"We need to talk." Shouto said. 

Shiina didn't know why she was feeling so anxious all of a sudden. Was it because she was cornered against the door? Or because the living room lights were off? Or maybe it's because Shouto had that super serious look on his face that basically told her that she was screwed? 

She slowly gulped. "Okay... What about, Sho-nii?" 

"I've been wondering about it ever since we stepped into Amada's house," he began. "When Sanada called you another 'Persona user'..." 

Oh no. 

"I started thinking about Amada's Quirk and how similar it is to your own, so clearly he would be considered a 'Persona user' like you too. The way Sanada phrased it... It was like he was including you in a group separate from everyone else, like you were different. I know there's something going on between the three of you, and you're keeping me out of it. All the secrets, all the nights you stayed out so late with your 'friends'... I think I have it figured out now." 

Oh shit, he knows! I never thought this could actually happen! How did he even find out?! How much does he know?! 

"Shiina, are you in a cult?" 

.

.

.

"What."

"Are you in a cult." He repeated. 

Shiina didn't know whether to laugh or continue staring at him in dumbfounded silence. He thought she was apart of a cult?!

"Shouto..." She struggled to make sense of the world. "You... You think I'm in a cult?" 

"You're not?" He furrowed his brows, as if the idea of her not being a cult member was outrageous. 

"No!" She nearly screamed. "Why would I join a cult?!" 

"That's what I would like to know." He replied, serious as ever. 

"I'm not apart of some cult, Shouto." She exasperated. 

"Good," he sighed in relief, shoulders sinking. "I was just worried. What Sanada called you and how suspicious they were acting..." 

"Suspicious?" She tilted her head. 

He nodded, scowling. "They would stare at you whenever you weren't looking. It was like they were analyzing you. I didn't like it. I also didn't like leaving you there with them." 

She winced. "Sorry about that." 

"Why did you decide to stay?" He demanded. 

"I..." She quickly conjured up a lie. "I needed to ask Ken for some tips. Like you said, our Quirks are kind of similar and I wanted to know how to make Tullia stronger." 

Damn, that was good. She gave herself a mental pat on the shoulder. 

"Oh," he said, sounding a little relieved. "Were you ashamed to ask for help in front of me? I won't ridicule you like he would. You don't have to be ashamed."

"Sorry, I just didn't want to seem weak in front of you," she replied. "But I won't do it again, promise. Let's just go to bed now, alright?" She didn't want this conversation to go any longer. She didn't want to keep lying to him.  

Fortunately for her, he nodded in agreement. They walked down the dark hallways of their home and stopped when they reached her room first. 

Before she could walk in, Shouto called out to her. 

"Imouto? I would feel better if you only came to me for help, okay?" 

"Yes, nii-chan." She replied, swallowing thickly. 

Oh, if only... She thought miserably. 

— ❤ —

"It's a free day today, children!" All Might announced. Such words would've sparked joy in Shiina, but his definition of a 'free day' was different than her's. Apparently in All Might's dictionary, 'free day' meant letting the students do whatever they wanted in terms of training. 

Usually, she'd be all up for fighting, but today Shiina was not in the mood for training. She couldn't pinpoint what her exact problems were—was it the stress of Shido and Akechi? Not seeing Ryuji in more than a day (as much as she hated to admit it, she needed her daily dose of that dumbass) or was it because of that upcoming English test for Present Mic's class? Or how about that mathematics quiz tomorrow? Or Saturday's presentation? 

Or maybe having to constantly lie to Shouto's face about her secret double life? 

She glanced over at her twin and saw him encasing a building in ice. What would he say if he found out that she was a Phantom Thief? Or that she was still Quirkless? 

She walked away from him, wanting space. Her classmates were scattered all over Ground Gamma doing god knows what for training. Up above she could see Sero swinging around in his tape like Spiderman, there were pieces of rubble floating somewhere in the distance (courtesy of Uraraka, no doubt), and she could hear a string of explosions and curses not too far away from her (Bakugou). 

Everyone was pumped up for the Sports Festival, but she could hardly care less about it. The election was just a few days after it, so she would probably be busy with Shido's Palace to focus on the Sports Festival. Then there was the whole thing about Endeavor. He may still be hospitalized, but she knew he expected the both of them to do excellently in the Festival. Shouto especially, since he was the only who actually held the Todoroki name. 

There was only one first place. And she wasn't going to be the one to have it. It had to be Shouto. He would be punished if he didn't, and it was better her than both of them. 

"You're not going to train?" She was brought out of her musing by the sound of a voice. She looked over her shoulder and saw Midoriya, who looked a little beaten up from practicing too hard. 

"Oh, hey, Midoriya-kun," she greeted pleasantly. "And nah, I don't feel like training today. The Sports Festival's only two weeks away anyways." 

"It's an important event," he insisted. "How about we train together? We can spar!" 

"It's fine, Midoriya-kun," she said, her impatience level rising. "I'm tired." 

"...You don't even care about it do you?" He uttered out. "The Sports Festival..." 

Her exterior crumbled, the friendly expression now gone and replaced with slight irritation. "So you figured me out." 

"It's one of our only chances for a good future as a Pro Hero. If you don't even care about the Sports Festival... then why do you want to be a hero?" He asked apprehensively. 

"I don't," she nearly spat. "And I never wanted to be a hero. I'm only in this school because daddy dearest wanted me to and he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer."

"You came in late through recommendations..." He muttered to himself, eyes widening upon realization. "And the only ones influential enough to do that are the Pro Heroes...! Kiberi-san, your father's a Pro Hero?" 

She gave him a slow applause. "Great deduction skills there, Sherlock. Yeah, you got it right. The bastard's one of Japan's beloved 'heroes'. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth... That's what all heroes are like, right? They don't give a shit about saving people. They're just greedy, prideful little pigs that want a taste of stardom." 

Midoriya went slack jawed. "That's not true at all! You've got it all wrong, Kiberi-san! I-I mean, sure some heroes have questionable motives... Some of them only want the money, some of them like the fame... but you can't just place judgement over every hero because of your father! Is this how you think of us? Your own classmates...? Even Todoroki-kun?" 

"Shouto's the only true hero I see in our class," she said with honesty. "Everyone else... well, let's just say they fall short. Especially your Kacchan." She sneered, and he flinched at the nickname. "He's the worst of them all. He's like my old fucking man! You're trying to preach to me that not all heroes are the same when there's a piece of shit like him in the hero course?! UA will just about accept anyone as long as they've got a tough Quirk, right? Who gives a shit about personality and motives!" 

"Kiberi-san...!" He croaked, stepping back. "You're—you're wrong. Heroes aren't villains in disguise. Some are genuine, good people who fight for the sake of our society. Like All Might—! He's our symbol of peace for a reason!"

"Yeah," she deadpanned. "Because of his super high villain count." 

He shook his head. "I've always looked up to him. He's who I aspire to be. He's the Symbol of Peace because he brings hope to everyone and saves people with a smile! He's a real hero...!" He took a deep breath. "I feel bad for you, Kiberi-san." 

She rose a brow, waiting for him to further explain. 

"Everyone has somebody to look up to. Kacchan and I have All Might. Uraraka-chan has Thirteen. Kirishima has Crimson Riot... But you have nobody. I understand it now. The person you were supposed to look up to turned out to be a terrible person and it ruined how you viewed other heroes. I hope you find your inspiration... And I hope you change your mind about heroes." He took another step back, giving her one last saddened stare before walking away. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Kiberi-san. I'll leave you alone now..."

She stood rooted in the same spot for at least five minutes, silently drowning in her own thoughts. 

No inspiration huh? Whatever... He's just another hero-worshiper... 

— ❤ —

Oh god, I can't believe I said all of that to her! She probably hates me! Midoriya internally wept, nervously stealing glances to the right, where Shiina sat. He wondered if she was killing him in her head like he was doing to himself in his own. 

But no, Shiina looked perfectly normal. She had been texting under her desk and filing her nails while Ectoplasm lectured. It was as if their argument never happened! She even asked him for some pencil lead (at first he thought she was leaning over to strangle him)! 

The last bell of the day rang, and Midoriya was too deep in his thoughts to react. While his classmates began packing up their things, he was thinking about who her father was. All he knew was that he was a Pro Hero, one with enough power to have UA accept a student a month late. He racked through his brain for heroes that had a similar Quirk to her, but came up blank. So perhaps she got her Quirk from her mother or maybe it was a combination of the two. 

As for her features... Well, Endeavor immediately came to mind. She had his flaming red hair and the same striking cerulean eyes. Her eyes looked especially like his when she was angry. He envisioned her glare and grimaced, comparing it to a tabloid he saw recently of Endeavor—it showcased his face, and Endeavor had the same cold and deadly glare Shiina had. 

But Shiina had a different surname. It was Kiberi, not Todoroki. 

And if she was Endeavor's daughter, then... He thought of Shouto. Then they would be siblings—no, twins. 

All of Endeavor's kids were publicized. He could remember the magazine articles he read back in the day, each celebrating the birth of Endeavor's kids. First was Fuyumi, then Natsuo, and lastly Shouto. Midoriya didn't remember hearing about a second daughter. 

Kiberi-san's Quirk is nothing like Endeavor's... but if she was his daughter, then it would explain why she and Todoroki-kun are so close. But why have a change of name? Why have her existence be hidden and not her other siblings? It just doesn't make sense... Could she really be...? He remembered overhearing their conversation the other day. They sounded somewhat scared. Someone—a 'him'—was going to punish them if they didn't do good in the Sports Festival.. Who was 'him'? Could it be—

"Deku-kun?" 

"H-huh?!" He jumped in his seat. 

"Are you okay, Midoriya-kun? The bell rang three minutes ago." Iida informed him, staring at him with concern. 

"It did?! I didn't notice, I'm sorry!" Flustered, he abruptly got up and started to hastily pack his things away. "I-I was just distracted. I'm sorry, I didn't notice." 

"It's alright!" Uraraka assured. "What were you thinking about? You looked really focused!" 

"Perhaps you were thinking of plans for the Sports Festival?" Iida inquired. 

"Ah... something like that, yeah..." He trailed off, glancing over Iida's shoulder where Shiina and Shouto were walking towards the door. 

"Sho-chan, you wanna hang out at Ryuji's place?" He heard Shiina ask eagerly, tugging at the taller boy's arm.

"No." 

"Aww, why not?"

"I don't like him." He answered curtly. 

"Oh? Then maybe you wanna hang out with Yusuke? I'm sure he misses seeing your beautiful face~" 

"Hell no." 

Shiina threw her head back and laughed, linking arms with him as he courteously opened the door for her. 

Shiina... Midoriya thought, frowning. You're Endeavor's daughter... aren't you?

"Hey Sho-chan?" Shiina mused as the classroom door closed behind them. "Do you have someone you look up to? Like... a hero who inspires you?" 

"All Might," he answered instantly. "I've always looked up to him. Ever since I was five...  I remember watching him on the TV back when mom was still with us..." He trailed off, his expression somewhat pained and content at the same time. "But I can't remember what he said..." 

Even Shouto had someone who inspired him. Midoriya could possibly be right all along. She had nobody to look up to, other than Endeavor who turned out to be the biggest asshole in the universe. 

"Is there something wrong?" Shouto asked her. "What brought this up?" 

"Ah, nothing. Just had a talk with Midoriya during class." She muttered. 

He frowned. "Midoriya... I have some theories about him." 

She rose a brow. "Theories...?" 

He nodded, a serious look on his face. The same serious look he wore the night he accused her of being apart of a cult. "Yeah. Have you noticed that his Quirk is similar to All Might's?" 

"But All Might doesn't break his bones." 

"Aside from that." 

"Well, somewhat, yeah." 

"I also overheard Iida and Uraraka talking about his relationship with All Might. It turns out they're a lot closer than I thought." He added. 

"Shouto, what are you saying...?" She asked warily. 

"I think he's All Might's secret love child." 

.

.

.

She rubbed her forehead. "Shouto... honey..." 

"Think about it," he persisted. "Their Quirks are extremely similar and they supposedly have a close relationship. A father and son relationship." 

"That can't be possible," she said. "They look nothing alike." 

"He could've inherited his mother's features." He pointed out. 

"I just can't see it!" She shook her head. "Their personalities aren't even alike! And how do you know if what Iida and Uraraka said was true anyways? They could've misjudged it." 

"I'm positive I'm right." He muttered, looking down on the floor as he resumed being lost in his thoughts. 

"You were positive that I was in a cult too, and you turned out to be way wrong." She snickered. 

He sighed heavily. "Please let that go." 

"No way!" She snorted. "It happened last night! I'm never gonna forget it!" 

As she said that, Mina and Hagakure stopped walking to stare at the passing pair with deep interest. 

"They were together last night?!" Hagakure nearly squealed. 

"Oooh, did you hear what she said? Looks like they had an unforgettable night~" Mina sang mischievously, waggling her brows. "I wonder what they were doing~?" 

"I was shipping her with Amada-kun though!" Hagakure pouted to herself. "Don't you think they make a good pair?" 

"Compared to her and Todoroki? No way! Have you seen how inseparable they are? Now that's love—and maybe borderline obsession, but who cares! Sorry Tooru, but I'm a Shiinouto shipper all the way!" Mina stated proudly, completely oblivious to the fact that she was shipping twincest. 

She was going to have the heart attack of a lifetime if she ever found out. 

— ❤ —

Shiina loved going over to Ryuji's place. Not only was his mother an absolute sweetheart, but his house was perfect in her eyes. She loved modern architecture, and Ryuji's place was as modern as they came. The exterior had chocolate brown walls, matched with smokey grey linings and black railings for the balcony on the top floor. The windows were tall and clear to show off the even more luxurious interior. 

But what Shiina really enjoyed about the Sakamoto residence was their pool. The bold blue water almost illuminated in the night. It was beautiful, but what was even more breathtaking was the sight. Their house rested on a hill, so their pool gave them a good view of the Tokyo city lights. She had sent Shouto a picture of her and Ryuji with the city as a background with the caption: ur missing out bro!!!! but all she got in response was: Why are you wearing a bikini

Unbelievable. 

Shiina was currently relaxing in said beautiful pool until Ryuji cannon-balled into the water and caused a massive wave to splash over her. She sat up on her pizza floatie to glare at him. 

"Seriously?" 

He splashed her. "Where'd you even find that thing? I thought I got rid of it." 

"The pizza floatie? Your mom gave it to me to use. Why would you ever get rid of this?" She asked. 

"'Cause it's old as fuck? Why didn't she give you the bacon float? It comes with a cup holder." He said. 

"You guys have way too many floaties. Ugh, I'm so jealous." She pouted. "I wish my place has a pool. We just have a courtyard... We don't even have a garden. I hate to say this but I actually like my Palace better." 

He gave her a pointed glare. "Don't bring that place up. You know how hard your Palace was for us to get through? It took us four days to find your Treasure! And don't even get me started on how creepy it was..." He shuddered. 

"Really? It seemed kind of nice to me. Minus the murderous family part, of course." She shrugged. "Hey, can you hand me my mimosa?" 

He snorted. "No, get it yourself." 

"You suck." She said, slipping into the water to swim over to the edge. 

"You swallow." He shot back. 

"Yeah, 'cause only pussies spit." She cackled at his furious expression before it suddenly turned into a grin. 

Oh no. That was the only thought she was able to register before Ryuji lunged, tackling her down under the water. 

They wrestled like a pair of amateurs who had no idea how to actually wrestled, but knew they wanted to take the other down. Shiina tried yanking him underneath her so she could maybe bash his head against the bottom surface a little, but he was a lot stronger so he was able to keep above her easily until she kicked him in the nuts. Bubbles burst from Ryuji's mouth while she silently laughed in victory. 

He glared at her vehemently, looking all ridiculous with his cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk's and his hands clutching his prized jewels. His eyes darted down and before she knew it, he had yanked her bikini top off of her and was swimming to the surface. 

"RYUJI!" She screeched, covering up her chest with one arm while she used the other to try and grab her top back. 

"That's what you get for hitting my junk, you bitch!" He shouted, obviously enjoying her futile attempts. 

"I'm gonna do it again if you don't give me back my bra!" She seethed. 

"Good luck catching me then~" He sang, swimming backwards. "How fast can you swim with one arm?" 

"I HATE YOU!" 

"I'm gonna throw your bra off the hill." He threatened. His stupid grin couldn't get any wider. 

"DON'T YOU DARE!" 

"Okay, okay, okay," he chuckled. "Say 'Ryuji's the best and he's got the biggest di—"

"—I'd rather die than say that!" She spluttered, face red from humiliation. "Give it back or I'm getting Tullia out." 

He stopped swimming back and narrowed his eyes at her. "You wouldn't dare—"

"—HAH!" She shouted, lunging at him with her hand outstretched. Realizing what she had done, he quickly pulled his arm back as far as he can only to freeze when Shiina collided against him. She had to grab onto his shoulder with her other hand to keep themselves steady. 

So now their chests were pressed together. Even worse (or better), they were both topless. 

They stared at each other in pure astonishment and for a second, Shiina's eyes automatically lowered to his lips, unaware that he had done the same. 

How long have they stayed in that position? It honestly felt like they had been glued together for hours already rather than ten brief seconds. 

Another second passed and Shiina felt something hard pressed against her thigh. Eyes widening, the two immediately pushed the other off. 

A boner! And she felt it! I got a boner 'cause of my best friend! Oh shit, oh shit, not again! A red-faced Ryuji quickly scrambled out of the pool and made a made dash to the door. "I-I-I uh, I gotta take a piss!" 

"..." Shiina wordlessly sunk into the pool so that only half of her face would show, not even bothering to cover up. She had most definitely felt that—how could she not?! There was no mistaking it: Ryuji got hard. Because of her? No, no, no, he was probably thinking of a dirty porno, she told herself. It couldn't have been because of me. Guys randomly get boners all the time!

She covered her reddened cheeks, staring into space numbly. 

"Oh my god..." 

— ❤ —

Shiina entered her house, still stunned by what had happened. After The Pool Incident (yes, in capitals), neither teens could look at each other without turning so red it would make Shiina's hair jealous. Chiya—Ryuji's mother—sensed the awkward tension and tried to diffuse it by offering Shiina to stay over for dinner, but that only made the tension grow worse. Shiina stammered a lie about Fuyumi wanting her home so she quickly scurried out of the Sakamoto residence after hastily telling Chiya that Ryuji did not need to walk her back home. 

The train ride was spent with her running the scenario in her head over and again to the point that Shiina just wanted to bang her head against the wall to end her misery. How could she ever look at Ryuji the same way ever again?! 

She didn't know. But she knew for sure that infiltrating Shido's Palace would be a hundred times awkward now thanks to The Pool Incident. 

Shouto was the first to greet her when she arrived home. 

"You're back early," he noted, mildly surprised. "...Are you okay? Your whole face is red." Even her ears, he mentally added. 

She stiffened, accidentally slipping out a choking noise from the back of her throat. "I-I, I uh—!" 

He frowned, deeply worried. "Do you have a fever? Did that Ryuji infect you?" 

DON'T MENTION HIS NAME! "No!" She squeaked out. "Ryuji didn't do anything! I just, um... the train was just really packed...!" 

His frown deepened and he approached her, placing a cool hand over her forehead. "You're burning up." He pointed out. 

She stepped back. "I-I'm not sick!" She protested. "I just...!" 

"What is it? I want to help you." He insisted. 

"Well..." She looked down on the floor and Shouto grew even more worried. He had never seen her so timid before. "Er... can I ask you something?" 

"Of course." He answered automatically. 

"You're a guy, right?" She said before realizing how stupid she sounded. "I mean... since you're a guy, do you... do you know if... Er..." 

"Shiina...?" 

Fuyumi walked into the living room. "What's going o—"

"—Do guys randomly get boners out of nowhere?!" Shiina finally blurted out, only to immediately regret it. Face turning redder than possible, she shoved passed Shouto and sprinted for her room. "Forget I ever asked!" She wailed, followed by the loud slam of her bedroom door. 

Fuyumi stared at the spot she once stood with shock. "Did she just...? Do I have to give her the talk...?" She whispered to herself, fretting. "Out of all of us, I never expected her to need it...!" 

"..."

Fuyumi finally noticed Shouto, who hadn't moved an inch. "Shouto? Are you okay?" 

"Nee-san..." He said, slowly turning around. Fuyumi flinched at the murderous expression on his face. "I think I'm going to have to kill someone..." 

"Shouto, you can't do that, that's illegal!" 

"I don't care. Sakamoto Ryuji will die." 

Meanwhile, Shiina had wrapped herself in a blanket-burrito. Just when she was about to force herself to sleep (maybe through slamming her head against the wall or something—anything to momentarily stop thinking about The Pool Incident), her phone buzzed to life with text messages. 

[Futaba: Yo Shiina is there any way for us to watch the UA Sports Festival live?]

[Ann: Oooh i almost forgot about that!!!]

[Ann: Pls tell me we can watch it live!!]

[we were given ten free tickets to give to friends and family]

[it comes with front row seats]

[Akira: oh y e s ]

[Haru: You're supposed to be in hiding]

[Akira: I'll wear a really really good disguise]

[Akira: I can't miss this. this is my one chance to actually watch the sports festival live]

[Akira: I HAVE to go]

[Yusuke: Can I go shopping with you for an elaborate disguise? It sounds exciting.]

[Akira: Sure]

[oh god]

[I s2g if u show up wearing a mustache or sumthg...]

[Akira: It'll be better than that, i promise]

[Makoto: Have you all forgotten about Shido? If we want to go to the Sports Festival, then I suggest we steal Shido's Treasure beforehand.]

[Haru: I agree. Plus it gives Shiina more time to focus on the Sports Festival. Isn't it an important event for you?]

[ya but i'm not so concerned about it]

[but i totally agree that we should defeat shido before the sports festival]

[Akira: Dont worry, we will]

[Futaba: Perfect! U got 10 tickets right? So...]

[Makoto: It'll be all of us, which makes seven... So there are three spare tickets left]

[Haru: Will any of your family members be coming?]

[Fuyumi's not and Natsuo's got college. IDK and IDC about Endeavor]

[Ann: Is he still in the hospital?]

[muahaha yep]

[Akira: niiiiiiice]

[Makoto: Anyone know who we should give the three spare tickets for? Shiina you got any ideas?]

[How about Mishima???]

[Haru: Oh yes! We should invite him! I'm sure he'll be excited]

[Akira: I'll ask him rn]

[Makoto: Do you mind if I ask my sister to tag along? I know for sure she's off that day.]

[Sure! Now we're down to one ticket]

[Akira: Sojiro]

[Futaba: my dad]

[Akira: oh got a reply from mishima. he said hell yes]

[yaaasssss so the whole fam's coming huh]

[Ann: Hey, how come Ryuji's not on here?]

[Futaba: Oh yeah. I wouldve thought he'd be spamming us with messages rn]

[He's prob sleeping]

[Yusuke: Ah, well I think we should all follow his example. It's getting late now, isn't it?]

[Makoto: Agreed. Goodnight everyone.]

[Haru: Sweet dreams!]

[Futaba: nighty nighty]

[Ann: night guys!]

[Akira: morgana says goodnight too]

[buh byeeee, gnite yall]