It had been almost a week since the USJ incident. Recovery Girl had stitched my wound and made me rest while it healed, aided with the power of her quirk, but now I had a nasty scar just above my knee. Just like Sero had guessed, Kaminari and Kirishima had freaked out when they saw me and my condition. I was fully healed now but they were still worried and wouldn't leave me alone.

"God damn it I had had enough of this when I got lost and Kaminari wouldn't stop following me, you don't need to now too Kirishima!" I shout, just wanting to go to the bathroom in peace. They give my puppy dog eyes and I facepalm.

"We just wanna keep you safe, Kitten!" Kaminari says.

"Look, I know you mean well, but this is the girls bathroom. Just wait out here." I respond, walking inside before they can make up an excuse or something. Someone in one of the stalls snickers, making me smile. I didn't mind the attention they were giving me. I finish my business and walk outside, looking around in surprise when the two boys weren't anywhere to be seen.

'That's... weird.' I think, walking to the end of the hallway, peering down different ones and then checking the other side too. In the left corridor, I could hear quiet voices talking to eachother.

"You're friends with that girl with the fish quirk, correct?" a tired voice drawls. For some reason, it seemed really familiar.

"It's not a fish quirk, it's-"

"Queen Of The Sea. Right."

I recognise the voice that spoke up in defence of me as Kaminari's voice, and I knew they were talking about me, so I walk closer. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

"I just want to know about her. What her name is and such."

"That sounds really suspicious, you know?"

This time it was Kirishima. I frown, wondering why they were all the way out here. I was only gone for a few minutes.

"I understand your concern, but trust me, I promise I won't do anything unorthodox. She's merely captured my attention, is all."

I get bored of hiding and step out into the open. The mystery boy had his back to me, but his hair was a messy fluff of purple.

"Y'know, you could just ask me yourself instead of chasing down my friends." I say dryly, realising who it was as soon as I saw the hair. The boy from the lunch evacuation turns around, surprised by my sudden appearance, but he recovers quickly.

"Of course. I'm sorry, but I thought you might not want to see me after my poor performance in the hallway. My name is Hitoshi Shinsou, but you may call me Hitoshi."

"Uh... no. I'm calling you Shinsou. And you don't have to speak so formally, it's not like this is a job interview or something." I say, raising an eyebrow at him. He just smiles and nods.

"I had hoped we would see eachother again soon, sweetheart-"

"Don't call me that." I say, my eyes narrowing. Kirishima was thoroughly confused, looking back and forth between us, and Kaminari was looking downright hostile. It was honestly kind of scary.

"My apologies. I'm just trying to get my thoughts together after being struck dumb by your beauty." Shinsou says, reaching for my hand and raising it to his lips. I quickly pull it out of his grasp, frowning.

"You need to stop that."

For a moment, I think the voice is my own, but then Kaminari steps between us and glares at Shinsou. Their eyes meet, Shinsou looking down on him since he was slightly taller, then he shrugs.

"Ultimately, the decision is up to the lovely young woman. Do you want me to stop?" he asks, turning his gaze onto me.

"I-"

I freeze, my voice stuck in my throat. My eyes go wide and I try to move but can't completely paralysed.

"What did you just do to her?!" Kirishima demands, finally snapping into action. Shinsou shrugs.

"I didn't do anything. She was just about to say don't stop, weren't you, sweetheart?"

To my horror, I nod. I struggle against the invisible bonds around me, trying to free myself, but I can't move a finger. Kaminari growls - actually growls - and raises a hand towards Shinsou, his palm crackling with electricity.

"Release her. I know mind control when I see it." he threatens, his expression dark. I could see that he was going to zap Shinsou if he didn't obey, and he could see it too.

"Fine. Release." Shinsou says, glaring at Kaminari. I feel my self control return and release a shuddering breath, falling to my knees in relief. Kaminari drops his hand and turns around, kneeling in front of me.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks.

"That was horrible." I gasp, my eyes wide. Shinsou chuckles darkly and starts walking away, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

~

"What the heck was that all about?" Kaminari asks. We were sitting outside again and (after bringing Sero up to date) the guys wanted answers.

"Remember on the day when we were choosing a class president and the alarm sounded?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I was forced against one of the windows and he stopped everyone from crushing me. Then again, though, he started invading my personal space and called me stunning." I say, picking at the grass. I could practically feel Sero's raised eyebrow, but other than that, there wasn't any reaction.

"So... he's your admirer?" Kirishima asks slowly. I nod, snickering at the sound of it. As they discuss the events, I say I'm gonna go take a walk, pulling out my phone and sticking my earbuds in as I swing my bag onto my back. Kaminari nods as I flick through my playlist, selecting a random song and walking off into the forest, my hands in my pockets.

https://youtu.be/FIx9okFFSHM

As the first song comes on, I trudge through the trees, ducking underneath branches and smiling gently to myself. I get into the zone as I find a nice place to settle down in, tucking myself away in the roots of a huge tree, dragging a book out of my bag and opening it to my marked page. A few minutes of perfect silence pass before I hear a branch snap over my music and someone enters the clearing, looking down at me in surprise. I pull one earbud out.

"Hi, Todoroki. What're you doing out here?" I ask, surprised by his sudden appearance.

"I could ask you the same." he says, equally surprised. I chuckle.

"Y'know, when someone asks a question, you're supposed to answer it." I say, giving him a small smile. I felt very relaxed right now.

"I'm out here because this is where I usually come during lunch. Now your turn." he says, surprisingly friendly.

"I just wanted to get away from the others for a while. Some stuff happened and I just wanted to be by myself."

Todoroki's brow furrows and I realise what he's thinking.

"I'm not saying I don't want you here! I was just enjoying the quiet. I-I'm not saying you should leave." I say quickly, hoping to remedy the situation. He relaxes again and nods, then walks around and sits on the other side of the tree. I hear his bag rustle as I assume he pulls out his own book. I put my earbud in again and flip back to the page where I was, resuming my reading. It was strangely comfortable to have Todoroki nearby, silently reading his own book.

And, as the evil villain was struck down, the heroine standing above his corpse, the land rejoiced, for now it was finally free. The heroine gave a powerful speech of victory, and of future winnings. The villain's minions were set free from his control, and they too celebrated the victory, but there were still some who doubted. Some who believed the heroine wasn't a true heroine, so to speak. They continue to plot in the shadows, to this very day, as decendants of the true villain.

Some say that, though the heroine of the past is long gone, a new one will rise and finish what the first started. That she will reign over the land with a just and loving hand, and to ensure that the civilisations as we know them today will continue to prosper and grow into-

"You're reading folklore?"

I snap the book shut, whirling around in surprise at Todoroki. I had been so engrossed in the story and the music that I hadn't realised he had snuck up behind me. He chuckles quietly at my expression and I huff, then realise something and turn back to him.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile." I say, slightly stunned by the thought.

"Really? Could've sworn you'd seen my smile before." he says, shrugging. I give him a grin before opening the book again.

"To answer your question, yes. I am reading folklore. Why do you ask?" I say, skimming over the text while still listening to him.

"I just didn't think you believed any of that."

"I don't."

"So why do you...?"

"Because I enjoy it. I might not believe any of it is real, but I still like the thought of something like this happening. It sounds a bit like a fantasy." I say, laughing. He sits down beside me, his face neutral, and after a few moments of hesitation he starts reading over my shoulder. I pull out one earbud and offer it to him, which he accepts, and I move the storybook between us so he can read it easier. I was a quicker reader than him, so I just wait for him to pick up the page and turn it over himself before continuing.

Tale after tale flies past, both of us completely captivated with the stories. There were dragons, real magic, heroes and heroines, villains of all shapes and sizes and I think there was an egg somewhere in there but that went way over my head. There was a boy who watched over a herd of sheep and thought it funny to call "Wolf!" to trick the villagers, but when a wolf really came, nobody believed him and all the sheep were eaten. Another was of a girl in a red hood taking baked goods to her grandmother in the forest when a wolf took her grandmother's place and tried to eat the little girl when a woodcutter stepped in.

"These stories seem biased against wolves." Todoroki deadpans as we finish yet another story. I chuckle, not agreeing with words, just enjoying his warmth. The music we were listening to slowly fades out, ending the song, and I realise just how much time had passed. It was only a few minutes until the bell for class.

"It's almost class time." I say, still holding the book open.

"Okay."

"You don't want to stop reading?" I inquire, tilting my head a little at him.

"No, I'm enjoying this. I've never read something with someone else before like this." he says, his face completely straight. I become a bit flustered and look away, giving a shaky laugh. He tilts his head at my reaction but says nothing, turning the page onto the next story. This one was about two kids, named Hansel and Gretel, who are abandoned in a forest and find a house made of candy. They eat the house and the witch living inside it traps them and plans to eat them until Gretel pushes the witch into a fire and frees her brother.

"These stories are very violent." Todoroki muses as I close the book, having reached the end.

"I guess so." I say, zipping up my bag and reaching out for my earbud. He passes it over and I pull out my own, tying them up so they won't get knotted and then putting my phone away. Todoroki stands up and reaches out to pull me to my feet, which I accept, and we walk in companionable silence back into the school.