Kaede and Aiya haven't spoken all weekend.

While Takara can understand fighting with Kei and ignoring him for a while, it doesn't make the situation any less awkward when it comes to her two friends. In her mind, a dispute about personal comfort would have cleared up by now. She can't help but feel as though she's missing something.

As the new week of school begins, Takara stumbles into Kaede in the kitchen and decides to try to expand her view.

"How are you doing?" she asks the pixie as the two prepare their breakfasts.

Kaede sighs wearily, and her wings droop behind her, nearly touching the ground. "I'm just exhausted already."

Takara gets the impression she's not talking about the day. "Why not just talk it through?"

"You don't get it," Kaede mumbles, wrapping her arms tight around herself. "Look, we've always wanted to have our own agency one day. We were gonna be this big hero duo. And I want us to work well as a team. If we don't, then how's the agency gonna work?"

Takara listens silently as the pixie continues. "I offer some suggestions, but she takes everything so personal. And she gets up in my face telling me not to control her. It's just so tiring when she misinterprets everything I say."

"Maybe it makes her feel like she isn't doing enough," Takara suggests. "But it's clear you care about her. I'm sure she'll come around."

The pixie won't meet her eyes. "Maybe."

•°•☆•°•

Anticipation stirs up the class all through the morning. The prospect of training in their new hero costumes is enough to take Takara's mind off the fight happening between the twins. She finds her attention straying more than once to the compartments where her costume sits yet to be opened. When they're released to their heroics class, there's a mad dash for the costumes. The students all grab their cases and make their way to the locker rooms, but Takara has a problem on her hands.

"Aiya, can you help me?" the girl asks, struggling on her tiptoes to reach the case labeled "11" on the top shelf.

The pixie flies up and snatches the handle, fluttering back down to hand it off.

"You're a lifesaver!" Takara cries, walking with her after their classmates. "I'm so ready to see everyone in costumes! We're really gonna be heroes!"

"I would think you already knew that considering you got into this school." Morita slows down to talk with the two. She smirks in Takara's direction, and she feels her chest flutter with excitement.

"I mean, yeah, but this just makes it so real," she squeals, clutching the case close to her chest. They continue to their locker rooms, and Takara hastens to the first open bench to lay her case on.

The brunette clicks open the latch and eases the top open. Within, she finds a sleek kelly green fabric smoothed over the top. She pulls it out to see that it's the bottom half of a leotard, the top half being a silvery grey with a green jewel insignia on it. The fabric stretches under her pull; she just hopes it's durable.

After changing out of her U.A. uniform, she steps into the costume, the halter neck sliding easily over her head. The shorts rest midway down her thighs, and the low back allows for long crystals of jade to extend if she needs. Her arms remain completely bare so that she can use powerful attacks with the sharp rocks.

When designing the costume, Takara was mostly concerned with making sure her weaponized jade is free to attack and her protecting jade can be covered. Either way, she just needs the fabric to be elastic enough not to tear when pressure is applied to the jagged edges.

We'll have to see if this holds out, she thinks, adjusting her high neckline.

She puts on her special shoes and gloves that cover the bottoms of her feet and palms of her hands—both places where she can't grow jade. The crossed straps keep them on, yet allow plenty of room for crystals to grow between them. Additionally, her gloves are equipped with a retractable diamond cutting wire for ease mid-battle.

Upon opening her locker to place her case away, she sees a matte silver helmet hanging from a hook with the same jewel insignia as her leotard and a green spike swooping forward and up. She was wondering how they would get that to her since there's no fitting it in the case.

A helmet is an obvious choice for Takara's hero costume. Because she can't grow jade on her head where there are distinct hair follicles, the entire back of her head would be vulnerable in battle.

She puts the helmet on, admiring how snug it feels. It sits far back on her head in order to headbutt opponents with the crystals on her forehead but has extended guards along her jaw for extra protection.

Takara becomes elated, seeing in the mirror how badass she looks. Sure, her costume design may be a bit simple, but it does what it needs to, and she is excited to use it in action.

Aiya approaches from behind her, and Takara catches a glimpse of the tall pixie's costume in the mirror. She whirls around to take it all in.

Aiya wasn't lying when she said it would be green. The main part of her costume is an olive green hooded tunic with roomy sleeves. It's brought in at her waist with a thick leather belt that has a couple pouches around it. Her wrists, ankles, and feet are wrapped in similar leather. The green fabric of the hoodie falls longer around the sides and the back, showing the brown shorts underneath.

"Aiya, that's so cute!" Takara exclaims.

The girl rubs her arms self-consciously, looking at herself in the mirror. "Really?"

"Yeah! It looks like it's comfy and practical. Not to mention, the color really brings out your eyes!"

Aiya takes a moment to study herself in the mirror. Her wings flutter, and she turns away. "We should head out. Don't wanna be late."

Takara follows her out, knowing she's right. The girl catches a glimpse of her other friends putting the finishing touches on their costumes as they exit.

Kaede's outfit is much more extravagant than her sister's, a periwinkle romper adorned with copper accents and draped with white fabric. Takara meets Morita's eyes for a split second as the girl slides gauntlets onto her arms, and it's like looking at a vision of the future pro.

The curly-haired girl wears a black crop top and baggy pants with flames embroidered all the way around. The stitches shine in the fluorescent light, giving the flames the illusion of movement. She wears a carved dragon mask on the bottom half of her face. The red-orange material curves wickedly up into fangs.

Takara feels her face heat up as the door closes. She thought her costume was cool, but it's nothing compared to Morita's.

•°•☆•°•

As the students gather outside Gym Gamma, Takara is able to appraise her fellow students' costumes. The first one she notices is Endo who wears a black leotard with blue embroidery perfectly merging with the pattern on her body. A sheer swath of white fabric dyed with blue, green, and purple is draped around her waist, coming together with a geometric insignia. Her headdress bears a similar geometric pattern.

Sugita stands in black and gold wizard-looking robes by Hirose in a bright, geometric bodysuit, and Ohara who wears what looks to be a biker's getup. Her two blades rest in sheaths on either leg, the handles poking out just below her cropped leather jacket. Ozaki approaches them, a long leafy cape trailing from his shoulders where a large sunflower rests.

"Nice costumes," Takara hears Araya say behind her. She and Aiya turn to see the boy approaching them. His costume isn't anything too extravagant, just a dull gold tank top with ripped sleeves and black puffy pants. His neckline is lined with clay beads. The lion tattoo on his bicep is on full display, perfectly replicated in an insignia on the front of his shirt.

"Back at ya," Takara responds. She's about to say more, but Gila opens the doors to the gym, inviting in the class.

"Today is important," he says in his rumbling voice when they have all filed in. "Your hero costumes are not only a symbol of how the world will see you, but they should also be an asset to your fighting style. While the costume company did all they could to work with your quirk registrations, it's important for you to test your costumes in a safe, controlled environment to make sure nothing is defective."

He looks around at all the students in their new outfits and gestures to a few practice dummies behind him. "You'll be practicing on these today, just in case. If anything is wrong with your costumes, you have two opportunities to get adjustments by the company, free of charge. If it's something minor, you'll be referred to the support department so that they can fix it. Now go on."

Takara partners up with Aiya and Araya, already feeling the rift between her other friends growing wider as Kaede takes her group to a stuffed dummy on the other side of the room.

"Mind if I join you guys?" a soft voice asks, and they turn to see Kazumi Endo. Her shadows flick past her light exoskeleton, almost curiously. The black leotard hugs her stout body tightly, accentuating her ample curves.

"Feel free to," Takara exclaims. "The more the merrier! Plus, I wanna see more of your quirk."

They let the shadowy girl take her turn first at the mannequin. She glances worriedly behind her as she steps forward. "You guys might want to stay back. Just in case..."

The three step backward, giving the girl some space. Instantly, Endo settles her face into one of deep concentration, blue eyes glowing bright. The light surrounding her trickles down her arms onto the palms of her hands, concentrating into dense stars.

The couple times Takara has seen her fight before, she's never seen this. As the light recedes from Endo's body, the shadows lash out hungrily, expanding her shadowy form into a dark roiling cloud. Endo fires a burst of light toward the mannequin, hitting it straight in the head. The dummy flips end-over-end from the powerful blow.

The girl seems to come undone, her shadows stretching in a menacing web to those around her. She keeps her light in her hands, clutching it close as she begins twitching, and the shadows claw around angrily.

Quicker than the cloud expanded, the shadows recede as if they are yanked back into place. Endo looks around worriedly, checking each person to make sure she didn't hurt them.

"I guess it works," she mumbles softly, letting the light in her hands flow back to its usual position. The vein-like exoskeleton pulses, keeping the darkness in check.

"What works?" Aiya asks, tilting her head.

The small girl flips one of her shoulder straps over to show an odd material: grey with shiny polka-dots. "If I use too much light and go dark, it has an emergency light source to keep my shadows at bay. That way, I don't have to hold back on how much light I use."

The three wait expectantly for a further explanation, but it never comes. Endo instead goes to replace the dummy where it stood for the next person.

Takara practices using her jade to attack and defend, happy with how the material of her costume holds up. Aiya's costume doesn't seem to do much, but she seems much more comfortable than in her gym uniform. Her wings are given plenty of room to move in the keyhole back. Araya's costume also seems to just be aesthetic, but it transforms freely with him as he takes on his lion form.

After their last couple checks of their costumes, they report to Gila that everything is in working order, and he sends them off to do their usual workouts. Endo grumbles about how she thought they weren't going to do those today, but she follows along with the group anyways. While Aiya and Araya pace each other, Takara stays back to jog at a steady pace with Endo.

Featured Character: Kaede Komatso
Quirk: Pixie
Likes: Gardening

Featured Character: Aiya Komatso
Quirk: Pixie
Likes: Reading