When a difficult choice comes up step back from it. Take a deep breath, and think about you, because at the end of the day you are what matters the most. You will know what the right choice is, even if it's hard stick by what you chose. Only you know what's best for you.

I hope this chapter will make you smile.

Beta: emplatinum

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Classes resumed the following day. I was a bit slow in the morning because I had to change my bedsheets after realizing I had bled through my bandages. I wasn't able to wear my usual leggings to school either because the bandages around my leg were too thick.

It felt weird going to school with bare legs—not that I was a prude, but it was always so cold in the classroom and I didn't have any light jackets (I tore holes in them and Baba was working on fixing them back up, but it would be a while) so it was either big heavy coat or be cold. Which was not fun either way.

I grabbed Baba's lunch for me and kissed her and Papa on the cheek before I teleported straight into the classroom.

'Why is it so much colder today than normal?' I thought with disdain, taking my usual seat. Goosebumps crawled up and down my arms and I pulled my school jacket tighter around me. Shōto came into the classroom and took his spot beside me, looking over at me with a furrowed brow.

"Are you okay?" Shōto asked me.

"I'm a little cold. I usually wear thick leggings to school but I can't because of the bandages," I confessed quietly.

Shōto let out a soft oh. "I have a sweater at home if you'd like it. It's thicker than the school jackets."

I gave my friend a look of sheer gratitude. "Thank you. Jeez, I really need to go shopping for more cool-weather stuff."

"It's not a problem," Shōto assured me. "It's in my dresser, third drawer. It's the red one."

With another thank you I teleported straight to Shōto's room and grabbed the aforementioned sweater. I left my school uniform jacket off and slipped on the nice and cozy soft sweater with glee. Shōto's dresser was heated—because rich boys have heated dressers apparently—so the sweater was nice and toasty as if it had just been taken out of a dryer.

I popped back to my seat and sighed contentedly. "This is perfect. Thank you."

Shōto shrugged. "I'm not wearing it, no reason not to let you have it."

"You're the best," I told him, then sniffed at the sweater. "Ah, it smells like you!"

Shōto's cheeks turned red but before I could tease him Izuku and Ochaco came into the classroom. Ochaco beamed at seeing me. "Kiyo-chan! All better?"

I gestured towards my bandaged leg. "On light duty for the week, but I'll be golden by the weekend I hope."

Ochaco slid into her seat and looked at my leg worriedly. "Does it hurt? Do you have to skip gym?"

"It's a little throbby, but not painful enough to really comment on it," I answered. "I'll be fine, please don't worry about me."

"Don't be silly," Izuku said. "We're your friends, of course we're going to worry."

I smiled in response at that. "You're sweethearts, you know that?"

"Sweet like candy," Ochaco declared. "Ah! I wanted to ask you yesterday but I forgot—have you trained with Aizawa-sensei before? The both of you fought really well together, or at least it looked that way to me."

A sense of discomfort briefly settled over me before it disappeared. "Not in a situation like that. I've had experience fighting, though, and Cactus-sensei and I have sparred. I don't really remember those occasions, but I've been told they were interesting to watch."

"You don't remember?"

I blushed. "It happens. Sometimes I have blank spots in my memories, but it's nothing to concern yourself with. Shishō has already looked into it and assured me it's nothing detrimental, or to be worried about."

Ochaco frowned at that. "That still seems a little scary."

Before I could respond to that Aizawa walked in, perfectly healthy and sleep-deprived. "Let's get to work. The U.A. sports festival is drawing near."

Most of the students shouted, "That's a super normal school event!"

Aizawa went on to describe the event, stating it would happen in about a month. Since I knew all that information already it was a little hard not to tune out, especially when I was distracted by something else.

The sweater was supernaturally cozy.

When I thought no one was looking I gave the sweater another sniff and wondered how I could replicate it. Shōto always smelled nice, so I found his scent comforting. Maybe if I could replicate it—or hold onto something that smelled nice—then on the nights I couldn't sleep over I could sleep with that instead?

'Would he let me keep this?' I wondered, then immediately dismissed the thought. It'd be rude to straight up ask for his sweater indefinitely.

Aizawa started up lessons shortly afterwards, but I still had trouble focusing. When it was finally time for lunch my friends headed out of the classroom, but I stayed in my seat. Ochaco inquired if I would be tagging along, but I told her I had to change my bandages.

I headed back home temporarily to do so and when I was back in the classroom only Shōto remained at his seat, calmly eating his bento.

I cocked my head at the scene. "You don't want to eat with everyone else?"

"Sometimes it's nice to have a quiet lunch. The cafeteria is a bit on the loud side," Shōto explained, glancing down at the novel he was reading while he ate. "And I'm at a good part."

I nodded my head in understanding and opened up my lunch to eat beside him.

We enjoyed our quiet lunch together, each reading our separate novels.

It was with great reluctance that I gave Shōto back his sweater after class.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

At the end of the day Ochaco asked me, "Do you wanna come over, Kiyo-chan?"

"I'd love to, but today I have detention with Cactus-sensei," I apologized. "I can come over later tonight though, if that's okay?"

Ochaco gave me a thumbs-up. "Okay! I'll have dinner for ya."

"Thanks!"

"Why do you have detention?" Izuku asked me, a frown on his face.

"... To learn self-preservation."

"That is an important skill," Shōto deadpanned, "that you utterly lack."

"That's not true!" I objected.

"Well, have fun with that," Izuku said.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Aizawa looked down at me, tired eyes peering at me with a level of sternness and intensity that made me want to look away. "Kiyo-chan, do you know why you're here?"

"To learn about the importance of self-preservation," I obediently recited.

"Do you know why?"

"Because I acted recklessly and needlessly endangered myself?" I guessed. "In my defense, though, I still stand by my initial reasons. You rely on working the back line, you're not a frontline fighter. I was able to draw more attention to myself because I appeared to be the easier target between the two."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

"And we had to think about the other students. None of them have had experience dealing with this sort of thing. At least I've trained for it in simulations with older students," I pointed out. "From a logical view, it makes the most sense for—"

"Enough," Aizawa cut me off. "You are incorrect. You are still a student, experience and training aside. You should have stayed with the group and assisted 13 in protecting them from villains that escaped me. You should have used that experience to get your fellow students out of harm's way. Instead, you recklessly threw yourself into the masses, and your classmates were ultimately separated and put into dangerous situations."

His words nettled with me, and I felt my stomach clench unpleasantly. "I see."

"You prioritized violence over rescue," Aizawa finished softly.

"Oh," was all I could say. Reflecting on it, Aizawa was correct. I immediately saw a threat and instead of focusing my efforts on protecting my friends, I moved to eliminate the threat. At the time I believed the two were the same, but in hindsight I was wrong. By placing myself in the heart of the fray, I made it near impossible to keep a close watch on my classmates, thus leaving them vulnerable to attack.

(It could briefly be argued that was not my responsibility because I was a student, but that argument went out the window when my actions essentially screamed for me to be treated like a hero already.)

Heroes couldn't avoid violence, but they should never seek it out; and definitely shouldn't choose it over protecting.

Feeling chastised and more than a little embarrassed (humiliated), I looked down and clenched my hands into fists.

Softly, sincerely, I said, "I'm sorry."

Aizawa made an affirming sound. "Now you are. Get started on your essay."

"Yes, sir."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Once detention was over, I checked my phone.

Do you want to borrow another sweater tomorrow? Shōto asked me.

Yes, please. I didn't even hesitate in that response. I still couldn't believe how cozy that sweater was, and I was curious if it was the one sweater, or if all of Shōto's sweaters were comfortable.

Okay. I'll bring some to school. You can hold on to them however long you want. I don't need them.

My cheeks warmed at that, and I felt a rush of gratitude towards my dearest companion.

... (ówò)ﾉ I love you. You're my hero.

I know.

His response made me snort, and I held my phone close to my chest for a moment before deciding to head over to Ochaco's.

"Hi, Ocha-chan!" I greeted as I teleported into Ochaco's apartment.

The cutie looked up from what she was focusing on at the stove and gave me a beaming smile. "Kiyo-chan, hi! How was detention?"

My nose crinkled. "Boring."

"I've heard that's how detentions go," Ochaco said, rocking to the ball of her heel before dramatically flipping over an omelet. It landed perfectly. "Yes!"

I applauded her. "Good flip!"

Ochaco grinned smugly. "I'm an omelet master. No egg is unflippable to me!"

I bowed to her. "Long live the Omelet Master. Praise be to the Omelet Master."

Ochaco switched off her burner and set the skillet aside. She puffed up her chest in a dramatic fashion and preened. The display made me snort a giggle, which caused Ochaco to laugh. With her usual kind smile she asked me, "What would you like to drink? I've got milk, water, and a couple selections of tea."

"Ooh, what kind of tea?"

"Um," Ochaco responded, scrunching up her face before she turned abruptly towards one of her cabinets. She opened it, displaying an impressive amount of junk food and a tiny little stack of tea boxes. She read them off, "White peach, Green orange, and some good ol' English Breakfast."

"White peach, please," I told her. She plucked out the box and flipped on a steamer. Then she plopped the freshly made omelet onto a plate, and I noticed she already had a second omelet plated. I helped her carry the plates over to her low table in the living room. Her couch was cluttered with textbooks, and workbooks.

Ah, that reminded me.

"How did the scholarship exam go?" I asked her.

"Well, I think it went well. The practical is this coming weekend, but Nezu-sensei said he would still verbally quiz me during it."

I nodded, recalling my own exams. "Yeah. The questions aren't as hard as the written, but he'll time you."

Ochaco grimaced. "I figured. I've been reviewing as much as I can. He's not gonna ask math questions, is he?"

I laughed. "No. It'll be practical stuff, like what do you do in an earthquake?"

"Oh, thank goodness."

I patted her the shoulder consolingly. The steamer went off and she poured us some hot water in cups before placing the tea bags in them. While the tea brewed we chatted for a bit more, and then Ochaco put in Cinderella to watch while we ate.

It was a pleasant night.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

The next day after school I suggested that the whole group got together that weekend.

Izuku was surprised by that. "What are you wanting to do?"

I beamed. "One of my aunties gave me six tickets to Disneyland in Tokyo."

Ochaco let out a squeal similar to a pterodactyl and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist and spinning me around. "Are you serious!?"

Laughter escaped me as I spun around. "Yeah! She was gonna take her grandkids, but they all had other plans, so... You guys up for it? Pretty please?"

"It sounds like a perfectly safe adventure," Izuku said, sighing with relief. "I'd love to go."

"I think I can go," Shōto said after a pause. "It's only for one day, right?"

"Yeah," I told him. "We can go on Sunday, since Ocha-chan is taking her exam Saturday."

Ochaco let out another squeal, hopping up and down and picking me up with her. "It'll be my reward!"

"Great! I'll go ask Bocchan, and then we can set up the time to meet up, yeah?"

"Think Kacchan will wanna come?" Izuku inquired dubiously. "He's not much of a crowd person."

I shrugged. "He might. He'll get pissy if I don't at least ask, though."

"Ah, that's true."

Since Ochaco was still hugging me, I had to send a text to him instead. Going to Disneyland this Sunday. Me, Ocha, Sho, Izu... and now you! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Katsuki: Declined.

Me: Come on, you know you wanna.

Katsuki:No. Fuck off.

Me: C'mon, Bocchan! We all would love it if you played with us.

Katsuki:No.

Me: Please?

Katsuki:No.

Me: ( 。◕ヮ◕。 ) Please?

Katsuki: Ask again and I'll kill you.

With a sigh I put away my phone. "Yeah, he's not coming."

Shōto gave me a consoling pat on the shoulder.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

The week went by pretty quick after the decision was made. While Katsuki didn't want to tag along, he did demand I bring him back a souvenir since I bothered him about it in the first place.

We all got to the park early, each of us taking the bullet train out to Tokyo (since I couldn't teleport Ochaco with us, it felt rude for her to be the only one to have to take the train). Despite the early hour it was, of course, completely crowded and busy.

That didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves.

We got about six good rides in before it was time for the lunch break, and the four of us found a shaded area and munched on the bentos Baba made for us. We sat on the stone wall, lined up, and passed the side dishes amongst ourselves.

Ochaco took a huge gulp of her water and let out a big breath. "Boy! What a day."

"The lines sure are big," Izuku said. "I'm glad we were able to get that many rides in."

"The fast pass helps, I think," I observed.

"Are all amusement parks all like this?" Shōto asked.

Izuku leaned in front (as I sat in between him and Shōto, with Ochaco on Izuku's other side) to give Shōto a look of surprise. "You've never been to one?"

Shōto shook his head. "No. There wasn't much reason for me to go to one before."

"They're great. I used to go to them a lot when I was younger," Ochaco said with a grin. "But I've never been to Disneyland. This place is huge."

Nodding emphatically, I said, "I've only been to the little carnivals they had at the nearby towns. I think if I came here by myself I would have been overwhelmed."

"I think you would have been fine," Shōto disagreed.

"You're sweet for thinking that," I laughed, reaching over and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. Then I looked up at the pretty blue sky. "But I've never been around so many people before! And it's so crowded. Ah, wow, that cloud looks like a bunny."

When I got no response I curiously looked at my friends. Shōto was red-faced and staring intently at his rice, while Ochaco and Izuku were blushing and gaping at me. I blinked at the odd the display.

"What?" I asked.

"N-Nothing!" Ochaco quickly answered. "Ah, sorry, I didn't realize you two were dating. I mean I know most of the class thinks that, but—"

"We aren't dating, Sho-chan's never asked me out," I corrected her. "Ah, was it the kiss? Sorry, I don't do it often but sometimes it just happens. I'm not sure if you guys have noticed, but I'm a very affectionate person."

"Anyone who has ever met you knows that," Izuku chuckled. "S-Sorry for the presumption."

"It's no big deal. I spaced out there a bit," I said, blushing. It wasn't that I was embarrassed about kissing Shōto on the cheek—I had done that plenty of times before, after all, although it would be the first time in front of our friends—so much as they were making it to be bigger than it was. It was a gesture of strong affection, nothing more.

Shōto shifted beside me. "The class thinks we're dating?"

"Um, well, yeah," Ochaco said. "You guys always eat together, leave together, usually go to class together, and Kiyo-chan even wore your sweaters this week. Finally, no offense Todoroki-kun, but you're a lot nicer to Kiyo-chan than anyone else."

Shōto blinked. "Oh."

I scratched my cheek. "Huh."

The two of us looked over at each other—both of us still blushing (and I felt bad I embarrassed him)—then we shrugged and returned to the food.

"So the cloud looks like a rabbit?" Shōto asked, looking up. "Which one?"

I squinted at the sky. "It looks like a top hat now."

"Oh, I see it."

Izuku and Ochaco exchanged glances, then Ochaco burst into giggles and Izuku snorted out a snicker. Ochaco pointed up and said, "I think that one looks like a dog!"

"Hey, it kinda does," Izuku and I agreed.

And we continued to enjoy our lovely day at the park.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

"Bocchan, look! I got you a Rapunzel dress. AH! Stop! Stop hitting me! I kid, I kid. It was for your mom. Here, I got you food instead!"

◟(◕◡◕❀)

The days passed by in a comfortable manner. My leg healed well, I was able to keep the bandages off after the first week. Our classes resumed in a normal manner, and every day after school I would spend time with one of my friends. On the weekends I would work the farm with Baba and Papa, and finish my homework.

After about a month of normalcy the routine was shaken up with the arrival of the annual Sports Festival.

I shot up in bed, excited and anxious. My alarm clock read out the numbers 4:30 and I knew for sure I would not be going back to sleep.

Feeling thoroughly pumped I hopped out of bed and texted Nezu. I'm gonna make you super-duper proud!

The best teacher in the whole world immediately responded back. I'll be super-duper waiting! Nemuri-chan will give you a special surprise at the festival, so do your best, okay?

My resounding squeal woke Baba and Papa up and they took one look at me before rolling their eyes and getting up for the day. Baba fixed me up some tea while Papa forced me to sit still while he brushed my hair.

"We'll all be watching you," Baba said, placing the steaming cup of white tea in front of me. "We'll be over at Hana-chan's place to watch it on their big T.V."

"That's right," Papa said, quickly untangling my knotty hair. "High resolution!"

"So everyone's gonna be watching me?" I asked, my stomach flip-flopping. "Oh, boy."

Baba kissed my forehead. "We'll be rooting for you. We know you'll do great."

"You'll always be our little girl, though, so don't push yourself too hard," Papa warned me.

"I know, I know. I'm going to do my absolute best, though."

"We know," they said.

When it got a bit closer to decent hours I sent out texts to each of my friends.

To Katsuki: Let's do our best!

(He responded with: Try for second place, Bubblegum. I'll be taking first.)

To Izuku: Let's kick some booty!

(He responded with: Yep! Good luck!)

To Ochaco: Good luck, buttercup! ;)

(She responded with: Right back at you, honeypie! ;) )

To Shōto: Let's have some fun together, 'kay?

Shōto didn't respond. Which was odd—he was very good about responding—but I didn't put much thought into it. I headed to school and we were immediately rounded up and sent to the locker rooms to put on our gym clothes.

Then we were sent off to a waiting room, and I sat beside Ochaco and Katsuki, practically vibrating in my seat with anxiety.

Katsuki snapped, "Would you calm down?"

"How can you not be pumped?" I demanded. Izuku slid into a seat beside Ochaco.

Katsuki smirked. "Because I already know the outcome."

"Knowing that I'm going to win doesn't make me any less nervous," I dismissed.

"Eh? Big talk for a bubblegum princess," Katsuki taunted.

"Eh? Big talk for a spoiled cry baby," I retorted.

He slammed his hands on the desk, standing up with a growl. "Wanna go, twinkletoes?"

"I'm so gonna kick your ass," I declared.

"How about we don't start fights right before the festival," Ochaco hesitantly put in.

"That seems like sound advise," Izuku agreed.

Shōto came in and I waved at him, putting on a huge smile. I had to admit I felt a little calmer when I saw my best friend. Shōto froze when he looked at me, almost like a deer in headlights, then his posture stiffened and he abruptly turned away.

Thrown for a loop at that, I frowned. Then Katsuki's next taunt caught my attention and I was back to shit-talking my friend and riling him up.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

"Okay! Are you ready? It's time for the first year class to enter!"

My heart was pounding so loud I thought for sure it would jump straight out of my chest and start a fifty-meter dash. My hands were profusely sweating and I honestly couldn't feel my legs. Yet I moved with the class when they told us it was time to head out, and I followed closely behind Ochaco and Izuku as they lead the class out into the field of the arena.

The U.A. arena for the first year group was massive, unsurprisingly. It was an extravagant colosseum and packed with hundreds of thousands citizens all cheering. Present Mic shouted across the intercom, "The U.A. sports festival! The huge battle where fledgling heroes sharpen their swords once a year. Anyway, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero course, Class 1-A, right?!"

Our class continued to walk across the grass as the crowd roared its approval. I heard my classmates chatter quietly amongst each other about the crowd, but I was so nervous I could barely do anything more than focus on trying not to trip.

I did not succeed.

Thankfully Katsuki grabbed the back of my shirt before I did more than stumble and sneered. "You're a fucking klutz today, aren't you?"

I wheezed. "So. Many. People."

"Victory will be laughably easy, then."

"Shuddup."

"They haven't been getting as much airtime, but this class is also full of talent!" Present Mic boomed as Class 1-B came out. "Next up, general studies Classes C, D, and E! Support course, Classes F, G, and H are here, too! And business course, Classes I, J, and K! All of U.A.'s first years are here now."

The classes lined up in accordance and Nemuri (Also known as R-Rated Hero Midnight) stepped up onto the platform. She wore her dazzling smile and waved her whip before shouting, "Be quiet! Representing the students is Kiyomi Marin from Class 1-A!"

A choked sound escaped my lips as I remembered Nezu's morning text to me.

'This was his special surprise!? I don't have anything prepared!'

Still, my legs robotically moved on their own and I approached the stage. Nemuri, one of the few teachers that helped train me, smiled softly at me and winked. "Just keep smiling, Kiyo-chan."

The smile I wore at the café immediately took over my face and I approached the microphone.

'What do people say in this?! Oh my God what if I'm not wearing pants?!' I immediately looked down and felt immeasurable amount of relief that I was in fact wearing pants.

"Sa, are you ready for the pledge?" Nemuri asked.

"Y-Yes," I managed. "I pledge—I pledge—to promote—to promote positivity, play fairly, and do my absolute best."

Nemuri giggled cutely and clapped her hands. "Ah! Nezu-kun was right, your face was priceless."

'That's harassment!' I inwardly cried, moving quickly off the platform. 'Betrayed! I feel so betrayed, Shishō! How could you?!'

"Okay," Nemuri said, "Let's get started right away, then! The first game is what you'd call a qualifier. Every year, many drink their tears here. Now, here is the fateful first game!"

A massive screen lowered behind Nemuri, and like a slot machine it whirled around many choices before settling on: Obstacle Race.

Nemuri looked back at the screen. "All 11 classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium; about four kilometers. Our school's selling point is freedom." Nemuri licked her lips. "As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do. Now take your places everyone!"

A red gate at the far end of the arena lit up, signalling itself as the starting point.

The first round was ridiculously in favor of anyone with a speedy Quirk, but I supposed that was only fitting. There would be a lot of situations and environments that were advantageous for certain Quirks, and disadvantageous for others. How to overcome the disadvantages, or capitalize on the advantages to the fullest was an essential skill.

I could play it fair and only run instead of using my teleportation Quirk, but I wanted to win the whole thing. Nezu pressed that it was an important tournament and that I ought to give it my best go.

So, I decided I would go ahead and use my teleportation Quirk. I'd teleport enough so I was ahead of the group, but in small enough bursts that it wouldn't put a drain on my wand. I still had at least two more rounds to go, after all.

Still, the fact that the race was so obviously in my favor... I looked over at Katsuki and smirked.

The tsundere glared at me with all the hate he could muster.

The counter started and as soon as it hit zero the gates opened up to the outside of the stadium and the students rushed through the tiny gap. I looked at the sky and immediately teleported above and through the tunnel, finding myself pretty high off the ground.

Then to my utter surprise the tunnel I had only recently left filled with Shōto's ice Quirk.

Shōto sprinted out of the tunnel, leaving behind a frozen pathway and freezing almost all the student body behind him.

"Wow, nice going, Sho-chan!" I cheered for him.

Shōto looked up at me briefly, then a scowl twisted over his face and he sprinted forward.

'Ah, maybe he feels competitive?' I thought to myself. 'That's a good thing! He's never been able to really be a part of these things before, so the fact that's really getting into it...'

Happiness bloomed inside my chest for him.

'But I won't go easy just 'cause I like you!'

I teleported ahead of him, then again once more. It wasn't long before him and the other students were dots in the background.

'I don't know if Shishō put Magi Dust on this course, so I gotta take as big of a lead as I can.'

Of course that was equally unlikely as it was likely. The course had to pose some opposition, but it would be unfair to completely hinder or cancel out someone's Quirks in a festival like such. It would be a toss up on Nezu's mood when he designed the challenges. Did he feel generous and leave out the wretched stuff? Or did he want to pose more of a challenge?

The answer came when I reached the final stretch and I found that I couldn't teleport to the end gate.

It was a big stretch of seemingly untouched dirt but that practically screamed booby trap.

So I summoned up one of my bubbles, hopped on it, and slowly drifted across the field. I stayed a good five meters above the ground, eyeing it warily.

Then I reached the end, my fellow students nowhere to be found, and I crossed the finish line.

Present Mic's voice boomed across the intercom, "And to no surprise our resident Magi Quirk user is the first to complete the obstacle course; yes, U.A.'s very own Kiyomi Marin!"

The crowd screamed and stomped, and Present Mic and Aizawa went back to talking about the rest of the students.

Nemuri was waiting for me, smirking. "I told him to put the dust everywhere."

"That would have been cruel after what you two already did," I accused her. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

She laughed. "Well, I'm looking forward to how well you'll do in the next game."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her. "You didn't persuade Shishō to do something perverted, did you?"

She gave a mock-gasp. "Me? Perverted? I have no idea what you mean, Kiyo-chan."

"I will tell Cactus-sensei on you again," I threatened.

"Tch. It's not my fault you teleported into the strip club."

"You told me to teleport straight to you!" I cried out. "I'm scarred for life from what I saw."

"Your future husband or wife will thank me for it later, I'm sure," Nemuri dismissed breezily.

"Todoroki from Class 1-A! He attacked and defended in one hit!" Present Mic shouted.

Nemuri's eyes narrowed with a smug glee and she licked her lips. "Ooh, yes. Todoroki-kun, I remember you telling me about him."

"You are not taking him to a strip club!"

She giggled adorably. "I wouldn't, he's a tad too young for me. Still, it's cute how he took the exams with you."

My shoulders lifted into a shrug. "Well, since we had to take the Entrance Exams, might as well do it together, yeah?"

"He didn't."

"Huh?"

"He didn't have to. He already had a free pass to the school," Nemuri told me gleefully. "But he asked to still attend. Isn't that adorable?"

My cheeks warmed immediately and I felt a rush of nervous energy go through me. "U-Um."

"My cute little students," Nemuri cooed, "so young and in love."

"U-Um."

"Ah! That face! I'm so glad this is on camera so Nezu-kun can't miss it," Nemuri cackled, clapping her hands together. I promptly buried my face in my hands so she couldn't find any more amusement with it. "You actually covered your face now, oh my gosh you're so innocent."

"So mean."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

A brief interlude with Nezu

Nezu looked over at the television that was broadcasting the first year. He was obviously recording it through his own security cameras to look over it after the festival, but he still wanted to see it live.

"Ah, look at my adorable little student growing up," Nezu mock sniffed. "It was only yesterday I had a cute little girl following me around and calling me Shishō... hanging onto my every word."

"She still does that," Ryo Inu deadpanned.

"But not as much," Nezu whined. "Oh, look at that face of utter mortification!"

"Your sadistic streak is starting to show a bit, Nezu-san..."

End of the interlude

◟(◕◡◕❀)

I stood at the end, listening to Aizawa and Present Mic talk about the race. It sure did seem like it would have been a difficult one if I had been Quirkless. When everyone got to that stretch of dirt that I had to float over, I couldn't repress my surprise at finding out it was a minefield.

'How brutal. I feel so bad for the students not in the hero course,' I thought.

When I could finally see Shōto and Katsuki in the distance I beamed and waved at the two of them. "Sho-chan! Bocchan! Do your best."

Suddenly, Izuku shot out above them from a massive explosion, a wicked grin on his face. He was hugging some kind of piece of metal and as he neared the ground he abruptly launched himself from it (with power that made me think he was using his Quirk) and tumbled into the air.

He somersaulted for several meters before popping back up and sprinting across the finish line. "S-SAFE!"

I cheered and ran over to my friend throwing my arms around him and hugging him. "That was great! That looked just like the time I made you go white water rafting with me and we tumbled over the waterfall—"

"And I had to jump from the boat to you before we hit the rocks, yes, I remember," Izuku said, a weary look on his face as he recalled the adventure. "Our adventures have really helped me adapt to crazy situations, I think."

"Hooray for that," I said, beaming.

He coughed, and which caused me to realize he was out of breath and pretty sweaty. I took a step back to give him some breathing room, listening to the crowd scream out its approval. My own victory was lackluster, and boring; whereas Izuku made quite a splash.

Shōto and Katsuki had crossed the line in that time, and Katsuki was thoroughly pissed and breathing heavily. Shōto, equally out of breath, was looking up at the sky.

I moved to approach him, but he walked away.

'Oh, maybe he needs a moment to recollect himself?'

So I hopped on over to Katsuki, wiggling my eyebrows up and down.

"I fucking hate you," he wheezed. "Come here so I can hit you."

I squatted down to look him in the eyes, since he was bent over. "Don't worry 'bout it. There's two more rounds, and they can't all be races. There's no way they won't have a fighting competition."

A smirk crawled back on his face. "And I'll be breaking your legs."

"That's the spirit."

The rest of the students started to arrive, one by one. I joined Ochaco and Izuku, enjoying their happy attitudes about the whole ordeal. Ochaco gushed about the two of us, her eyes brimming with joy on our behalf, and a determined smile on her face.

After everyone had arrived, Nemuri took to the center stage with an air of glee. "The first game of the first-year stage is finally over. Now take a look at the results."

Class A: Kiyomi Marin

Class A: Izuku Midoriya

Class A: Shōto Todoroki

Class A: Katsuki Bakugou

Class B: Ibara Shiozaki

Class B: Juzo Honenuki

Class A: Tenya Iida

Class A: Fumikage Tokoyami

Class A: Hanta Sero

Class A: Eijirō Kirishima

Class B: Tetsutetsu Testsutestu

Class A: Mashirao Ojiro

Class B: Yosetsu Awase

Class A: Tsuyu Asui

Class A: Mezo Shoji

Class B: Rikido Sato

Class A: Ochaco Uraraka

Class A: Momo Yaoyorozu

Class A: Minorou Mineta

Class A: Mina Ashido

And on the list went.

"The top 42 made it through to the next round. It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it. We've prepared other chances for you to shine. The real competition begins next!" Nemuri's eyes barely glanced over to me, but I could practically feel her sadistic glee at what was to come next.

'Why am I so worried? I'm sure they wouldn't do anything super cruel,' I consoled myself.

She waved her whip around and the screen rolled. "Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be? I just said it now, so here it is: Cavalry Battle!"

'A team oriented one, now?' I thought.

"Now let me explain. The participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish. It's basically the same as a regular cavalry battle, but the one thing that's different is based on the results of the last game each person has been assigned a point value."

'So everyone each team is worth different points depending on who's... Oh, no.'

(The voices started laughing)

Nemuri's eyes gleamed with delight, a cruel smile curling her lips.

"The points assigned go up by five starting from the bottom. So 42nd place gets five points and 41st gets ten points. And the point value assigned to first place is ten million!"

I shuddered as I felt the gaze of many students on me. My stomach churned anxiously at their intense looks and I couldn't resist fiddling with my fingers. I had done a splendid job of getting over my social anxiety thanks to the café, but having so many practically glare at me was incredibly uncomfortable.

'This is cruel! You are so friggin' cruel, Shishō. You knew I would get first place...!'

(Oh how they howled with laughter)

Nemuri's elated expression made me want to go back home and crawl into bed. "Yes. Yes. It's survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top! Those at the top will suffer more. You'll hear this many times as you attend U.A.: This is what Plus Ultra means. Kiyomi Marin, who placed first in the qualifier, is worth ten million points.

"Now then, I will explain the rules of the cavalry battle. The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members' points and the riders will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can. Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So the more you steal, the harder it'll be to manage them. And the most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen or if your team falls, you're not out.

"During the game, it'll be cruel to fight where you can use your Quirks. But it is still a cavalry battle. You'll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose. You'll be removed immediately. Now you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. Start!"

I made a beeline towards Ochaco, practically tackling into her and crying out, "Please be on my team, Ocha-chan!"

Ochaco soothed me, "Of course I will, Kiyo-chan." She placed a consoling hand on my back and rubbed up and down. "Are you sure you want me, though?"

I squeezed her tightly, tears in my eyes. "Holy smokes yes. We're going to hide like nobody's business."

Then I looked for Shōto or Izuku, because both were powerhouses and people I could trust. I found Izuku first, because he was actually heading towards me. He gave me a lopsided grin. "Hey Kiyo-chan—"

"Be on my team," I begged/demanded.

He beamed. "Yes, please, thanks! Do you already have a plan?"

"Mm-hmm. I grabbed Ocha-chan as fast as I could," I explained to him. "I need a long distance attacker now, so Sho-chan should do."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

"Sho-chan!" I cried out, dragging Izuku and Ochaco towards him. Shōto turned away from talking with Momo. Shōto's shoulders stiffened minutely before he relaxed and gave me a small nod. "Be on my team, pretty please?"

Shōto looked at Izuku and Ochaco beside me before he looked back at me. "No."

Practically all our nearby classmates gasped in surprise at that. My eyes widened and I couldn't help but feel a teeny tiny (big, huge) sting of rejection. I tried to keep it from showing on my face, but I wasn't certain I was entirely successful. I put on a wide smile on my face like I would for customers and asked, "How come?"

"I don't want to be on your team," Shōto responded curtly.

Again I felt that little sting.

Izuku asked for me, "Why not? I thought you of all people would want to help Kiyo-chan."

Shōto's lips thinned. "She doesn't need my help."

"But she's your friend, even if she doesn't need," Izuku stressed the word, "your help, she wants it."

"I've already formed my own team," Shōto said.

Momo hesitantly added, "If you want to join Kiyo-chan's team, we would understand, Todoroki-kun."

"I'm fine," he said flatly. "You should hurry and find your last member, Kiyomi."

'Kiyomi? Not Kiyo?'

Okay that little sting was starting to maybe possibly grow a bit bigger. I didn't entirely understand why Shōto called me Kiyomi instead of Kiyo, though. I could understand him wanting to be on a different team; we couldn't possibly do everything together and it was a competition. It was logical he would want to try something on his own, and even if that made me slightly sad, I could respect that choice.

Calling me Kiyomi, however, seemed unwarranted. I couldn't think of doing anything to make Shōto upset with me—and he only called me Kiyomi, or worse Kiyomi-san, when he was annoyed or upset with me—so it made no sense for him to do so then.

Feeling a surprising amount of hurt and confusion, I responded, "Okay. Good luck, Sho-chan."

Shōto nodded. "You, too, Kiyomi-san."

I couldn't resist cringing at that form of address and once more our surrounding classmates gasped. Izuku immediately placed a consoling arm around my shoulders while Ochaco gave Shōto the most hateful glare I had ever seen from the girl. The three of us headed away from Shōto's group, and I took that minute to recollect myself.

Then there was a blur of pink and my hands were taken in by a girl with bubblegum pink hair and a gleam in her eyes. "There you are! You want me on your team, trust me. I'm Mei Hatsume."

"Okay, welcome to the team," I responded, not really caring what her Quirk was. I really only needed Ochaco for a solid victory, and everyone else would be for offense. After being rejected by my dearest friend, though, I wasn't in an offensive mood anymore. "Here's the plan: there's no need to go on the offense, and no need to let anyone else know about you guy's Quirks more than what you already showed. There's going to be another round, and we're all going to make it there, so let's save our strength for that."

Ochaco asked, "What's the plan?"

I formed a flat pink disc on the ground. "I'll be the one on top, all of you guys stand on top of this. I'll lift us up into the sky and we'll stay out of reach for the entire round. Ochaco, I'm going to need you to make us weightless as often as you can. I'll form another disc above us so we don't float off. Izu-chan, and, ah, Mei-chan, you two are in charge of batting away anyone who gets too close. I know for a fact Bocchan is probably going to launch himself into the air. If he does that, Izu-chan you are welcome to body-tackle into him and knock him back down to the ground."

"Oh, boy. He'll love that," Izuku muttered.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

When the timer began I lifted our team high above the others, frowning at the fact I would have to use two flattened bubbles to hold the weight without Ochaco. It meant I would be without any sort of offense or defense during the time I used my third bubble to keep us from floating into space.

Still, I knew many of our classmates wouldn't be able to reach us, and the ones that did would be awfully showy about it. I didn't even have to keep us in one place in the air, and I idly maneuvered my bubbles to keep us in a sporadic and random path that the others couldn't predict.

'I'll probably end up using all of my charge today,' I thought. 'I won't be able to teleport anywhere tomorrow or the day after in order to recharge. Damn, I have work tomorrow. I'll need someone to give me a ride if I go back home tonight.'

I racked my brain for anyone in town who I knew had a car that would be able to make the incredibly long drive to the city of the café. It would be a four hour drive, at least, and I didn't think anyone in town had a vehicle that would make it. I really didn't want to miss work, though.

"So," Ochaco began, "this is surprisingly relaxing."

"It's a lovely day outside," I agreed. "Hey, Ocha-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Mind if I crash at your place tonight?" I asked her. "I'll probably use up all of my wand's energy today and I don't want to miss work tomorrow."

"Ooh," Ochaco responded in realization. "That's right, you live out in the country. Of course you can stay with me! My parents will be there, too, so it might be a bit crowded."

"Oh, dang, I don't want to interrupt family time," I said. Ochaco lived by herself in an apartment near the school. She lived a couple towns away from the city, and it was decided that it would be cheaper (and easier) to get an apartment rather than pay for the expensive transportation it would take to get to school on time every day. I planned on offering to be Ochaco's personal transportation when my wand got used to her and allowed me to teleport her wherever, but that was still several months away, I feared.

I knew Ochaco missed her parents, though—she visited them every chance she got, and talked to them on the phone every night. I definitely didn't want to take away any of her precious family time.

"No, it's fine," Ochaco insisted, but my mind was made up.

"You can stay with me," Izuku offered politely.

"But didn't you say that you promised to spend time with Inko-chan tonight?" I retorted. "I'll ask Bocchan."

"Who's Bocchan?" Mei asked, tilting her head up to look at me.

I pointed towards Katsuki shouting curses on the ground. "That's Bocchan. His real name is Katsuki, but he acts like a spoiled brat so I call him Bocchan."

Ochaco giggled. "Bocchan is actually very nice, though. He likes cake."

The two of us shared knowing smiles. Ochaco had plenty of chances to see Katsuki's more civil side since she started working at the café with me. Katsuki would never throw curses around there since Sayako, our manager, would throw him out on his ear in a heartbeat. Katsuki seemed reluctant for that outcome, as he enjoyed the free treats and having me look over his homework. Despite his temper Katsuki was a studious student and honestly did his best to learn the written material as much as the practical.

It was a little chaotic below us, and I felt Ochaco use her Quirk on us. My wand gave a sigh of relief—I actually felt like I heard it sigh with relief inside my head—so I took a moment to have us float around a bit faster.

"Are you and Todoroki-kun having an argument?" Ochaco asked me, then blushed. "You don't have to answer that, but if you want to talk about it—"

"I honestly don't know," I confessed. "He's been quiet all day, but I don't remember doing anything to upset him."

"It's unlike Todoroki-kun to be upset over nothing, though," Izuku said evenly.

Mei blinked. "Todoroki-san? The one with the ice Quirk?"

"He's a childhood friend of mine," I explained to her. "He's very dear to me, you see."

"And he likes her," Ochaco added.

"He does not," I immediately disagreed. "Not in that way, at least."

Izuku and Ochaco exchanged exasperated looks.

"Let me guess: he's being a bit of a jerk," Mei surmised.

Ochaco nodded. "He called her Kiyomi-san! No one calls Kiyo-chan Kiyomi, not even our teacher. Not even Bocchan!"

Mei cocked her head. "Is he the jealous type, maybe?"

"No—"

"Yes," Izuku said firmly. "Well, sort of."

"What?" I asked, blinking in surprise. "When has he ever—?"

"You don't remember him throwing Mineta-kun off you every time he tried to hug you?" Izuku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's not being jealous, that's watching out for a friend," I dismissed.

"That's being in love," Ochaco cooed in a sing-song voice.

"Sho-chan is not in love with me," I insisted.

Mei's eyes gleamed. "But you won't deny that you're in love with him?"

My cheeks warmed. "That doesn't matter. What I feel isn't important—"

"I knew it!" Ochaco crowed. "I knew you liked him. Why don't you ask him out?"

"Because he doesn't like me," I snapped. "I'm—look, Sho-chan has a lot going on in his life. I'm never going to be the person that intentionally causes drama, or adds any stress in his life. If I were to tell him that I liked him in a non-friendship way, and he didn't feel the same, how do you think that would make him feel?"

"But he does feel the same," Izuku retorted. "It's obvious to everyone but you."

"You don't know him like I do," I disagreed. "We're close, definitely, and he trusts me. From an outside perspective it probably does look like we're together, but that's simply not the case."

"But—"

"I hug you, and Ocha-chan, and Bocchan, and all my other friends as much," I told Izuku. "I've had customers at the café think that you were my boyfriend, or Bocchan, simply because of how friendly I am with you two. Of course that's not true in the slightest, but from an outside perspective I can see how they would think that."

Izuku's cheeks flushed the moment I mentioned the word boyfriend, and he fell silent. Ochaco let out a small sigh. "I'll admit that we aren't you two, and we can't read Todoroki-kun's mind, but I still think he feels the same way you do."

"Well unless I hear the words from his mouth, I won't assume so," I retorted. "Besides, it's only a little crush. It'll go away with time, I'm sure."

Ochaco and Izuku exchanged exasperated looks, which I pretended to not notice.

I glanced down at Mei with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry for kind of dragging you into this drama. I'm sure you probably don't want to hear about this."

"It's actually very interesting," Mei told me, dismissing my apology. "And if there's anything I can do to help, I'd be happy to. Especially since you're guaranteeing us a spot in the next round!"

I reflexively smiled at her, enjoying her sincere response. "Thank you."

The four of us lapsed into silence as we watched the battles unfold below us. It came as no great surprise that no one was able to reach us. If Shōto had tried, I would have simply gone to opposite end of the arena. He couldn't cover the entire thing in ice without seriously harming himself, so I felt confident he wouldn't do so. Katsuki had gotten side tracked with a couple other teams, it seemed, so he never had the chance to try for us.

Then the timer buzzed.

The second game was over.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Shōto has his reasons, so don't hate on the poor baby. :)

I thought about completely changing the first round so Kiyomi wouldn't get such an easy first place, but then I thought you know what? Why not have fun with it?

Nemuri and Nezu are crazy delightful to write.

Answer: good food

Question: What is your strength? Your "power up?"

Reviews are love!