After waking up, I opened my phone to reveal two new messages from Nejire.
I upped the brightness as it seemed, it wasn't automatically doing so. I blinked a few times, and with that sleep left me completely, as it wasn't a necessary function, simply blinking put me back at factory setting. I read out the messages.
"See you at 5. Are you okay with watching a movie together or going shopping?"
I stared at the message for a moment, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. Going out with Nejire sounded pleasant. I loved her never ending questions and with the whole Stain story putting me on edge, since I wasn't able to do anything as of now, it would be nice to go out with a friend.
"I am fine with either of those options," I answered back.
Almost too fast for my enhanced perception to react, a heart appeared next to my text. Weird. I tilted my head at the screen, not entirely sure what that signified. How did she do that? I made a mental note to ask someone about it later, then set the phone aside.
The day went by slowly at first, eating breakfast at the cafeteria. After which I went over to the library where the others were waiting along with Momo, who had graciously agreed to tutor us.
I sat next to Toru. We hadn't spoken a lot during the internship, our paths diverging as we trained under different heroes in different cities. But we were back to normal once classes began after that, falling into the easy friendship that unlike Nejire was a quiet one, filled with comfortable silence. However this in turn led to Stain's story still circulated in my brain over and over again.
The corruption. The ordered killings. I had to push it aside. Nezu said to wait. To be patient. To not do anything drastic. Thankfully, I had restraint down now.
So I wouldn't. But that didn't mean I could stop thinking about it.
The last person to come in was a rushing Kaminari. He was sweating slightly, which made him smell, although I was most likely the only one who could smell it, his heart was also racing, he had probably run here. Tsuyu wasn't here as she was actually smart and didn't need the extra help.
Wait. I turned my head to Toru, looking at the silhouette of her face. She also got good grades so why was she here? I was just about to ask, when Momo slammed a book on the table.
The sound echoed in the private room we had reserved, so thankfully it didn't bother anyone. Although seeing Momo slam a book on a table was a weird sight in it and of itself.
"Listen up, today we'll solely be studying physics since that's the worst subject for three out of the five of you."
Mina, Kirishima and I gazed down at our desks, suitably chastised, Momo wasn't usually like this, did studying bring out this part of her? I could hear Mina's heartbeat flutter with embarrassment, could smell the slight acidic tang that accompanied her emotional responses. In fact, Mina, who should have been loud and boisterous, was twirling her thumbs nervously instead.
Why had they changed personalities?
And so the hours passed. We studied gravitational physics like Newton's laws, Momo guiding us through concepts and problems alike.
Although some sounded dumb at first glance, like something at rest stays at rest or that something in motion stays in motion. I had said as much, earning a sigh from our tutor. But Momo explained it was actually really important. It's why we didn't feel the rotation of the earth, she said, because we are moving at a constant speed, which makes it imperceptible.
Honestly I couldn't really understand it. But she said it's similar to how in bullet trains we don't go back or forwards, unless it accelerates or slows down.
We did a few exercises about speed, velocity, acceleration, and things like that. The hours moved by in a blur. Kirishima was struggling in front of me, next to Mina, his pencil scratching against paper with more force than necessary. Kaminari had zoned out twice already, his eyes going glassy before Momo would snap her fingers to bring him back.
Until finally it was time to rest. My brain was hurting by the end, a dull ache settling behind my eyes, which even Avalon didn't take away for some reason. But I was improving slowly. Well, I thought I was, if Momo's corrections were anything to go by.
We took out our bento boxes. I had picked up mine at the kitchen from Lunch Rush, after having breakfast, bless his soul and his food. The aroma hit me, and I felt my pupils expand. We all dug in, idle conversation taking hold as the tension of studying gave way to our usual banter.
"I'm beat," Mina announced as she flicked a piece of fish into her mouth, her boisterous attitude returning. "Anyone wanna hang later today, cause I need it," she turned to Momo, her eyes brightening. "You're invited too, you know."
"Thank you, Mina," Momo replied, her voice going slightly higher for some reason. I noticed a faint flush creeping up her neck, though I couldn't quite understand why. "I would like to study in the evening too, so I'm going to have to decline."
Mina nodded as she turned to us to add. "Horn Buddy, Watts, Toru, Art, you up for it? I could message Tsu too."
"Could Bakugo come with?" Kirishima asked, his voice enthusiastic.
I felt their eyes move to me. Why?
"Is that okay with you, Arthur?" Toru asked me. I could almost see her eyes in that weird state I could visualize her in, the outline of her face suggested by the faint distortion in the air. Her tone was almost hesitant for some reason.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Don't you have a problem with Bakugo?" Kaminari asked, leaning forward slightly. I could hear his heartbeat quicken with curiosity, that particular rhythm people got when they were anticipating drama. "I mean you beat his as-"
Mina put her hands around Kaminari's mouth.
"I do?" I replied, genuinely perplexed. I didn't have a problem with him. Maybe I was a little annoyed at the fact he cursed constantly or told everyone they should die, but the thing I disliked about Bakugo was how violent he got. And nowadays, I hadn't seen him explode at someone, literally and figuratively. If anything, he seemed to be mellowing, though perhaps that was too strong a word.
"Yeah, you always stare him down," Toru added.
Did I? I hadn't noticed.
"No, I don't have a problem with Bakugo," I answered honestly. "Do you think he thinks I have a problem with him?"
"Maybe," Momo answered as she flicked a bit of rice into her mouth with her chopsticks. She settled them in the bowl with proper care, her attention still on me. "You can be rather... intense, Arthur. When you focus on someone."
I considered that. Perhaps I did need to be more conscious of how my attention might be perceived.
"Then invite him, Kirishima. It could be fun," Kaminari added, his mouth free from Mina's grip, his gaze turning to Kirishima with a grin. "The more the merrier, right?"
"Awesome! He's a really cool guy," Kirishima beamed, already reaching for his phone to send the invitation.
"I won't be able to go though," I added, remembering my earlier plans. "I'm already going out with someone this afternoon."
"Who?" Toru said quickly. It almost made her sound like an owl.
"Nejire. We are going to the movies, or shopping. Not sure yet. It'll be fun."
Mina slammed her hands on the table, a wild grin spreading across her face. The sudden motion made several pencils roll off the edge, clattering to the floor unheeded. "Wait, are you two going by yourselves?!"
Once more I thanked the fact we had reserved a private room, so we wouldn't bother anyone. "Yes, it's just going to be the two of us, I think," I replied before slurping down my miso in one gulp and settling it down once more. The warmth spread through my chest pleasantly.
"So manly," Kirishima whispered, tears forming around the edges of his eyes. I wasn't entirely sure what about my statement warranted such a response, but I accepted it nonetheless.
"I can't believe you got a date before me," Kaminari sighed, putting his head on the table with a dramatic thunk. His voice was muffled by the wood. "Where did I go wrong?"
"Yes, a date," I added, trying to be helpful. "June 30th, 5pm. That's the date."
Everything went quiet after that. The silence stretched, thick and strange. The silence was broken by a quick and loud noise, a smack. Someone slapped their forehead. It was Mina. I was about to ask if she was okay, concerned that she might have hurt herself, but before I could she spoke up.
"Arthur, just how dense are you? That's not the kind of date she was talking about."
What other kinds were there? I thought about the word, turning it over in my mind. Date. A point in time. What else could it possibly mean?
"She was talking about a romantic date, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend."
I cocked my head to the side, still a little confused, weren't they also my boyfriends and girlfriends, they were my friends and were also boys and girls.
She turned to Kirishima, pointing at him with her thumb. "Horn Buddy, I'm sorry, but are all of you this dense?"
He looked at Mina, then at me, then at Mina, then back at me, then finally back at me again, his expression cycling through confusion, consideration, and finally settling on uncertainty. "No," he whispered. "At least I don't think we are."
"So it's just him, then," she turned to me again, her yellow eyes staring deeply into my blue. "Art," she added, her voice going low, almost conspiratorial. "Let me explain to you the intricacies of men and women."
As her words left her lips, I heard three heartbeats beating faster, almost as if in response. Kaminari, Toru and... Momo?
A/N: Sup ladies and gents. How's life? Cause I'm stressed out lol. In the middle of exams after Christmas break, so don't expect too much from me, at least not until February. Twas a pleasure. Oh, I also uploaded a fic called Fate/Second, it's about the Second Holy Grail War, check it out if you're interested, it only had three chaps though, and there is no true protagonist.
Thx for reading. Send those stones, they raise my endorphin levels. Author out