Prologue 3: Dangers of Spring

The soda fizzled as she sipped from it, enjoying the temporary bite it gave before pulling the bottle away, eyes glued on the TV screen. Not like she was focused on it. It was more background noise than worthwhile entertainment. Whatever drama was playing on the screen right now looked ridiculous, and she'd much prefer doing anything else than this.

"…well, you can't blame them for being careful. In a school where the kids are bound to get into a lot of injuries, I suppose having health insurance in advance would be a lot safer for the students."
"True, but it's always scary to imagine just how strenuous it can get for them."

Katsumi would have scoffed at the notion, but that it had come from Auntie Inko instead, she already knew how much of a worrywart she was. Plus, she understood where her best friend's mom was coming from. Neither she nor her husband were heroes, let alone had any relatives who'd been in that line of work before, so there was practically zero knowledge on how that worked, and thus a greater worry when it comes to Izuku's safety in trying to navigate these waters.

In fact, studies had shown that most kids who make it into the hero schools were often from families with hero backgrounds, making up at least eighty percent of the total group. That was eighty percent; not a small number whatsoever. The remaining twenty couldn't be considered outliers, though, as some kids' Quirks mutated to become more suitable for combat, though kids with hero parents would always benefit from being trained by them.

Still, it was her and Izuku they were talking about! There was no way things could possibly go poorly for either of them! They'd been working their asses all this time!

Sure, the issue that he still didn't have a Quirk made things a lot more worrisome, but they'd figure something out. He'd definitely figure it out! It's Izuku, after all! The guy was one of the smartest on the planet (second only to her, obviously). There was nothing he couldn't solve.

Speaking of Izuku, he sure was taking a while. It was already seven, and he'd messaged her that he'd be back an hour ago. Katsumi was sure he hadn't run off someplace, but that didn't stop her from feeling antsy. As if something had gone missing from her room, and the only thing she could do was have that sense of wrongness wiggle around in the back of her head.

She sighed, setting down her soda and grabbing the notebook she'd put aside earlier, flipping the pages. Not hers, though. Izuku's. He had a series of them, all of which were devoted to studying heroes, and he was often too embarrassed to share it with anyone else besides her, something that never failed to leave her pleased.

Calling him smart was an understatement. His observant nature coupled with his inquisitive mind and creativity was on full display within these pages. Each sketch was done with an artist's precision, and countless notes written down about their Quirks, costumes, strengths and weaknesses, and more. It never got boring to read these, and she had to hold back a smile at seeing the dedication in his work. This alone was a sign that he took heroes seriously. And if he wasn't qualified to be one, then who else was?

After some time, though, the doorknob began to twist, and in came the boy of her thoughts. Katsumi would never admit to anyone that she'd been eager to see him again (she really wasn't!), and she made sure to call out his name as loudly as possible. "Oiii, Izuku! Took ya' long enough!"

When the boy didn't respond, she turned to look at him, noticing the way his body was moving on automatic while his head hung low, lips moving to showcase his muttering habit. He was taking off his shoes, but it looked like he wasn't all there. The girl quirked a brow at the sight. It wasn't entirely strange that he fell into his 'thinking moods', as she liked to put it, but it looked like something was troubling him.

How? Well, his typical rant of heroes and Quirks would look a lot more animated, more giddy, compared to this hushed, suspicious murmuring. His shoulders were also slightly hunched, and his expression was dour in a way that he doesn't normally appear.

Not a good look from him. She hummed, wondering what could have possibly happened to him while he was out. "Izuku. Oi, Izuku."

No response. She grunted, pushing herself off the couch and stomping her way towards him. Even standing in his way, he did nothing but just stay there, mumbling gibberish to himself. Katsumi quirked a brow, then sighed. Without wasting a moment, she slowly took in a deep breath, cupping her hands to her mouth—

"IZUKU!"
"Kyaah! It wasn't me!"

Fright prompted action as he leapt away from her vicious shouting, verdant eyes wide as platters as his head snapped left and right. It was only when his gaze landed on her did he finally relax, words a stutter. "K-Kacchan?"

"Yeah," she scoffed, crossing her arms. "Head in the clouds or something? Really looked like you couldn't give a damn about nothing else."

"S-Sorry! I was just thinking about work earlier. It's, uhh, hmm. It's a weird story. And kind of an ominous one, I'd admit."

"Ominous?"

He looked to where their parents were, then nodded timidly. The look in his eyes was telling; he didn't want to speak about this in front of the others, more assured if it was kept between the two of them. Katsumi nodded, shooting a thumb over to his room.

They took their leave after he'd greeted both of their moms, and when they stepped inside his All Might-themed room, she had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes. Years of growing alongside him was still not enough to help her get over this level of fanaticism. Then again, he was at least idolizing the right hero. She wouldn't have forgiven him if he showed this level of fanboy energy towards some no-name.

While she threw herself onto his bed, bodily turning herself to look away from him with her eyes closed while he worked on changing into some casual wear (and silently gulping at the idea that he was probably wearing nothing over there), she spoke up once more. "So? Where'd you been today?"

"Well, Sakasuke sent me the address to a forest shrine someplace nearby. It's pretty isolated, and it looked abandoned, by the looks of it. All I did was just tidy up the place as best as I could and clean up the building. Not like it amounted to much, though I'm assuming some other people will take over to fix the place, I guess…"

"Alright. Then what? Something bad happened there?"

"Not… bad, per se. But just weird overall," he paused, likely trying to think of a way to convey his thoughts before speaking up once more, his wardrobe coming shut as he slipped on his shirt. "Kacchan, I… I met a fortune teller. Outside of the shrine after I was done with my job. Came out of nowhere."

A fortune teller in some woods? "Yeah, that sounds like a massive red flag. What, she came straight for you?"

"Yeah. So, this fortune teller, she approached me and told me that she could divine a lot of things. But the one thing she was good at was… err, relationship stuff," he chuckled, sounding nervous. "Of course, I chalked it up to her having some kind of Quirk that lets her look into a person's future, so that was always feasible. But I guess I wasn't prepared for her suddenly checking my future."

A divinator specializing in relationships… Katsumi tensed. "…And then?"

"Yeah, so—Oh, I'm done changing by the way," Katsumi took that as her cue to turn around to look at him. He was wearing a short-sleeved tee and some baggy cargo pants now, and he moved over to sit near her. She quickly sat up as well, then made room for him. The bed sunk a little with his added weight. "So, yeah. I didn't really want to, but then she was insistent, so I just let her do it. And…"

"A-And?" She cursed the stutter in her voice, but found the hole in her gut much too uncomfortable. And letting his words linger in the air made her feel worse, so she dredged up whatever courage she had to keep prodding him.

"She… She said that something bad was going to happen someday," of all the things he could have said, that was one of the least expected ones. Ruby eyes blinked, noticing the deep frown marring his face, and how tense his hands were as they clenched one another, sat upon his lap. "To the girl that I would someday fall in love with. And… And I'm scared to imagine what that could be."

"Izuku…"

"I-I know, it's silly to think about. I mean, I'm not even in high school yet! I've never looked at any girl in that way before, and the thought of romance is just so far out of my reach!" He laughed weakly, his eyes still hard. "But even so… I hate the idea that someone I care for will someday get into serious danger, and I won't know what it is or when it'll happen. But above all that, I…"

His fists tightened.

"I'm scared at the thought that I wouldn't be able to do anything to protect her then…"

The boy fell silent, sniffling once before vigorously rubbing the back of his hand against his hands. Katsumi simply stared at him, realizing just how seriously he was taking this.

Her body had already moved before she thought about it, an arm looping around his shoulders to pull him towards her in a firm, one-armed hug. "Hey, it's fine," she whispered in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. "Jeez, you cry baby. What're you letting yourself get so worked up for? It's just a prediction, not a fact. You can still do something to change it."

"C-Can I?"

"Obviously. What, you just planning to lie down and roll on the ground, letting it happen? If so, I'd be disappointed, because I know you're better than that."

When his hand pulled away and he turned to look at her, his verdant orbs glistening from withheld tears, once again did Katsumi come to terms that this was the boy she had become friends with since an entire decade ago, who had chased that distant dream alongside her with a wide smile on his face and a heart of gold.

Izuku Midoriya, a hero through and through, even if the world sought to deny him such an opportunity. And that love of his would go out to strangers, his family, his friends, and even hypotheticals.

Her mind broke away from those thoughts. She really could lose herself in those eyes that reminded her of the forest and the hills. She felt her heart beat faster, and it took everything she had in her to keep herself under control as she continued.

"Just… believe in yourself a little more, okay? You've always been capable of doing anything when you put your mind to it, so… saving that love of your life shouldn't be impossible, right?"

"Kacchan…"

"B-Besides! If it doesn't happen, then it's just obvious that that weirdo you met was just a bozo! Nothing to worry about it!"

"I… Yeah, you're right," she hated how happy she was when he smiled at her, and that the girl fated for him might not even… "Sorry to drag the mood down. I'm such a worrywart, huh?"

"Bah, we've gotten used to it at this point," she scoffed, hoping it hid her weakness. "It's whatever. Just don't think about defeat before you've even done anything yet! Got it? Cry all you want only after the fact is done. Never before."

"Mm. Okay. I promise."

Yeah. That was simply his nature; no matter how bad things would go, he would be determined to give it his all in facing said challenges. Such conviction was what had carried him through his ostracization all these years, and what enabled him to continue running alongside her as they chased their dreams.

And yet, even as they returned to the others, her pops catching Izuku's attention after mentioning the debut of a new hero which instantly had him gushing in excitement, she couldn't help but constantly rewind his words in her head, thinking of the possibility of him meeting his 'fated one'.

And a selfish part of her hoped that he may never meet her at all.

There was something odd about how negative emotions could always persist longer than positive moods, similar to how a single incident could ruin a person despite their one hundred good deeds. And this was just going to be yet another day of that kind.

Izuku sighed heavily. School had concluded hours ago, and he hadn't been able to focus on his classes whatsoever. He blamed his meeting he had with Ai a couple of days ago. The haunting words she'd planted in his head wouldn't subside no matter, no matter how hard he tried to distract himself.

"Sometime in the near future, something life-threatening will happen to the one that you will fall in love with. You will not be ready for it, but it will be up to you to rise to the challenge if you seek to save them and begin your journey as a hero."

Ridiculous as the notion was—that someone like him could even end up finding a girl to fall in love with—the weight behind her words had completely done away any possible humour. She'd never specified the exact time nor location of the eventual tragedy, though, which made him wonder if perhaps she wasn't as divine as she made herself out to be.

Or, more likely upon further pondering, she intended it as a test of his mettle.

After all, heroes were people who rose against the difficulties in life to save people. And if he couldn't do something as simple as this, what hope would he have against worse evils on the planet? At that point, he'd be better off never pursuing this ideal to begin with.

Why he hadn't given up on his dreams, he wasn't sure. He'd already made peace with his Quirkless nature, and he'd felt himself adequately prepared to devote himself to the people in other ways. Even if community work might not achieve much, it was still honest work. Or he could pursue the road of doctoring or some other thing. Those were still possible. And yet…

Izuku shook his head. "Not now," he growled. "I can't bog myself down with these thoughts. I need to focus on my present, and do what I can."

Easier said than done, however, for the weeks leading up to today had been nothing but stressful to him. While he'd kept up with his studies and his training fairly well, he knew he wasn't doing as well as he was before meeting Ai, her prophecy making him second guess everything and keep a closer watch on his surroundings more in case anything happened. He felt stressed.

So far, he hadn't stumbled upon some girl that could have possibly been his supposed partner. Hell, the only girl his age that he actively talks to is Katsumi, whereas all the other girls in his class just avoid him. Some tolerated him, but there was nothing to suggest anything more beyond friendship.

He paused at that thought. Someone he would fall in love with… There was no way that it could be..?

"Nah nah nah! There's no way!" He quickly denied, shaking his head as he began moving once again, face heating up despite himself. "Me and her? Fat chance! She's so much more amazing than me! As if she'd ever think of me that way…"

Saying the words out loud helped reinforce his doubt on the matter, but it also served to make him feel… lonely?

And not merely lonely, but genuinely upset. His eyes dropped, and his heart felt heavy, the thought of his best friend choosing to leave his side one day to find someone else in her life was…

He clenched his fists, only realizing now that they were clammy. It wasn't hot out, and he hadn't been running or whatever, yet he could feel his drumming heartbeat, chest tight in discomfort. Why was he like this?

Katsumi was an incredible girl. Athletic and smart in equal measures, and beautiful to boot… heck, her rough personality was a charm all of its own, especially when her softer side peeked through in the quieter moments, showcasing the fact that she was more than just what she presented before others. Her smiles, her laughter, her dreams. Everything about her was beautiful.

He screwed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth.

'There's no way… I promised to myself that I wouldn't like Kaccha—'
"Waah! Careful!"

He had less than a second to acknowledge the screaming voice headed his way before someone crashed into his back, making him almost fall forwards. He wheeled his arms before planting one foot forwards on the ground to reaffirm his balance, then turned around in panic.

"H-Hey, are you okay?!"

"Oww… S-Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going…"

The girl on the floor was groaning, rubbing the back of her head. Cropped brown hair the colour of tea framed a youthful face, with rosy cheeks and eyes the same colour as her hair. She was wearing what looked to be the uniform of a different school, and he couldn't help but be drawn to the scarf she was wearing. That motif sort of reminds him of the hero Thirteen…

Ack, wait! Now wasn't the time to be distracted! Quickly, he offered his hand to the girl, words falling out in a jumble. "S-Sorry! I blanked out earlier and just stopped moving! A-Are you hurt?"

His voice snapped her out of her initial stupor, looking up to meet his gaze. The girl smiled back, pained as he was. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Ahahaha…"

He quickly looked her over. She had her purse with her, and she was wearing skating shoes, which was probably what made her lose control of herself back there, hence the collision. At the very least, she was wearing some protective gear for her elbows and knees, so there was no scraping those.

After a while, the girl took his hand in hers, slowly rising with difficulty. Her shakiness was in part because of her skates as it was her prior impact, and he made sure to stand in place until she was stable enough to stand on her own, though he hadn't let go of her hands yet.

"Sorry, and thanks! I was just practising skating earlier, and I guess I went a little too fast," she giggled, sounding genuinely embarrassed as blood filled her cheeks. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. And it looks like you are, too. It doesn't seem like you've scraped your hands or anything."

"Heh, yeah, guess I got lucky there… Oh, I'm Ochako, by the way. Ochako Uraraka. Nice to meet you!"

Ochako Uraraka… What a pretty name. He found it odd that he was beginning to feel shy all of a sudden, but he pressed onwards with a smile on his face regardless. "I-Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you too."

"Yep. So, um, was I disturbing you, or..?"

"No, nothing like that! I wasn't busy. Just taking a quick walk. You, uh, you live around here?"

"Oh, no, I just thought about taking a little quick trip a little far from home today. Didn't think it'd end up like this, though…" She whined. "So embarrassing..!"

"Hey, it's okay! Really! It just happened all of a sudden, so it's no one's faults."

"Yeah, but I could have easily hurt you…"

"It would have taken a lot more to hurt me," at the raise of her brow, he quickly explained. "Oh, I uhh, I've been working out. To go to U.A. High this year."

"Wait, seriously?" She gasped, suddenly excited. "I'm going there too! What a coincidence!"

"You too?" He found himself smiling widely at that revelation. "That's great! It'd be nice to have another familiar face in class. Err, that is if we're going for the same course. Hero?"

"Hero," Uraraka parroted with a smile, and his grew even wider.

"Oh, that's so great to hear! Then I'll definitely get to see you a lot more often!"

Though his words had been spoken with genuine cheer, it took a while before his words finally caught up to his brain, and his eye widened as he stared at Uraraka, whose eyes widened and her blush intensified.

"W-Wait, I wasn't..! I mean, I-I'd be happy if you were there too because then I'd have another friend I could t-talk to, a-and uhh..!"

"R-Right! Of course! That's totally it!" She laughed a little too loudly.

"Mmhm! Nothing else to it!"

"Yeah! Ahaha…"

"Haha…"

Cue the silence. They stood there, still holding hands, yet they fidgeted in place as they looked away from one another.

Izuku mentally slapped himself in the face, groaning all the while. 'Way to go, you dumb idiot! You just couldn't make your first interaction with a new friend completely normal! Now she thinks I'm trying to hit on her!' Shaking his head, he smiled back at her, trying hard to will away his flush. "S-So, uhh, are you planning to skate somewhere, or go back home?"

"Err, maybe home. I think I've had enough excitement today…"

"T-Then, what say I walk you home?" The girl perked up at that. "J-Just to keep you safe! Wouldn't want you falling or anything."

"Oh! Um… A-Are you sure?" He nodded. Uraraka's smile came back, bright. "Okay, sure! I'll take you up on that offer!"

With that decision made, both students made their journey on foot, the girl skating shakily while she chattered excitedly with Izuku. They knew very little about each other, so they began with talk of their schools and aspirations. At some point, they got into talking about U.A. High, and it was nothing but utter excitement at the prospect of getting into the same class…

Wait, hold up, he needs five steps back. How did he get into this situation? And not just that, how was he being this chatty with some girl he'd only just met today? Social anxiety, hello? Where were they?

But in this moment, he was utterly grateful that his social ineptitude decided to take a back seat for now. Talking with Uraraka was… fun. So much more fun than he'd expected. The both of them got increasingly excited when their discussion shifted towards heroes and Thirteen in particular, who was apparently Uraraka's idol, the girl having stars in her eyes as she geeked over the space-themed hero and he shared his own knowledge about the hero.

And through it all, Izuku couldn't look away from her. From the sway of her brown bob, to her rosy cheeks, to her eyelashes batting with every blink, to her silky lips, to her pearly smile…

And it wasn't just her appearance that truly caught his attention. In fact, every detail was seared directly into his brain matter; her melodic laughter, the lingering looks she sent his way, her close proximity to him that should be sending him into a nervous frenzy, yet he wanted so badly to just hold her close…

He shook his head. 'Gah, calm down, man! What the heck's wrong with you?! Just because she's cute doesn't mean that you get to have these weird thoughts about her! Wait, I meant…'

There was no time to debate on that even further, because in no time, he realized that the both of them had finally arrived at her home. Must have taken an hour, he bet. It was a tall apartment building, with little in the way of decoration or paint job. Some clothes were strung up on the windows, and a man was carrying away a black rubbish bag.

He took in the details, then heard the nervous giggle from Uraraka. "Sorry that my place isn't all that impressive."

"What? No, it's fine! I live in an apartment too, you know."

She blinked, surprised. "Eh? You do?" When he nodded, she looked much calmer. "I see… Sorry, sorry! That was kind of mean of me to assume things out of you."

"It's fine. Most kids who get into hero schools already come from hero families, which are typically well off. It's an obvious advantage for them. I'm not," he chuckled. "My dad works overseas as a chef, and my mom takes care of me at home. We're just a normal family."

"Oh? My parents work in the construction business," Uraraka smiled. "Guess we're not so different, huh?

"Haha, yeah. You can say that," he chuckled. "Well, I guess that's that. I should probably be taking my leave. Wouldn't want to keep you held up for so long."

The girl visibly deflated at that, and Izuku was shocked when he felt the same. He'd only just met her today! He'd never been this way with people. The only other person his age that he was close enough to ever feel this way would be with Katsumi.

"R-Right. I guess that's right. Thanks, Midoriya-kun," she smiled once more, happy. "It means a lot to me, for walking me back home, I mean. You've been a gentleman."

"H-Hey now, it's just called manners!" When she giggled back, he could feel his own happiness come back. "And hey, it's not like we'd have to be strangers! How about we… exchange numbers..?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, sure!" He couldn't mistake her joy at his suggestion even if he tried, and he hated how pleased he was. They quickly shared their phone numbers, sending a short text to each other. "Cool! Guess we'll be seeing each other soon, yeah?"

"Y-Yeah. I look forward to it."

"Me too!"

He met those chocolate eyes, and there was sincerity in them that took away his breath. How could he have ever felt this way towards another girl? It seemed so impossible, yet he couldn't doubt his feelings. He knew what was going on.

He… liked her. As fantastical as it sounded.

"O-Okay! Guess it's time for me to go!" He bowed quickly. "It's been good to meet you, Uraraka-san! Let's hang out another day!"

"Mm! Bye, Midoriya-kun!"

Bogged down by Ai's words for weeks, that was the first time he'd come back home with a smile on his face, and with those traitorous thoughts out of his mind and far, far away.

"Katsumi, let me treat you to something!"
"Eh?"

Asking that out of the blue might not have helped his case much, especially when his childhood friend was staring at him with bewilderment, but he doubled down on his insistence with a quick nod.

"I wanted to thank you for your help in training, so I've been saving to treat you!" He said.

"Ehh? You don't have to—"

"I don't have to, but I want to," to really sell it, he clapped his hands together in a begging motion. "Please, Kacchan! I won't be happy with myself if I do nothing!"

The confusion made way for discomfort, then thought, before she eventually sighed. "Fiiine. But if you think this'll make me go easier on you, then you'll be disappointed."

"I wouldn't even dare to ask for that," he chuckled. "Let's go!"

Truth be told, this was a little too sudden, especially when they'd just finished their class duties. Katsumi hadn't been happy, especially because they were filling in for a pair of guys who'd been absent today after contracting a bug or something, but it offered him good timing to ask her out for stuff. Plus, he'd been planning to ask her for some time now, so he might as well.

And one might wonder where he'd even gotten the money from, and that was courtesy of the community work he'd been doing. They weren't high-paying by any means, but for the sheer number of them that he'd taken part in, his piggy bank was looking pretty good. And he did set aside some for himself, so he was more than okay.

Don't ask him how much community work he'd taken part in, though. That detail was better kept secret.

Nevertheless, it would be enough to buy her some good food if she wanted. If she was feeling up for it, then he didn't think there'd be any trouble for him to spend extra. It'd be good to repay her for all her help, and it would at least incentivize him to work hard to make up for any amount spent today.

"…but like, it's nothing to make a big deal of."

"I get that, but I've never tried to give you anything nice for all your help," he said in return. And that was certainly true; this would be the first time he'd actually spend money to treat her to anything. "Really, it's fine! It's not something I'll be doing all the time either, so I don't mind."

Judging by the look she was giving him, it was very likely that she was doubting his words, but she opted to just sigh in the end. "Alright, I get it. If it'll make you happy. Jeez. You're lucky I'm in a good mood, or else this whole thing would be over in a matter of seconds."

"Hehe, thanks."

"Hmm… I'm not sure what to ask, to be honest… I'd default on the tried-and-true choice of a food venture, but we've pretty much tried every place there is. I suppose doing something different would be worthwhile…"

Sensing her indecision, Izuku whipped out his phone, handing it to her. "Then why don't you take a look at this list I made? With the money I have, we'll be able to do quite a number of things, food included!"

"What the… You prepared a whole list?" Katsumi sounded like she'd just scoffed and laughed at the same time. "Damn, Izuku, what the heck? You looking forward to this so much or something?"

He was, though he wasn't going to admit that to her. He just laughed back and followed after her as they made their way down the street, the blonde working her way down his lengthy list (it was only twenty ideas, which ironically made it even harder to decide) with a grumble.

But Katsumi was not an indecisive person. It only took her three minutes before she eventually made her choice, dragging him over to the busiest street in the city. The neon sign hung over the entrance was a dead giveaway of what it was, and he couldn't help but smile nervously.

"So it's to the arcade we go?"

"Yeah," the girl paused, looking over to her shoulder to frown at him. "Why? Don't wanna'?"

"What? No! I didn't say that! I was just surprised, is all," shaking his head, he smiled back. "It's been so long since we've come here, though, so I'll be pretty rusty. Hope you don't mind!"

Her grin came to her easily. "Heh! Like you'd need to worry about that! I've got a feeling you'll do fine!"

The interior was what he remembered of this teenager-populated place; loud, bright and boomy. Like, bass-y boomy. He saw a couple of kids hanging out together to play a game or two, competing either at the racing games or the punching bag, while some families spent time playing the much more calming fishing with their children, or the kiddies' air hockey.

Naturally, Katsumi preferred the more 'violent' version, thus purchasing a couple of arcade tokens to slot into the adults' air hockey. She had her disc in hand, and the puck was hers to strike, making her the initiator. He gulped, grabbing his disc tightly and staring at her eyes to predict her next action.

"Get ready, Izuku. I won't go easy on you."
"I don't expect you to. Whenever you're rea—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Katsumi had already struck the puck at an angle to bounce it off the middle wall and straight into his goal, the speed almost beyond what his eyes could track. Thankfully, reflex kicked in and he deftly blocked it in time, allowing it to ricochet and shoot towards her end, prompting her to strike back at him directly at his goal. He, in turn, swept his arm out and shot it to the middle wall.

Let it be known that there was no person in the world more competitive than Katsumi Bakugou, of which he now had all the opportunity to experience for himself. His body was moving as fast as it could keep to keep up with her while his brain mapped out his offense and defense, shifting paradigms as quickly as possible to focus on scoring a point.

And whether it was luck or skill, the puck bounced at just the right angle to bypass her guarding disc and slip right into her goal, the loud kah-chak! a loud declaration of his victory.

"Fuck!" She yelled, slamming the table with her fists. "How was that so quick? And I was sure I'd block it!"

"Tiny angles, Kacchan. Gotta' watch for those."

"Okay, smarty pants, I'll show you just what you get for messing with Dynamight, future hero who'll kick all villain ass!"

Their match lasted only ten minutes, but by how hard they were breathing by the end of it, he felt like he'd just been part of an hour long run. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but feel pleased at the scoreline, a neat six-to-four that was mostly thanks to his timely defenses.

But man, as befitting her nature, Kacchan was really aggressive when she struck. Like, rabid dog with rabies' level of aggressive.

…Sorry, Kacchan. He didn't mean that in a bad way. He swore it was a comparison made with good intent.

"Damn it..!" She wheezed. "Fine, that's one win to you! But don't think the next few games will be just as easy! I'll make you work for it!"

True to her word, every game that came after their air hockey was punishing. Kacchan absolutely dominated him in basketball, having height advantage and a great understanding of object trajectory, and though their race on the virtual streets of Tokyo had been neck-and-neck, she eked out the victory by a couple of pixels, which just put him on a two-to-one.

The next few games went back and forth, sort of. He'd whacked more moles than she did, she put more oomph into her haymaker on the punching bag, he outdanced her and wrecked her in that music rhythm game…

Okay, so that made it four-to-three in his favour. A short-lived victory when she proceeded to beat him in Pacman, which made him actually gape. How did he, geek that he was, lose to Katsumi in Pacman of all things?

"So we're tied? Brooo! This isn't satisfying!"

"Such is the consequence of our competitive streak and our competence in mortal gaming…"

There was a pause, and before he had the opportunity to take his words back, Katsumi broke into laughter. "Hah! What was that? Hahaha! Where'd the chuuni come from?"

Try as he might, he couldn't help but blush at the cringe. "I… have no excuses…" While she busied herself with laughing her butt off, Izuku desperately tried to look for a tiebreaker, though it wasn't like they had much tokens left. His eyes fell upon a claw machine, however, and a lightbulb went off in his head. "Oh, Kacchan! D-Do you wanna' give the claw machine a try?"

"Heheha… Sorry," she rubbed her eye. "What's that?"

"Claw machine! We get only one try each to get a reward, and that'll decide the winner. Is that okay?"

"Huh? Those are a scam, Izuku. You know it only works if a lot of people play those machines, because the more money put into those bastards, the stronger the grip. Otherwise, it's noodle. Even a baby would be able to grip better than that sorry thing."

"I know, but we don't have more tokens to use. N-Not like I wouldn't mind buying some more, though! But even then, there's no other games I can see us playing to break our tie."

While he really didn't mind paying extra for another game, he did have an idea he wanted to go with. And Katsumi didn't seem too content on making him pay more, so she relented to his idea with a huff. "Fine. Let's see who's got the better luck."

Katsumi was skilled. And someone might argue that luck, too, counted as a skill of sorts, though it seemed like both Lady Luck and mathematical probability didn't agree with that. Even when she'd picked out an easy target, her planes adjusted and angle set, the claw had sought to release its target mere moments before it reached the chute.

"Motherfucker! Izuku, don't lose to this crappy machine! And don't play on mine! You'll obviously have a better advantage!"

The boy chuckled. She really was hung up on not wanting him to lose and not wanting to lose herself. Still, she'd given him his order, and he'd be damned not to see it through.

With that thought in mind, he fed the machine his one last token, its gold disappearing into the shadows. Immediately, a sixty second countdown began on the display, and he patiently manoeuvred the claw while leaning to his right and left to gauge the position of his intended target; a mint-coloured, floppy long-eared rabbit. It was sitting, leaning against a blue hippo, and he adjusted the claw to hang directly above his quarry, its metal glistening as it swayed a little.

Eventually, as the timer fell down to ten seconds, and he quickly inspected the angles and potential motions, he surrendered his fate to the odds, pressing on the bright red button and watching as the claw angled downwards. No twists, no turns; just a guaranteed straight descent.

When its base bumped into the crown of the rabbit's head, that was its cue to clamp down, trapping its head in its grip. The first part was achieved. The claw moved onto the next part, which was the ascent, preferably with the rabbit still gripped tight.

Thankfully, that was exactly what happened, its body lifting off the piles of stuffed bodies and into the air very slowly, where he and Katsumi began watching with bated breaths. Second part was done. Now it was the make-or-break; the third part, where it would laterally shift towards the chute, and it would either be a slam dunk or a drop halfway.

"Wait a second, it's reaching the end!" Katsumi gasped. "Don't drop, don't drop..!"

"Kacchan, I'm begging you, please don't jinx it!"

"I ain't jinxing it—" Both of them gasped as its body hit the side of the plastic border. "Come on..!"

For a moment, he was about to tweak out if the claw decided to mock him and let go at the very last second, which would have made this entire thing moot. But then its head passed the border, and then the rest of its body, hovering over the pit…

And then it dropped straight down, and bumped right against the rewards flap.

"Yes! You did it, Izuku!"
"Alright!"

With a clap of their palms against each other, Izuku bent over to pull out his hard-earned prize, smiling at how soft it felt. This was an unnaturally good quality for a claw machine reward, and he couldn't believe that he'd managed to win such a good plushie.

A sigh to his right drew his gaze to his friend, though the smile on her face was as pleased as she could have possibly been. "Well, dang. Looks like today's little trip ended in your victory. A close call, though! If you'd been any more reckless, it would have been my win today!"

"It sure would have."

"Mm. Not that I mind, though. Today was fun," and he could tell that she wasn't lying to him. That knowledge filled him with immeasurable mirth. "It was a good idea to mention this as a suggestion. It's been way too long."

"Yeah, it has."

"Yeah… Well, now that that's over, let's get outta' here. The buzz is killing my ears."

He nodded, joining her in the much more peaceful outdoors. They shared a sigh of relief, happy to be freed from the wild arcade, and the sight of the evening sky was a pleasant thing to just focus on rather than a bunch of flashing lights.

It took some time, but they eventually reached Katsumi's house, Izuku having insisted on walking her home first before he walked the way back to his (he always relied on the excuse that it was good exercise, despite all her prior complaints).

That was when he finally called for Katsumi to stop before she entered her house, the girl quirking a brow. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Um. I wanted you to have this," he said, holding up the plush rabbit. Despite the cold wind blowing by, he couldn't help but feel heat bleed into his face when he did, but he trudged on regardless. "I-I, um, I wasn't really sure how to do a tiebreaker. But then I saw that claw machine, and I t-thought it would be nice to win you something…"

"…Eh? Wait, seriously?" When he nodded back, the girl blinked. "O-Oh," she muttered. Ruby eyes moved towards the rabbit, and under the glow of the streetlamp that just lit up, he could make out the faint scarlet in her face. "J-Jeez. You didn't have to, you know…"

"I know, but I wanted to. It's not enough to repay you for, well, everything, but at least it's a start?"

"You..! Gaaah! I can't just not take it now that you want me to have it!" She groaned out loud. And then, she extended a hand towards him, baring her teeth at him, trying her damnedest to look annoyed when he knew she was feeling anything but that. "Fine! I'll take it, just so that you don't complain about it!"

"Hehe, thanks, Kacchan."

"Hurry up, give it here!"

Izuku wasn't sure what to make of the fact that he was giving a plushie to his childhood friend, who was notoriously boyish in her mannerisms and preferences. She would sooner be dead than be caught in a skirt (though that one visit had certainly been a lovely accident. Thanks, Auntie Mitsuki), but there was no denying the fact that, at the end of the day, she was still a girl.

Armed with that knowledge, it still didn't prepare him for the sight of his best friend, Katsumi Bakugou, flushed in the face as she was, to be clutching the rabbit to her chest. Its head blocked her lips, her eyes averted slightly in a shy manner. It was a sight that left him at a lost for words, his heart beating faster.

'Holy shit. So this is gap moe.'

The discovery of a lifetime. He would never say that out loud, though. Not if he wanted Katsumi to kill him.

"Thanks," her voice was softer than it had ever been, and it snapped him out of his stupor long enough to witness the typically loud girl in a rare state of quiet. "For today, I mean. And this…"

"Ah… I-It's okay. Really."

"Right."

"Mm…"

Well. This was getting awkward.

Clearing his throat, Izuku offered a smile towards the blonde. "Guess that's it for now, then. I'd best get moving, or else it'll get really dark. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah…" She met his eyes. "See you tomorrow."

There was nothing else to be said, as far as he could tell. He waved at her, and began his walk back home, feeling that familiar heat in his chest.

The night was a peaceful one. The distant sound of cars was a familiar background noise that accompanied him as he worked pencil to paper, his homework being completed one by one. There were only three, though each one were voluminous on their own, so that was that.

The scritch-scratch came to a halt as he sat back in his chair, eyes looking out of his window and taking in the night sky. There was nothing in particular to be seen beyond the hundreds of sparkling dots, and he thought he could have lost himself in just looking at them.

Not for the first time, Izuku felt lost, though not in an existential sort of way. In fact, it was now a new matter altogether; the matters of the heart, which he had never thought would be a legitimate concern that he would be dealing with in this lifetime.

'Romance… What the heck. How is that my biggest concern now, of all things?'

Ai's words still worried him. He had no clue just whom his fated ones (and he still couldn't help but balk at the prophesy of more than one lovers) were, and whether or not he'd have the strength necessary to undo such a terrible fate.

Still, after everything thus far, he trusted Katsumi's words. He might not be perfect, but he had to believe in his own ability to make things happen.

'The girl I love… Could it be..?'

Questions lingered in the back of his mind, and he returned to his work. Perhaps one of these days, he'll actually have it all figured out—preferably without anything bad actually happening.

…And like a jinx, bad happened in a spectacular way.