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E P I S O D E
33

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Todoroki and Ako came out of the waiting room together, both of them talking peacefully. As they fade out from the distance, they missed the presence of someone watching them. His red eyes focusing on Ako's figure, laced in both longing and confusion.

Soon after the two figures disappeared from the distance, he walked away - a storm brewing in his chest.

Ako and Todoroki on the other hand, arrived at the arena and what met them was the class 1A girls wearing a cheerleading uniform, standing still awkwardly.

"W-What the heck? That's gotta be embarrassing." Ako cringed as she watched her bestfriends, Koharu squirming under the gaze of a thousand eyes, and Yurika having a blank look but is definitely trembling in nervousness.

"Mineta! Kaminari! You tricked us, didn't you?!" To say Momo is mad is an understatement, and to think she even made the cheerleading outfits.

"I'll tear their limbs out..." Yurika muttered, loud enough to be heard by Mineta and Kaminari - sending shudders all over their body. Terrified for their life.

"They are really idiots." Jirou said, embarrassed.

"Well, we might as well do it until the real battle begins, since we've got time and being stressed about it would just be tiring." Hagakure cheered, trying to lift up the girl's mood.

"No way I'm doing this." Yurika started walking away but was pulled by Hagakure herself. "It's isn't?! Come on! Let's have a go!" She excitedly said, waving her pompoms.

"Tooru actually like this, huh?" Tsuyu commented.

Yurika only clicked her tongue, but joined them in nonetheless.

☾︎☀︎︎☽︎

"All right everyone! Compete your hearts out! Recreation!"

"After that, it's the final event! From four teams, twenty individuals have made it through! It's a tournament!"

"We're pitting them against each other! It's one on one combat!"

"A tournament eh? Finally, I'm gonna have the opportunity to appear on the stage that i see on the tv every year." Kirishima excitedly pumped his fist, grinning from ear to ear. Koharu who heared him, smiled adoringly and patted his shoulder in a supportive way.

"There was a tournament last year too?" Mina asked.

"Some details end up changing, but each year is always one vs one." Sero answered Mina's question, Koharu humming in understanding. But suddenly getting nervous.

"One vs one!? Does that mean I'll have to fight Ako-chan and Yurika-sama at some point of this tournament!?" She nervously thought.

Oh, she definitely doesn't want to go against either of them. Ako is a calculating princess, she always had a back up plan - also, she watches every move of her opponents, adding it into her database. Koharu is sure all of her database about her is saved by Ako, so she basically knew everything about her!

As for Yurika, she's just straight up merciless! If she thinks you're a worthless opponent, she'll end the battle right away - but when you give her a worthy fight, she'll make you suffer!

Koharu got shivers all over her body as she recalled the fights Yurika had with a very arrogant noble who wants to take the fourth seat which rightly belonged to Yurika. Koharu never wants to be that person.

She flinched when she heard Midnight voice, snapping her out of her little space.

"Now, we're going to do a drawing to determine to pairings. So, contestants, we're going to continue with recreational events before beginning the tournament."

As Midnight continue explaining about the upcoming tournament, Ojiro's hand raised which gathered the attention from the others, and also from Midnight herself.

"I..."

They stared curiously at him, waiting for him to start. "I don't want to participate."

Ako tilted her head in confusion, watching the whole ordeal.

"Ojiro!? Why!?"

"You're not gonna have many opportunities like this one to show off your abilities infront of the professional heroes!"

Ako and Yurika just watched them in the sidelines, hearing his reasons as to why he is going to withdraw, Ako smiled proudly at her classmate. While Yurika only scrutched up her nose. "Still, it's a waste." She commented.

"But that's a very cool thing to do. He's an honest one." Ako said to Yurika - her eyes searching for Shinso's figure after she said that. Realising that she actually hasn't congratulated him for coming this far.

After a few people withdrew from the last round, the pairing finally showed.

Ako is paired with Mina, Yurika with Kaminari, and Koharu with Bakugo.

When Koharu saw Bakugo's name with her, she froze up. She's going against that mad dog?!

"Should I be glad i won't be fighting Ako-chan and Yurika-sama, or terrified that i actually had to face this monstrous brute?" She started trembling terribly, her whole body vibrating in nervousness. And Ako fortunately noticed Koharu's trembling figure.

  Ako slapped her back with a grin, "You can do it, Koharu! You're strong, just keep in mind you can do better than you think!"

  Koharu felt thankful for Ako's word of encouragement, but it really wouldn't work right now. Nonetheless, she doesn't want to disappoint the feline princess.

"I'll do my best."

"That's my girl!"

  Ako looked back at the screen and saw Shinso's name paired with Midoriya. That surprised her, since she supports both of them.

"Mhh..."

  As everyone proceeded on the recreational event, all of them had different thoughts swirling in their heads. Both worry and excitement painted the venue.

   Koharu sighed and decided to relax first. before she fights Bakugo later at the tournament. Unlike Ako and Yurika, she doesn't posses the instinct of fighting and the unrealistic intelligence of both of the princess. For Koharu, Yurika and Ako were the like twins.

But her.

There's nothing special about her, asides from being a succubus and her alluring scent - she's completely a disgrace of her bloodline.

  "Huh? Koharu-san, you're also here. I thought you're with Saotome-san and Todou-san." Midoriya's voice snapped her out off her depressing thoughts.

She smiled at him, "I'm here to calm my nerves down, since I don't think I can fight Bakugo-kun head on.." At the end of her sentence, she hid her eyes under the veil of her hair.

   "Of course you can! You're really strong Koharu-san!" Midoriya tried to cheer her up, but instead got a wary smile.

  "Midoriya-kun, I'm not as strong as Ako-chan and Yurika-sama. You might think I am strong, but I only felt strong when I'm with them. I'm not confident enough to face someone strong without them beside me."

   Midoriya's comforting smile froze in place when he heard that Koharu is actually insecure of Ako and Yurika, but not in an envying way. He was about to speak, but Koharu beat him to it.

"You see. I'm not proud like Ako-chan, I don't trust my abilities and I don't like them either, unlike Ako-chan who always trusted her abilities deeply. And Yurika-sama is also confident, she may be a coward like me, but she's brave for facing her fears. Unlike me. I'm actually useless without them, i don't even know what I am going to do without them anymore —"

Koharu was abruptly interrupted when Midoriya's hands softly cupped her cheeks, facing her upwards to his serious face. Her eyes widened in surprise, she did not expect him to actually stop her and cup her cheeks too!

"Koharu-san, you're a different person from them. We have our own weakness and our strength, please do not compare yourself to them, because you are yourself."

"M-Midoriya-ku—" She was about to tell him to not get too close to her face but got interrupted again, her face started heating up in embarrassment as he neared his face even more. She could clearly see his cute freckles.

"You are kind, and that is your strength. You are considerate, caring, loving, gentle, soothing, understanding. What part of that is not your strength? Koharu-san, you're such a strong person, for always accepting your flaws - and not changing yourself."

Koharu just watched Midoriya tell her these words with a blushing face, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Believe in yourself more, Koharu-san." He smiled, comforting the girl under his gaze. But when he noticed how close their face are, his face started heating up - he quickly removed his hands and his face away from her, whose face is equally red as his.

"I-I'm sorry Koharu-san! I got carried away!" He immediately apologised, not wanting to offend the girl anyhow. Koharu merely giggled, appreciating what Midoriya said.

"Thank you for knocking some sense in me, Midoriya-kun. I really appreciate it." She softly smiled.

Midoriya had to stop for a moment when he saw such a beautiful smile from Koharu. Shades of pink dusting under her eyes as she softly grinned, her pink lips stretching in a very alluring way - her purple eyes hidden underneath her long eyelashes.

She really is so beautiful.

  "Anyways, you kept calling me 'san' Midoriya-kun. I'm not even older than you, just call me 'Koharu' like what others do." Koharu snapped Midoriya out of his daze.

"Will that be okay?" 

"Well, of course!"

  "Then, Koharu-chan."

She nodded in response to his call, feeling really thankful of Midoriya's words - she stood up and gave him a hug - which surprised the broccoli boy. He became stiff as a statue.

  "Thank you." She whispered beside his ear, sending shivers all over his body. After that, she removed her body from his - smiling at him before she walked out, leaving him alone.

Now that Midoriya is alone, he hid his flushed face behind his palms. His expression of that restraining something within him. His heart erratically pounding in his chest, seemingly having a race with a horse. One thought stuck in his mind.

  She smelt like lavenders.

  As Koharu went out, Midoriya's words kept ringing in her ears. "It's amazing how his words had an impact in me..."

  She wondered, not having any clue at all that she unconsciously seduced the broccoli guy.

[ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ]
1690

ᴜɴᴇᴅɪᴛᴇᴅ//

....

To be continued...

   
>  Should i take it slow or fast?