Koto's POV

It takes quite a while to narrow down a song with Mina, but when we decide to start making a routine for each and decide which is best, it becomes clear that there's no competition. As such, we spend the next couple days painstakingly finalizing the choreography.

And that's how I end up unable to focus as I study with Bakugo before school. Spread out at the common room table at 6 am, we're surely the only two up for the next hour or so, but that doesn't prevent me from getting distracted. My feet stop tapping as the piece of bagel he threw at me gets stuck in my hair.

"Was that necessary?" I ask, trying to brush the crumbs from my now strawberry blonde hair. According to Macy, my hair will be fading back to normal these next couple weeks and it's already started the process.

"I leave for two seconds to get my laundry and you've already stopped working on the problems," he growls. "So yeah, it was."

I pout, hunching over my workbook. "And what makes you th-think I wasn't just thinking it through?"

The boy levels me with a look of disdain and points to number nine, where I had stopped. "Because you know how to do that one, Curly."

I look down and fight the heat creeping over my ears. That one is admittedly quite easy.

I struggle to think of a comeback, but nothing comes to mind. I settle for scowling at him and writing out the solution. He insisted that we do a review before we start going over the newer concepts, but that just gives me more time to drift off in my head.

When I finish the last question, I sigh in relief, sitting back in my chair.

"Finally," Bakugo mumbles, rolling his eyes. "Now, integration by parts..."

He flips his book open to the next chapter, but I groan. "I just did all those questions, can we take a break?"

"Hell no, not while it's fresh in your head. How do you expect to learn it?"

"Maybe I'll absorb it like a sp-sponge while I'm dozing in class," I retort with a hopeful smile. The boy's only response is to glare at me, the morning sun glinting dangerously in his red eyes. I push my book aside. "Can I at least make some toast?"

"Depends," he growls, not moving to stop me as I stand from my seat. "Are you actually gonna eat it?"

"I will," I snap. "I'm awake enough now that I'm n-not feeling sick."

"Congrats," he says blandly. I hear the sound of a chair scooting back as I lower a couple slices of bread into the toaster. When I turn, he's standing by the center island. "So, you got a song picked out yet?"

"Yeah, actually." I brace my arms behind me and hop up to sit on the counter, peering into the openings of the machine. "Figured it out last n-night."

"Do you have the sheet music yet?"

My heart drops into my stomach. "Sheet m-music?"

The boy just rolls his eyes. "You expect those dumbasses to learn the song without the music in front of them?"

"Hey! D-don't call them that."

"But you agree they need the music."

"...Yeah."

He smirks and I thank the universe that the toast chooses this time to pop up. I jump down from the counter and turn my back to prepare it. "I'm not really sure where to find the sheet music for it, so I'll have to write it out."

"And you know how to do that?"

"No," I admit, taking a bite from the bread as we walk back to our table. "But I know someone who does. Hopefully he'll agree to help me."

I only get a grunt in response. As we sit, I glance over at the boy's laundry basket, folded skull shirts sitting on top. Before he can pull me back into the world of math, I decide to tie my competition with Mina.

"Where do you get those shirts?" I ask, pointing my toast at the basket.

He merely glances at them. "Online. Why?"

"Well," I say through bites of my breakfast, "I guess Mina and I have th-this competition going t-to see who can get shirts from the squad first."

"Why the hell--"

"Don't ask," I wave him off, shaking my head. "I'm losing and the only way I c-can tie is to get one of those. I'm not gonna steal your shirts though, so I was just gonna buy one and say it was yours."

The boy clicks his tongue. "They're not cheap."

"I'm not broke."

He appraises me for a moment in silence as I wait for his answer. But what I get in response is him rifling through his laundry. He tosses a wad of black fabric my way and I reach out to catch it with my non-crumby hand.

"Wha--"

"That one has a loose seam," he growls, turning a page in his textbook. "Don't think too much of it; I was gonna toss it anyway."

I put the rest of the toast in my mouth and wipe my hands before examining the shirt. Sure enough, there's a small snag on the hem, pulling the thread free. "This would b-be easy enough to fix," I protest.

"Just take the damn shirt, Curly," he growls. "Wave it in Pinky's face, I don't care. Now, integration by parts..."

•°•°•°•

This afternoon, I swing by Reina's house to meet up with her older brother, Yasu.

"Thank y-you so much for agreeing to this," I say, dropping my backpack on the ground next to me. I pull out a chair and have a seat across from him at their outdoor dining table.

"No prob," he replies, running a hand through his quaffed hair. The front strands are now dyed a neon blue. His grey eyes light up as he gives me a bright smile. He shuffles through his notebook and flips to a fresh page. The dark staffs stand out against the crisp white paper.

"So, easiest way to do this is you play the song out in parts and I write it down, yeah?"

I nod in response to his question and he pulls out his guitar. "I have the p-parts separated in my head. I think it shouldn't take too long."

But of course, it does. We work through dinner and after dark. We take plenty of breaks with the family; I obviously have to catch up with them after so long. I learn that the twins are leading the robotics club at their school to the national championships, Reina has found a pen-pal in Paris, and Ruri had to help evacuate people during a fire in her office building. As per usual, not a dull moment with the Fujinos.

I ultimately have to rush back to the dorms to not be caught out after curfew. After a quick "thank you" to Yasu, I'm running out the gate.

•°•°•°•

"Okay," I say, having called the first band meeting to order. I stand by the TV, addressing Momo, Ochaco, and Kaminari on the couch, Bakugo lounging in an armchair, and Tokoyami perched next to him. Waving a folder, I continue, "I have the music here. As requested, Kaminari's doesn't have the name of the song on it so Class B can't get any intel. Are your lessons with Jiro going well?"

He sends me a big thumbs up and a smile. "I can hold the guitar properly now."

Bakugo covers his face with his hands and lets out a stream of curses.

"Hey, it'll be easier the more I practice," the boy continues. "I'm meeting with her again tomorrow."

"Good," I state, growing worried about our chances at being ready.

"She's a good teacher," Momo says, shrugging. "It won't take long for you to get the hang of it."

Her words make me feel slightly better.

"I hope so," I mumble, passing out the music. "We have a lot of work t-to do. Tokoyami will be first electric, so Kaminari, you won't have to do anything too d-difficult, but just focus on getting your part down pat."

"I'll practice 'till I can't get it wrong!" He exclaims, looking over the pages.

"You better," Bakugo growls in response.

"Shall we listen to the song, then try a run-through?" Momo suggests to the group. The idea is met with approval, so our band practice commences in earnest.

In all honesty, I'm quite thankful I don't have to worry about ballet rehearsal with all the festival preparations. On top of band rehearsals, I also have to teach our dancing group the choreography and help the behind the scenes group design the stage, making sure there's enough room. Mic lended me a sound board and a bunch of speakers, so I've had to help set them up. As if I didn't have enough on my plate, classes aren't getting any easier. I have practically no free time with everything.

One particular weekend, I'm practicing on the front lawn with the dance crew when a familiar face shows up with an unfamiliar one.

The third year All Might lookalike pops out of a bush with a small girl by his side. Midoriya jumps from the group to run towards them.

"Hey Mirio! Eri," he chirps. "What are you two doing here?"

The blond student gives a bright smile and finger guns. "We wanted to see your festival prep! Isn't that right?"

The young girl who must be Eri looks up at Midoriya with big scarlet eyes. "You're dancing?"

"Yeah! Some of my friends are playing music and I'm part of the background dancers," he explains, squatting down to be on eye level with her.

"Eri!" A voice calls out behind me. I turn to see Eijiro bounding down the stairs, his hair tied up in a white bandana. The other work study kids are right on his tail. "We didn't get to meet that day, but I'm glad to see you're safe!"

Mina and I take the hint that our dance practice is done for the moment and head over to join the group. The girl looks around at all of us, a flurry of emotions on her face.

To be six years old and go through that much, I can't help but think. She surely doesn't know what to think, herself.

"We're all glad to see you're okay," Ochaco adds, smiling brightly.

The girl glances around their legs to where the rest of us stand. "Are those your friends?" Her delicate voice shakes slightly.

In my periphery, I notice Shoji stepping back to stand behind us. I can see he's intrigued by Eri, but doesn't want to get too close.

The rest of the class smiles and waves as she looks on in awe. "Can they be my friend too?"

Midoriya laughs and puts his hand on her head. "I'm sure they'd love that," he replies cheerfully.

We take our time to introduce ourselves, knowing this is probably a lot to take in. I, along with a few others, decide it's probably better to give her some space. I follow Shoji, Sero, and Koda back into the dorms. As we walk, I slip my arm around one of Shoji's, giving it a slight squeeze, as we make our way to the couches. I remember our talk from so long ago, recalling how he made a little girl cry with his appearance once. I know he's probably anxious around Eri too, worried he'll cause the same problem, only this time with someone who's gone through so much trauma already.

I decide to put on a movie, getting just a moment to sit back and enjoy my weekend, but before I can press play, I feel someone tap on my shoulder. Looking over the armrest, the small girl stares up at me once again, Ochaco hovering behind her.

"Hey," my friend greets. "Eri wanted to talk with you for a sec."

"Koto-chan," she mumbles, clenching her hands in the folds of her dress. "Can you tell me about your quirk?"

I blink down at her, smiling gently. "Well, I c-can create sound wherever I want." I illuse my voice by the TV. "Like over here." Then, I illuse it above her head. "Or here."

She looks up and raises her hand, but the sound is already gone. I motion for her to cup her hands and illuse the sound of a gentle rainfall. She doesn't flinch like most people do when I use my quirk near them, which makes me somberly wonder what she must've been through to cause her to be so strong.

"And you're going to be a hero?" She asks.

I nod. "These are just the simple things I c-can do, but the more I p-p-practiced, the more I could do." I flip the TV remote into the air and catch it on illused white noise. I spin it this way and that, changing the amplitude and wavelengths just slightly. I release the sound and catch the remote before it can clatter to the ground. "D-do you want to be a hero too?"

I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure what to expect. She's seen so much that she's probably done with action for her whole life, but then again, everyone's different.

She seems to think for a moment as well, her hand moving to the small horn on her forehead. "I don't know. My quirk isn't very heroic. It mostly just hurts people."

"It isn't the quirk that makes a hero," I say as softly as I can while still making sure she can hear it. "And for the record, my quirk c-can be dangerous too."

So many emotions roil around in her large eyes. I'm not quite sure if this is the best route to take, but maybe she needs to hear it.

"I've accidentally hurt people with my quirk, but that's what p-pushed me to master it, so that wouldn't happen anymore."

"Is that why you're a hero?" Eri inquires, tilting her head.

I have to think long and hard to answer that loaded question. There are just so many things I don't want to unload onto this girl. But thankfully, I don't have to anwer. She walks around the couch and plops herself on the seat between Shoji and I.

"That's okay," she says. "I don't like talking about everything either." Her eyes find the TV screen where a white dog runs around, shooting lasers from his eyes. "What's that?"

"One of my favorite movies," I reply quickly, a smile reforming. "Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Yes please." Eri glances at me briefly before looking back to the screen. Over my shoulder, I see Ochaco smiling and grabbing another seat. When I face forward again, the small girl catches my periphery. She's leaning over towards Shoji, tilting her head to look him in the eye. "What's your quirk?"

Not a shred of fear in her voice.

This child has had to deal with one of the worst Yakuza leaders of our time, witnessed a horrible battle, and yet, through all the terrifying hardships, doesn't bat an eye at somebody looking slightly different.

I pretend to not see the wet gleam in his eyes, but I can't ignore the way the edges of his mask pull up, hinting at a smile.

------Author's Note------

Hey guys!!

You've probably noticed that this book has a new cover, yet another of Juni_Penguin_'s incredible works!!!

We also have more fan art!!

This awesome portrait of Koto is from direct_simpXX!!! This looks so pretty!! I love it!!

Thanks to everyone for your support of this story! I love seeing all of your votes and comments! ❤

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