Chapter 3: Misunderstandings

Jiro rubbed her hands together. It sure was getting cold fast. November was nearly over and it was showing. A light jacket was all she thought she needed, but that was not the case. As she passed by tree after tree, she instead tried to focus on what to discuss at her meeting with Koda today. Kyoka wanted to focus on something other than the Deep Dope concert just days ago. She didn't want to overstimulate the boy again. As she blew into her hands to warm them up, they could talk about meeting somewhere else over the winter. In no way was it going to get warmer anytime soon.

Koji then came into view as she reached their meeting spot. However, he wasn't sitting by a tree like he usually was. Instead, he was standing, facing away from the girl, with his right hand placed on a tree and looking down at his right foot.

Jiro slowed her approach and softened her steps. Before long, she was just behind Koda, to his left side, before taking a look. A rabbit with reddish-brown fur was chewing on the bark of the tree that Koda was leaning against. It soon noticed another person standing up on its hind legs and looking intently at the new arrival.

Koji tilted his head a bit in confusion. He then looked behind before letting out a short yelp and jumping at the sight of Kyoka.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

Koda placed a hand on his chest and took a deep breath. "It's okay." He then looked around behind the newcomer. "Where's Kaminari-kun?"

"Said he had plans with Mineta-san. I'm hoping for the video game variety cause I don't want to ponder their other shared interests." Jiro looked back to the rabbit from earlier but noticed it was no longer there. Guess that's my fault, she mused. "Sorry for scaring your friend away."

"Oh, the bunny? It was only here for a minute; it wasn't interested in what I had today."

"You didn't call for it?"

Koji shook his head.

A thought then came to Kyoka. "Wait, all those birds that show up here, you didn't use Anivoice on them either?"

"No, I only use it if necessary. Nemui-chan was actually here earlier until I got up to watch the bunny, but I never called her to be here. Or any of the other birds."

With a sigh, Jiro sat down at the base of a tree. "Well, maybe your quirk allows you to just have a natural affinity with animals or something." She was then surprised to see her friend not walk over to sit on the opposite side of her tree but instead sit on one just a few meters to her side.

As he explained, Koda kept his eyes on the spot where the rabbit had been. "I don't want to disturb an animal's routine over a whim. They have lives too, and disrupting it by keeping me a little company seems petty to me." The boy gave a quick chuckle, "I wish my quirk had such an ability as you described, but I'm like anyone else in that regard. I only fed those birds for some time before they began coming to me alone. It's like training a dog. The rabbit is recent; I'm still trying to determine what it wants to eat. It seems interested in what I bring but still hasn't eaten anything yet."

Seeing Koji by her side, even if from afar, and being this open filled Kyoka with joy. It was working! As ever slow as it was, there was progress. As excited as the girl was, she knew she had to remain calm.

After gathering her thoughts, she said, "Well, either way, sorry I scared the rabbit away. I'm sure it reminded you of your own."

"Not really. That's a wild animal; it's quite different from Yuwai-chan."

Jiro shrugged. "How so? She's just a domesticated breed, right?"

Koda nodded. "Yeah but of a European hare, this is a nousagi (field rabbit). All pet rabbits come from the former species."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know." Kyoka suddenly realized, "Wait, its name isn't Kawaii-chan like Ashido-chan said?"

"That's actually a good name for her, but no. Weird that Ashido-chan got her name wrong. She was the only one ever to ask about Yuwai-chan's name."

Jiro had an idea why and asked, "When was that?"

"A few days after we started the second term. She asked to bring her downstairs."

Kyoka raised an eyebrow. "And you were okay with this?" She couldn't see Koji very well interacting with such a high-energy individual like Mina, especially since it was so early in the term, before all these meetings between them.

"No, but I asked Yuwai-chan if she was. In the end, it worked out.

Jiro recalled that evening. All the girls were worn out from training for their provisional license exams, and Ashido had suggested getting Koda's rabbit to cheer everyone up. It was then that she told everyone of 'Kawaii-chan.' Kyoka figured she probably just misheard the rabbit's true name. The girl's excitement probably got the best of her after Koji okayed the proposal. "So you can understand animals like a person talking to you?"

"Sorta. I can understand yes and no answers. Their emotions are like if they are scared, happy, or sad. Mostly hungry though."

The last statement got a soft chuckle from Kyoka.

"And simplistic commands. Like describing a general location. I can't hold a meaningful conversation with them, though. Yuwai-chan sometimes tries to communicate with me on a deeper level, but I can only put together what she is trying to say. It annoys her."

"Huh, didn't expect her to be that vocal. Well, for a bunny." Suddenly, a strong wind blew, bringing another chill. "Hey, so, do you mind if we meet someplace inside until winter is over? I can't see it getting much better going forward."

"Like where?"

"I was hoping you would know." Jiro hoped Koda had other places he could go to find some alone time away from others who weren't in his room or out there.

"I always just came out here. Though I guess I didn't think about the cold being a factor. I'm really not affected by it."

"Guess I'll scout or ask around for a new place. No need to find one yourself." Kyoka now had something to do for Sunday if asking around the next few days didn't garner any results. She figured Fumikage might be the best to ask first.

Koji gulped and cleared his throat before asking, "Do you want to hang out again, like on Sunday, sometime soon?"

"Oh, uh." Jiro didn't expect him to be ready to go for another outing so soon. She wasn't really prepared for another trip. She needed more time to build upon what she had learned. "Uh, well, maybe eventually. I am going to need some to think of something else to do. Maybe next term."

"Oh, o-okay." Koda looked bummed out upon hearing this.

Kyoka felt bad, but it just drove her home. She needed to make their next trip even better! Now, what could that be?

Jiro groaned in frustration. It echoed through the empty bath. She almost wanted someone to be around to talk to, but it wasn't the case. Just about anyone but Ashido would -do. Instead, she sank her head even further into the water. Only the girl's nose and above were not submerged.

It was December, and Kyoka's progress with Koji had reached a standstill. He had canceled their meetings since the one after the Deep Dope concert. The first time, he wasn't feeling well. The next? Busy. Yuwai's cage needed a deep clean, he said.

Jiro initially thought he needed some space but didn't think much of it, even though it worried Kaminari. There had been so much growth compared to how this all started, and a little waiting wouldn't hurt, she figured.

Until today, that is.

It was after school. Kyoka was working out in the gym, something she had done from time to time before, but since their joint class training at the start of the month, she had made it a more frequent visit. She had been inspired by Fumikage's progress in working on his physical traits to compensate for his quirk's weakness. Jiro thought to do the same, even if it would take quite some time.

Anyway, it was there that Izuku sought her out. He relayed that Koji was indeed avoiding her on purpose. It sounded like her friend was unsure of himself. The tall teen felt like he was unwelcome, a burden for the others.

Kyoka's earjacks came out of the water and produced a tiny spark that traveled between them. This also caused a few ripples around them. She was angry. More at herself than her friend. She wished he would have just told her about this instead of wallowing in this misunderstanding. Yet again, Jiro was relying on Midoriya to help her. She appreciated it, but he had already done so much for the both of them.

Jiro's plan to give him space had backfired. Instead, Koda thought he had upset his friends, and this lack of interactions was probably making it that much more believable. Should she have fought for them to hang out regardless? Would that have been too intimidating? She thought back to her talk with Midoriya.

Kyoka then crossed her arms and asked, "Am I that intimidating?"

"I think all girls are intimidating for him."

Koji froze up with that girl waitress. One that wasn't even his type. Thoughts of Denki's curiosity of what kind of girl would be crept into Kyoka's mind. She waved her ear jacks back and forth to push away such thoughts and submerged them again. That wasn't her concern. Still, it made her wonder if their solo meeting made things worse. Koda seemed fine at their last meet up until she mentioned needing time to plan another outing together. What was that about? And should Kaminari's presence be mandatory? This thought wracked the girl's brain. After some time passed she surmised, no? If he were going to get better around others, that would mean getting used to girls on his own. However, that didn't mean she needed to completely abandon her dunce friend's help from time to time.

Jiro started to contemplate more about Koda's recent actions, and a thought buzzed through her brain for a moment. Something that might explain his behavior somewhat.

Does Koji like her?

The idea caused the girl to dunk her entire head into the water. Kyoka let the water simmer for a few moments before remerging. She stood up and shouted, "STUPID! OF COURSE NOT!" She began to pant heavily after saying said words. Then, she realized she was standing there naked with no one around. Yelling at nothing. Jiro sighed at herself and stepped out to grab a towel. As she dried herself off, she thought Koda was too shy to try that. Right? There would be more signs, too, if that were true. Right? Midoriya would tell her if that was the case. Right? RIGHT!?

Kyoka threw her towel into a bin and went to her clothes cubby to change. Regardless of that thought, she needed a plan. She needed to talk to Koji. Alone. Set things straight. Get this awkward misunderstanding behind them, for both of their sakes.

Jiro controlled her breathing as the repetition of the stair climber machine was starting to get to her. It wasn't an exercise meant to increase one's strength; it was for endurance. And while hers was not doing well, she still had a few more minutes to go.

The gym was empty around this time, right after class. Most students used it after dinner or on Sunday, making it a perfect place for Kyoka to talk with Koji.

It was unprompted. Jiro had asked Kaminari to deliver the message. He was concerned but understood her reasoning to do this alone once she got him up to speed. She even made sure for him to accompany Koda to the gym's entrance, at least.

Koji came into view within the final minute of Kyoka's stair climb. She was starting to get a bit worried, as she expected to see him at the start of her routine. However, she had already burned through her warm-up and four other workouts. The girl figured Denki might have had trouble motivating the troubled teen to go to the gym, but it looks to have worked out in the end.

Koda stopped on the right side of the machine and sat on a small bench to its side. On it was Jiro's towel and water bottle.

"I'm almost done here. Mind waiting?"

Koji nodded and then looked away to survey the rest of the gym.

Once finished, Kyoka stopped the machine and stepped off to grab her towel. She spent a few moments wiping off her sweat that had fallen on the exercise equipment. The girl then took a swig of her water before sitting down beside her friend. "Sorry this came out of nowhere."

"I-It's okay. I expected this talk at some point after talking with Midoriya-kun."

Jiro sighed. "This could have been avoided if you just told me what was bothering you."

"Y-Your right. S-Sorry."

"So, why not tell me?"

Koda looked up at the ceiling and exhaled. "People in my past have grown annoyed with my behavior countless times. That I am the way I am. That I always assume the worst outcome. That I freeze up and don't do anything to defend myself. They try to help but get fed up with my unwillingness to improve."

Jiro crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "You thought it was happening again?"

A slow nod from Koji followed. "I felt I was the odd one out of our group. Dragging you guys down. Questioning why I am even there."

"That's hardly the case. We wouldn't have been able to see the concert from our position without you lifting us up."

Koda looked away from her without saying anything.

I guess that wasn't very comfortable for him to do, all things considered, Jiro mused. "You know why I have been trying to get to know you, right?"

"To help me with my anxiety with people." Koji looked back at his friend. "You are not the first to try."

"Who was the last one to try?"

"Well, he's still trying, but even he has his limits."

"Again, who?"

"Ojiro-chan, I mean Ojiro-kun."

The change in honorifics intrigued Kyoka. She knew they both attended the same school prior to coming here, but they didn't seem particularly close. "What did he find annoying about you?"

"That I always ran away from my problems. That I always blamed myself for all the bad stuff that happened."

"Well, Ojiro-kun is still your friend, right?"

Koda sank his shoulders. "I guess we're just not as close as we used to be. I sometimes feel he has given up on me, but Ojiro-kun still checks in with me from time to time."

All this talk of Ojiro intrigued Jiro more and more. Maybe she should talk to him to find out more about her friend. "Well, just to let you know, neither Kaminari-kun nor I think that way about you."

"Sorry for assuming the worst."

Kyoka got up and grabbed her stuff. "If you ever get that feeling again, just ask. We'll work it out. I'm going to go shower. Mind waiting in the lobby until I am done? We still have stuff to discuss, but I'd rather wash off before continuing."

"U-Uh, sure."

"Thanks, Koda-kun. See you in a bit." Jiro left and climbed down the stairs. The first floor had changing rooms and showers. It also had a lap pool, steam room, sauna, and the lobby room that she mentioned earlier. She often hits the sauna after working out, but today, she didn't want to keep her friend waiting.

After undressing and stepping into a shower stall, Kyoka thought over what she and Koji discussed. She pondered on Mashirao's point of view about her friend. As much as she struggled with getting through with the tall teen, she didn't feel she was outwardly portraying her frustration while he was around. Even then, it was primarily directed at herself, not Koda. Did Ojiro do the opposite? Did he have a quick temper? Perhaps he is going by the fight between him and Monoma on the roof. But even then, he was trying to protect Koda. So why the back and forth about Koji questioning his friendship with Mashirao? So many unknowns. This really drove home her need to talk to the tailed teen.

Kyoka walked out of the shower with more questions than she walked in. After drying off and dressing, she exited the locker room to find Koji in the lobby. He was reading a brochure while seated in a single sofa chair. Conveniently, there was another just in front of it, facing his own. She took to it, startling her friend somewhat as she did. "Interested in coming here?"

"It would beat what simple workout equipment I brought myself."

"You have some? I don't recall seeing any in your room at the start of the term." Though, to be fair, Jiro's attention was mostly on Yuwai.

Koda put the pamphlet into his jacket pocket as he answered, "I keep them in my closet unless I am exercising. I have just a few dumbbells and two devices I use for ab and thigh workouts, respectively."

Jiro then remembered something from the day of the concert.

Denki walked over and whispered into Kyoka's ear. "Again, trust me on this. I've seen Koda-kun in the bath. The dude is jacked, so you shouldn't worry that he can't carry us the rest of the show."

Kyoka violently pushed the memory out of her head. The hell was that about. Instead of pondering what that meant, she asked, "I'm guessing you don't come here because of the potential of crowds?"

Koji nodded after sighing.

Kyoka couldn't blame him. At times, the place was crawling with students and even teachers. "Well, if you ever want to try it out, I'm happy to accompany you. I even know the times when this place is mostly empty."

"T-Thanks, I'll think about it."

Jiro leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms, "Well, with that out of the way, I really do want us to hang out like the Deep Dope concert with you and Kaminari-kun again but I just want it to not be the same thing. It's just gonna take a while to think of how to do that. I wasn't making an excuse to avoid hanging out with you."

"I see. Thanks for reassuring me."

"So, what can we do to prevent this from happening again?" She needed to hear him say it.

After a sigh, Koda answered, "If something feels off to me, be upfront with you or Kaminari-kun about it."

"And on our end, we'll be open about anything that you 'annoys' us. However, I don't see that happening the way you feel it is. What exactly did you read from me to make that assumption." At the very least, Kyoka wanted to know this. Was there some merit to what he was seeing, or pure paranoia?

"You seemed tense at times. Angry even. More so than usual that day."

Okay, fair. That happened a lot, Kyoka mused. "Look, whatever bothered me was strictly Kaminari-kun's antics of not helping or my frustration with myself. Not with you, I promise."

Koji looked concerned and asked, "Why were you angry at yourself?"

Well, I walked into that one. "That I didn't know how to help you. Early on, a lot of what I did was advice I took from Midoriya-kun. From there, it was trial and error. This is all new to me." Jiro looked away with a slight blush, "Sorry that as motivated as I was to help you, I didn't exactly have a well-thought-out plan on how to do it for a guy like you." She hated admitting she was flying blind.

"I think you're doing great!" Koda proclaimed as she stood up. The sudden outburst turned the attention of passersby. The boy noticed and quickly sat down. "S-Sorry, but I still appreciate what you're doing, even if you don't feel a hundred percent confident with your methods. I feel that I have changed for the better. I can't imagine doing all the things we did or talked about if this was the me from my first term here."

"I guess I can't argue with the results." Kyoka stood up and offered a hand to her friend. "So, we promise to be more open to each other from now on?"

Koji extended a hand and shook the girl's hand confidently. "Yes, ma'am!"

I have a KodaJiro commission in the works but it will take some time until it is done as there is a long line ahead of me. I commissioned hazel0217 once more, cause they are always da best! I can tell you it will be music themed as well!

Anyhow, the first chapter without Kaminari. The next should be the same but he'll jump back in here and there.

With Koda's rabbit Yuwai, she'll show up properly later in the next chapter. I got a breed in mind for her plus various other info and later still, SOME PLOT! :3

A small second scene but I felt Jiro needed some time alone to think things through after her surprise visit from Midoriya. It gives us more of a reaction than we get in the long fic. I had considered another girl here to discuss things but decided against it. Sometimes you just got to talk to yourself to get through things, you know? Also got to get in that fruit dangle of her considering Koda liking her. Even if brief. ;3

Finally we work out that awkward teenage drama. Somewhat. As much as Koda prides himself in seeing the little things, that doesn't mean he might interpret it correctly. Of course being madly in love with someone might warp that even further from the truth due to self doubt. But obviously Jiro doesn't know that, even if she considered it for a moment. This also sets up her wanting to talk with Ojiro, which will be the start of the next chapter.

The next chapter will take place at the start of the third term and cover three scenes over about a month. Chapter 5 will then cover the juicy Valentine's day and that fallout. It might be some time (compared to my pacing as of later) for the next chapter considering I have Cubicity 52 to write, the general Cubicity edit update, and oneshot to do for an event at the end of January. But be patient, I'll eventually return!