You walked down the busy morning hallway. You noticed a bunch of students compiled in a group near a bulletin. Out of curiosity you approached the group to see what all the commotion was about. You pushed through some people and finally made it to the front of the group, there was a long sheet of paper attached to the board.

"Oh! I totally forgot they were posting the 50 highest mid term marks." You thought.

Your eyes began to scan the long list.

1- Y/l Y/n
2- Yaoyorozu Momo

The list went on..

It was no surprise that you were at the very top of that list, though it still felt reassuring to achieve such a thing. The group of students began to disperse while the time crept closer to class time. You were about to peel your glance off the paper until another student stood beside you.

"Once again, the great Y/l getting the highest grades and surpassing me." Yaoyorozu's voice said from behind you.

You turned around quickly in surprise. "Ah.." You gasped under your breath.

"..Didn't know you were so easy to scare." She teased.

"Oh..Erm, yeah." You said stupidly.

You stayed silent not knowing what to say.

"You're quite the challenge, somehow you continue to surpass me with greater grades than mine. It's slightly annoying." She crossed her arms.

"Oh? Well, I don't really see this as a challenge. I'm not trying to surpass you purposely, I'm doing this for myself and not out of competitiveness." You explained.

"So you think I'm doing this just because I want to be better than everyone else?" She raised a brow.

"No no! I didn't say that-" You threw your hands up in defence.

She cut you off by grabbing the tie of your uniform and holding it tight, tugging you closer to her. She leant in closer to your face, close enough for you to feel her hot breath. Her eyes burned with envy.

"I need to be first. I don't just want to. I need to keep my family's reputation high. And you're messing that up." She declared.

Her coldness sent chills through your spine but her proximity made your face heat up. You swallowed the choking feeling down. She continued to glare you down then let go, causing you to stumble back. You cleared your throat and fixed your uniform.

"I didn't know you had such an important responsibility." You spoke when she turned around to leave.

Your words quickly caught her attention again. She turned back around, locking her eyes with yours.

"..But if you think I'm going to let my grades fall just because of that, you're wrong. You might have a big responsibility but I do as well. I could care less about your family problems. If you want to surpass me, then work harder, that's the only way you'll get things in life." You snapped back as a random surge of courage hit you. You were shocked by your own words.

"Is that so? Well.. I guess I'll try harder. But once I surpass you, don't come begging." She said a little taken back, then left shortly after.

You sighed, wondering what you ever did wrong, but like always just shrugged it off.

- - - -

You sat down under the shade of a blossom tree alone, your books were in your lap and a bento box sat beside you. You liked to study alone, especially under this tree in the school courtyard. You looked over today's lesson, making sure you didn't miss anything.

"Mind if I sit?" Someone said out of the blue.

You probably jumped about a foot from the ground.

"Gah!" You gasped.

"Oh, forget that you're easily startled." Yaoyorozu giggled slightly.

"Sorry, just a habit. But sure, go ahead." You moved over a little so she could sit.

She sat down beside you, placing her books down.

"Did you not bring a lunch?" You said with concern.

"No, I didn't have enough time this morning. I was in a bit of a rush, my parents called me about something so that put me in a bit of a delay." She explained.

"In that case you can have mine!" You pushed the bento box in front of her.

"Oh? No need, it's okay." She shook her head. "Why are you being so nice to me, I haven't been very polite to you.." She muttered the last part feeling a little ashamed.

"It doesn't bother me. But please, I insist, take it." You urged her to accept your kind gesture.

She was hesitant but took it, a light smile grew upon her face. You never really noticed how memorizing she was when she smiled until now.

"See not so hard." You chuckled and went back to your studying.

You two sat in peaceful silence, studying your own things together. You looked over to see she was struggling with something, luckily it was a subject you were good at. You closed your book and brought your attention to her. She looked a little confused when you got closer to her book.

"Having trouble?" You asked.

"A little." She admitted.

"Look here." You said and began to help her solve the question. Thoroughly explaining it so she could understand.

"Oh! That makes a lot more sense now. Thanks." She said with relief and began to jot notes down on a separate page.

"Yeah, no problem." You went back to your original spot and leaned your back on the tree. You closed your eyes and let your body soak in the warm sun. There was a small breeze so the warmth wasn't too overpowering. Birds singing could be heard in the distance. You inhale and exhale the air, letting yourself fall into peace.

"This is a nice little place here." Yaoyorozu began to speak.

"It is, I come here a lot. Usually to study or just be alone." You said opening your eyes and sitting up right.

Yaoyorozu paused before speaking again. "I wonder what it's like living a normal life. You know, not having to be a hero all the time." She said, looking at the birds above.

"Free I guess, maybe even a bit more peaceful. I do imagine it would be nice."

"Would it eventually get boring? Or would it always be enjoyable. I ponder these things a lot. Sometimes I even ask myself if I really want to be a hero." Yaoyorozu admitted.

You were a little taken back at the sudden honesty from the girl. Yaoyorozu must've noticed that because she quickly apologized.

"Heh, sorry. I didn't mean to vent. Sometimes my mouth acts before my head does." She said stacking her books on top of each other. She stood up from her spot quickly.

"Oh, it's okay." You said sincerely.

"I'll see you later, and thanks for the lunch." She waved at you before walking away.

Before you could even realize you were jogging up to the girl. You grabbed her by the wrist to stop her. She seemed surprised and turned around to face you.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here. You shouldn't keep things bottled up so much." You said out of breath.

"Thank you, I'll see you tonight." She said accompanied with a gentle and warm smile before turning around and walking away once more.

You were left standing there, wondering why you had stopped the girl or even been so nice to her even though she treats you oddly.