After the press interviews the winners, Takara is shot through with adrenaline at the idea of all her hero dreams coming true. However, what she expects to be a wild celebration after the Sports Festival turns out to be a sleepy evening in the Heights Alliance. Most students are so exhausted from the activities and Recovery Girl's quirk that they fall asleep wherever they can.

Aiya, whose swollen cheek fades from red to purple under the bandage, rests against Araya's shoulder. His face is bandaged even more heavily, covering his split lip and temple. Morita lays with her legs across both of them. Ozaki sits slumped in an armchair with a pillow hugged tight to his chest. The afternoon sun shines in through the open window.

While their classmates doze, Takara approaches Endo on the back porch where she sits with a ball of blue yarn in her lap, just starting to knit something. The clack of her needles as she swiftly makes loops fills the air and mingles with the chatter of birds.

"Whatcha making?" the brunette asks, sitting next to her.

Endo briefly mumbles a number under her breath, then fixes her glowing gaze on Takara. "A blanket."

"A blanket? But it's spring!"

The light across Endo's cheeks glows brighter. "I-I know, but Aiya told me—well, she told Araya, but I was sorta in the conversation I guess—that she wanted a lighter blanket for warmer seasons. She—I guess she likes being cozy, but heavy blankets are like too warm so..."

She shrugs and goes back to knitting. "It was really nice what you two did today, letting me be a part of your team in the second round. And, I don't know, I guess I just feel shaken up. Today was a lot."

Takara watches the shadowy girl's hands at work. "Well, you played really well. I hope knowing that at least helps."

"So does this," Endo says, tilting her head to the needles.

"What else?"

"Anything that lets me sort through my thoughts, I guess. Puzzles, yoga," she says. "Anything that gives me something to focus my body on doing. It sorta feels like it funnels my thoughts one at a time."

Takara watches Endo's shadowy fingers diligently loop the blue yarn over her needles. She wonders how she might show the dark wisps through the fibers. The name Clarity comes to mind.

"I try to do yoga out front every morning," the girl continues. "Where I can see the sun on the ocean. It's really calm out there. Do you—would you want to come with me tomorrow?"

Takara gets the distinct impression Endo is trying to avoid eye contact as her knitting speeds up. "I'd love to! It sounds like a good way to start your day."

The shadows slow in their movement enough that Takara only now notices how much they were speeding up with the girl's anxiety. "It is," she affirms. "It's a good habit to start your day with a calm mind. Just hard to keep that throughout the day..."

"Hey, mornings are important!" Takara reminds her. "That's why I always get a big breakfast. I guess yoga is like mind-breakfast for you. Just as important! So I should try it too! I can meet you in the common room tomorrow and then we can do yoga and breakfast. That sounds fun, right?"

Endo nods, giving her a small smile.

•°•☆•°•

Later that night, the clatter of dishes fills the first floor as the students partake of various leftovers.

"Can I grab you for a minute?" Aiya asks in hushed tones over Takara's shoulder. Araya stands patiently behind her, eyebrows furrowed.

The girl blinks, then grabs her plate and stands. "Yeah, what's up?"

Her friends follow her into the kitchen as she cleans her dinner plate off. "Could we go up to my room, maybe?" the pixie inquires. Takara and Araya exchange a worried glance but follow her to the elevator anyway.

In her room on the fifth floor, Aiya flutters up to her raised bed, indicating for the others to take a seat as well. Takara vaults up to sit next to her while Araya rolls over the desk chair. He winces as he sits down, hand moving to his bandaged ribs. The pixie folds her hands in her lap, pulling on the sleeves of her grey hoodie.

"So, umm...I don't really know where to start." The girl winds a stray thread between her fingers. "You met my older sister Ema today."

Takara perks up. "Yeah! She was really cool. It must be awesome to have a pro for a sibling!"

Aiya's eyes soften ever so slightly. "It really is," she agrees. "Kaede and I have always looked up to her." At the mention of her twin's name, Takara senses the girl stiffen. She hooks her arm around Aiya's back and gives her a small squeeze. The blonde takes a deep breath and continues, "She had recommended us for admission at U.A., so we were supposed to take the other entrance exam, but..."

She tenses even more, pulling away from Takara's grasp. She inhales deeply, and her words come out in a rush. "I was sick that day and told Kaede to go without me, but she refused, and now it's like she missed out on something because of me."

They let that sit for a moment. "You still got in," Araya points out, leaning forward.

"Yes, but..." Aiya trails off, looking between them. "It's more complicated than that. If she wanted to, she could have gotten into U.A. on her own. But if I had gone to the regular exams by myself, I wouldn't have been able to get in."

Aiya returns her gaze to her sleeve, plucking the wayward string and flicking it to the floor. "The only reason I got in was because we cheated," she whispers.

Araya stills completely, his ears rotated forward to hone in on the pixie. Takara shakes her head, brow furrowed. "But siblings and students from the same schools were split up."

Aiya takes a shuddering breath, squeezing her eyes closed so she doesn't have to look at their disappointment. "My quirk is defective. Or...I'm the one that's defective, I guess. I can't really make pixie dust. It's made from happiness, and I guess I just...struggle with that sometimes. The only way I was able to use it was for Kaede to fill one of my pockets with it once we were on school grounds. Otherwise, we couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to make enough on my own."

Araya's eyes widen as he pieces it together. "Kaede doesn't have pockets in her hero costume..."

Aiya flutters from her bed to open the top drawer of her dresser. She faces the ground as Takara and Araya warily make their way over. Shedding a warm glow on the oak drawer are dozens of jars and bowls of pixie dust.

"We've stockpiled it," Aiya says, voice harder. Her expression is guarded against any potential backlash, but her eyes shimmer with fear. "I wouldn't have gotten to this point without Kaede. But all the same, I don't like feeling like I owe her something. She didn't have to sacrifice her opportunity like that."

"Is that what this is all about?" Takara asks, incredulously. She sighs, giving a relieved smile. "Kaede is perfectly fine helping you out, you know. She's your sister. Your teammate!"

Aiya slams the drawer closed. "And yet she treats me like I'm her sidekick!" The pixie storms over to her window, wings bristling behind her. "Because I asked for her help with one thing, she acts so high and mighty about everything else!"

Takara begins to follow her, but Araya puts a hand on her shoulder, eyes still on Aiya as he holds the girl back.

"It's like my diagnosis gives her permission to paint herself as the leader," Aiya continues, voice breaking. "I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm depressed, not an idiot. I can have ideas and strategize just as well as she can. But she keeps treating me like some helpless kid she needs to lead. All because I let her help once!"

"But...it was important, the way you let her help," Takara says.

Aiya sighs, running both hands over her face. "Yeah, it was. And that's what sucks about all this. I do need her. Just not for every little thing, you know?"

Araya hums—the sound a deep rumble in his chest. A sharp tooth worries at his lip, but he winces when it finds the bandage where Ito had split it earlier. "I think you need to figure out how to communicate when you need help." Aiya turns to look at him with a hardened look in her eyes, and Araya takes a step back, ears alert. "I mean both of you. She needs to understand that you don't always need her to step in, but that fact needs to be fully understood between the two of you."

Aiya flops down on her bed, letting Araya's words sink in. Takara takes a step forward, leaning up against the mattress. "You know...you know you're not a burden on her, right?"

The blonde is silent for a beat, squeezing her eyes closed, before she takes a shuddering breath. A tear traces down her cheek as she muffles a sob, sitting up to hide her face in her hands.

Takara doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her friend. The girl clenches her teeth against her cries as Araya walks over and puts his arms around the two of them. Aiya sinks into her friends' arms, silent tears of both worry and release soaking their sleeves.

•°•☆•°•

Aiya mumbles something about going to bed early, so Takara and Araya make their way back down to the common room. A heavy silence fills the elevator as they descend.

When the doors trundle open, the two catch the sight of Kaede playing a card game with Morita, Sugita, and Ohara. The redhead throws her head back in laughter at something that was said. Araya chews briefly on his bandaged lip, but walks past the table, inclined to not engage, even as his ears flatten against his head.

Takara, however, approaches and puts a hand on the pixie's shoulder as she passes. Kaede's smile dims almost imperceptibly, but she tries to brighten it. "Hey, Kara. You want in for the next game?"

The brunette shakes her head. "Maybe next time," she says, then leans down to mumble in her ear, "but you should talk to your sister."

The pixie's demeanor shifts completely. Her wings flutter once before falling utterly still. She locks eyes with her classmate, unblinking as she shields the emotions from reaching her face. "What?"

The question is more of a demand. It's cold enough that Takara is hesitant to clarify, but she does anyway. "She explained..." she struggles to find the right word without outing her friend's cheating, "stuff to us, and–"

"Us?"

The students around the table put their cards down as Kaede swivels to face Takara fully. Her wings flare behind her, creating the illusion of doubling her size.

The brunette's brows inch closer together. "Yes, me and Araya. And I think with the dust and all–"

"You don't get to think anything," Kaede exclaims, taken aback. "That wasn't for her to say."

"And why not?" Another voice cuts in. Araya prowls up to the table on silent feet. He braces his hands on Morita's chair, cocking his head to the side.

"Because it's not your business," she replies, voice entirely level as she pushes herself up to standing. With her considerable height, she and Araya stand eye to eye as they leer across the table at each other.

"It sounds like her decision if it is or not."

"She shouldn't have told you because it's not just her story to tell," Kaede states firmly. Her chin inclines slightly, raising to her full height. She continues matter-of-factly, "It's between me and her."

The pixie blinks rapidly, looking down at Takara to make sure she understands. She mumbles quietly, "It was supposed to stay between us."

"But if we can help–"

"I'm not going to start involving anyone else," Kaede snaps. "It's between me and Aiya, but it seems like she forgot that. She breaks my trust, pushes me away, and somehow manages to spin all of this to be my fault? And do you want to know what the worst part is? I don't even know if I'll have a partner after all of this. All our dreams—mine and hers—thrown out the window. She has always done this, and I don't know if I can keep picking up the pieces."

Kaede sits heavily back in her chair, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I don't know if I can do this for the rest of my life. She's my sister, and I love her, but when do I set a boundary so she stops hurting me? I always play nice, but it puts me in the same situation again and again, and it just hurts so bad."

Morita scoots her chair over and offers the pixie a shoulder to cry into. Kaede sniffles, and scrubs at her eyes with the palms of her hand. She takes a shaky breath and meets Takara and Araya's eyes in turn. "I don't want to keep getting hurt by someone I love so much. You have to understand that. I just want us to be together. But she sees me as an inconvenience, and I just don't feel valued at all."

"Hey, you're awesome," Morita assures her, rubbing the pixie's shoulder. "And you don't have to suffer alone. We can help you work things out."

Takara reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder, but Araya snaps, "bullshit." The whole table looks at him, affronted. His teeth have worked their way through the bandage on his lip, the white gauze blooming with red as the wound underneath tears open.

"What?" Kaede gasps, lip trembling.

Araya bears his teeth at her, a thin sheen of red on one of his canines. "Bullshit," he repeats, articulating each syllable. "You forget to mention that you impose yourself on her all the time. How do you expect her to endure your control issues?"

Kaede's nostrils flare, but she remains silent as the boy continues. "Even your older sister sees it. Aiya has a hard enough time on her own. She wants a partner, not somebody who constantly reminds her she's not good enough."

"I don't–"

"Just think about how it comes across," he growls, "when every shortcoming of hers is criticized."

"I...I want to help," she cries, her voice warbling. "She works so hard all the time to be the best. She wants to be the best on her own. I just want to be a part of her life. I want to help her get there. I want her to be proud that I'm by her side, not look at me with such...disdain."

Takara's eyes flick back and forth, an odd heavy feeling settling over her and freezing the words in her throat.

"Does it ever occur to you how that sounds to her?" the boy snarls.

The pixie doesn't take her eyes off Araya, but he says no more, so Takara takes up the thought. "Some things you get faster than her. And then you insist on showing her how it's done. I know you want to help, and you want to grow together, but I think she needs you to trust that she can get there through her own merits. If she needs help, I think she'll ask."

At that, Kaede whips her head around to look at Takara, a sad smile on her face. "That's the thing; she never does. She will never ask."

"She asked when it was important," Takara points out, mindful to be cryptic enough that those listening in can't gather exactly what they're talking about.

"And what about every other time? It won't hurt her pride to ask."

The brunette pauses, then asks quietly, "Are you sure?" Kaede doesn't respond, something wavering in her eyes. She seems to restrain herself from glancing at her other friends for backup. Takara decides to diffuse the tension before the girl's resolve crumbles any further in front of the whole class. "Just...talk to her."

Kaede doesn't make any indication of her decision, just sits stiffly in her chair and throws a card into the center of the table. Takara wonders if her friend is more inclined to give them the cold shoulder than waver on her stance.

Araya doesn't take his steady gaze off her. His heavy breath and the whisper of the cards is all that is heard for a minute that feels much longer than it should. Morita keeps a comforting hand on Kaede's arm despite her seeming ignorance of the intense glare.

Takara rests a hand on Araya's elbow, and he finally closes his eyes, trying to master his temper. "Let's get you a new bandage," she suggests.

He doesn't resist as she pulls him away.

Featured Character: Aiya Komatso
Quirk: Pixie
Likes: Alternative Rock