"

"They are on the quieter side. I don't mind louder birds, but I am thinking more about the neighbors."

"Hmm, I hadn't considered either of those things. It makes sense you would since you have had a pet, though. Guess you'll be my go-to if I need pet advice whenever that time comes."

The boy shook both his hands. "No need for that. Just look up online with the animal's name and then the care sheet. You'll get a plethora of information that would be more helpful than whatever I could provide."

"Maybe, but that's just pure cold hard facts. I would seek advice from you on personal stuff. What brands do you use for food? How do you manage your time? How do you deal with different personalities?"

"Oh, uh, sure, yeah, I could do that, I guess." Koji was caught off guard by that question.

Jiro stopped petting the host's rabbit before asking, "Everything okay?"

"I was just surprised you think we would still be friends so far into the future to ask such things."

Now, it was Kyoka's turn to be caught off guard. "What? Like we would drift apart?"

Koji nodded slowly but said nothing.

"Come on, man, we are not acquaintances. We are friends. Friends that will eventually live under the same roof for nearly three years. I can't see that falling apart just cause of a little passage of time and work."

"You're right, s-sorry."

Kyoka wondered why her friend would think that way. Then she remembered her talk with Mashirao: "Are you thinking we'll be like you and Ojiro-kun?"

Koda lowered his head. "U-Uh, somewhat."

Jiro got to her knees as she explained, "But you're still friends! Sure, you're not too close, but it's not like you two are total strangers to each other."

"I know it's just." Koji paused and took a moment to think. I just feel that once I got accepted into U.A. and the bullying subsided, Ojiro-kun left me because I didn't need to be defended anymore." He looked to Kyoka. I feel that once you have solved my anxiety issues, then you might move on. Sure, we'll still be friends; it just won't be the same as before."

"You know, once you think Koda-kun won't need any more help anymore. What will you do then?"

Jiro remembered what Ojiro had said. It looked like it had merit, she mused. "Look, I did make a promise to help you, but along the way, I learned you would make a good friend, so I want to stick with that even after I've finished.' I wouldn't have done this much with you if I was going to drop you after all was said and done."

Yuwai jumped out of Kyoka's lap and ran over to Koji. It came to his side and placed a paw on him before looking into his face.

"Heh. This is what I was talking about last term. She's trying to say something, but I don't know what."

"Well, looks like she's trying to comfort you."

"Yeah, you both are." Koda sighed. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Jiro-chan. I sometimes just think the worst outcome and feel that's the option of why things are."

"Like our 'misunderstanding.'

"Yeah."

An awkward silence followed until the rabbit went to its food bowl to get a bite.

Jiro said, "Well, to put money where my mouth is, I've got a plan for our next outing."

"Oh?" Koda sounded excited.

Kyoka nodded and grinned confidently. "Yup, we're taking a trip to the zoo. Last time we did something I wanted to do, so naturally, this seemed like the right choice for you."

Koji stood up, "I'd love that! Do you have any in mind?!"

Jiro also got up, and she explained, "I figured you've been to a few around Tokyo at this point, so I tried something more local. Even if it will take almost two hours to get there since it's in the far western part of the prefecture ."

The boy chuckled. "Yeah, I have been to quite a few around there, but none in Shizuoka."

"Good. Well, it's called Kakegawa Kachouen. It's an aviary inside huge greenhouses with flowers blooming year-round."

"Sounds wonderful! I'm surprised I never heard of this place. Thanks Jiro-chan!"

Kyoka held up her hands. "Don't thank me yet. We can't exactly leave the campus at the moment unless it's school-related, so who knows when we can go?" She then shrugged. Besides, it was Kaminari-kun who found the place. I just suggested we try and find something that focused on birds, is all."

"I'm sure the travel ban won't last too long. Though, I'll have to thank Kaminari-kun after dinner. Too bad he couldn't come today so I could say it to him outright."

"I'm sure he would like that."

Denki had been ambushed by Eijiro to train just after class finished. Once he had made up his mind, there was no stopping the hard-headed teen. Kaminari said it was fine and that he could come over another day.

Either way, Jiro preferred that her other friend hadn't come, considering what she discussed with Koda today. It might have gone differently.

Koda sat down by his rabbit. "Would you like to give Yuwai-chan a treat?"

"Oh, sure!" Jiro came over and got to her knees. "So, like a carrot?"

Koji shook his head. "Too much sugar. It would need to be a very small amount; otherwise, she would have digestive problems."

"So what do you have in mind?"

"Freeze-dried watermelons! Very little sugar, and she can have a decent amount. She loves them." Koda reached over to the red and green bag, and the simple act of grabbing it made Yuwai stop sniffing some uneaten hay. Its eyes were wide as it turned its head before bee-lining towards its owner.

Jiro laughed. "Look's like she's willing to eat the entire bag in one go!"

3 scenes? In one of my side story chapters? Crazy huh? This makes it the longest between on three side ship fics. For now. ;p

I just wanted to get through the rest of the pre-confession stuff in one chapter so that required a beefy chapter, for this style at least for me. Besides it was nice to have them interact with Koda's nerves mostly calmed at this point and them just hanging out as just friends.

With the first scene we have Jiro and Ojiro speak for a bit. Nothing too new here but it gets Kyoka up to speed on things as this will be important going into the next few chapters. Will I use Ojiro again? I feel like so, but not dedicating a whole chapter to his presence again.

With the second scene we see Koda's pursuit of developing a taste of music. This gives the couple more to work with as he discovers to like Jiro's hobby and will become important for later. Koda's musical tastes here heavily inspired upon my own as they developed. This will be true going forward a bit but will eventually differ on how we applied such love for music.

And the final scene gives us a look into both of their views on animals/pets. This also sets up a zoo trip, even though that will be quite some time down the line considering what is to happen next in this story + canon that happens after that.

Next chapter comes the confession. Now it won't only be when the question is popped but Jiro's interaction with Ashido after the fact + a week after the fact. Chapter six will then cover how she comes around to her response. Then seven will be about her answer + a meet up between the two the evening after. From there I'll probably switch back to the other side stories before returning to this one.