Eria

Honestly, I did not expect Todoroki to say such genuine words. After listening to him, it felt like a huge burden was lifted from my chest. The anxiety that gnawed me from within was replaced by a sense of tranquility.

"Thanks, Todoroki," I said with a smile. "I felt better listening to you." I took in a deep breath. "You're right. I'm not Lucifer. I'm... Takasaki Eria. I won't become a demon like him."

"You're welcome. Keep that positive thinking and you'll be fine." A gentle look spread across Todoroki's face. "I believe in you."

Those were four magical words. They successfully boosted my morale. He... believes in me?

"You're...... not afraid of me? That I would go berserk and..." I asked with trepidation.

"Kill me? I'd like to see you try," he scoffed. "But you do have a high chance to succeed."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Gee, thanks, Todoroki. That is really comforting."

"And... I'm not afraid of you. Not one bit. You're just annoying sometimes. And clingy. And irritating."

Okay! I get it! Stop that!

"... But you're a nice person. And besides, you're not that scary. Compared to... never mind." He frowned. It was more to anger than fear. His fists clenched, and his teeth gritted. Not a good sign, though. Whatever he was thinking about, I should get it off his mind for a while.

"Can I hug you?" I requested. I felt an urge to hug people, now that the tension within me subsided.

He sternly rejected. "No."

"But friends hug after they comforted each other," I explained coyly.

He stared at me with disbelief. "...... Really?"

I stifled a laughter. "Oh god, you're just too pure. You really—"

Before I could register what was happening, I was pulled into Todoroki's warm embrace. His muscly arms squeezed me as his chin rested on my shoulder. The scent of fresh grass, mint and strawberry filled my nostrils. He smelled nice.

"T-t-t-todoroki! What are you doing?!" I shouted with astonishment as I flustered. A pale shade of pink dusted my cheeks.

"Hugging you. You said it's what friends do," he said nonchalantly.

You're just too pure! What did I do to deserve you!

My heart was beating too fast that blood rushed to my cheeks. Cautiously, I returned the hug by wrapping my arms around his torso too. We stayed like this for a while, enjoying the sweet warmth of the embrace.

"You know, friends also give each other money for free..."

"Don't take this too far, Takasaki," he said as he abruptly released me. His face turned away, trying to hide the pink that dyed his cheeks.

I recalled everything he has said to me. With a wide smile, I said, "Thank you, Todoroki, from the bottom of my heart."

Todoroki stared at me, eyes widened, mouth slightly agape. He looked as if he was shocked down to his core.

"What was that expression?" I questioned.

"...... Nothing."

"Friends tell each other everything!" I nagged.

"...... Like I said, it was nothing."

I gave him a cold stare.

Suddenly, something growled and grumbled loudly.

"...... Was that thunder?" Todoroki abruptly asked. He looked up at the sky. "But it's a clear sky."

"It's not thunder, you idiot! I'm hungry!" I retorted as my face flushed.

He looked at my stomach. "...... Are you sure you don't have a monster living in your stomach, Takasaki?"

"That's just rude." I playfully punched him. "Let's just eat something before I faint. My treat."

"Zaru soba then, thank you," he swiftly replied.

"That was quick." I gritted my teeth.

"I'm hungry too," he explained. "And Takasaki..."

"Hmm?"

"Don't do those stupid suicidal training anymore. You need to rest well for the Sports Festival. And besides...... if you need someone to train with, you can find me."

"That's just nice of you—"

"I want to test how hot and how cold you can resist my quirk."

"...... So the fox finally showed his true colours, huh?"

"I'm... I'm not a fox. And a fox has only an orange coat, isn't it?"

I laughed as hard as I can. "You're just too pure, Todoroki. What did I do to deserve you?"

***

One day before the grand sports festival. I didn't approach Todoroki like my daily routine because he was emanating the 'stay-away-from-me-or-I'll-kill-you' aura.

Why, you asked? Because he was frowning more than usual, he scowled at anyone who looked at him and he ignored me for the whole day.

Yesterday, after we became friends—as he claimed—we did a lot of small talk, though he would still give me monosyllabic replies. But today, he wouldn't even look at me. He was as cold as ice.

Did he regret making friends with me?

While I listened to Ectoplasm-sensei's teaching, an idea popped up in my mind. During recess, I quickly bought a pack of matcha-flavoured Kit Kat and distributed it to my classmates.

"Here ya' go," I said as I gave it to Kaminari and Kirishima. "Good luck for tomorrow!"

Kaminari stared at the Kit Kat. "Gee, thanks. You're so swe—"

"Ooh! Kit Kat! You're wishing us all the best for tomorrow right? Thanks, Eria!" Kirishima gasped as he lit up a wide grin.

(In Japan, people sometimes buy Kit Kat before tests because Kit Kat sounds like 'you will surely win/pass' in Japanese.)

"You know what else can help me win?" Mineta snickered. "Boo—"

The petite boy was swiftly slapped by Tsuyu's long tongue. "Thanks, Eria-chan," she said as she accepted my chocolate.

"I want one!"

"Matcha!"

"This is delicious!"

"Thanks, Takasaki-kun!"

I sneaked glances at Todoroki, who was not distracted by the ruckus. He was scribbling intently on his notebook.

"Eating this wonderful chocolate will help us to win big in the Sports Festival!" I hollered as loud as I could. "It's magical!"

"YEAH!" The rest followed me.

Todoroki finally looked up and our eyes locked. He quickly averted his eyes.

Got you!

"Is Todoroki still looking?" I asked Ochako.

Ochako looked behind her. "Yup. He must be perked by the magical Kit Kat, huh? Even though he's emanating the 'stay-away-from-me' vibe... I thought you made friends with him."

"I did but he's... hot and cold sometimes, just like his quirk..." I sighed.

"Well, I gotta go now," she said. "Rest well, Eria-san! See you tomorrow!" I waved her off.

In the corner, a certain sandy blond grumpily complained about the ruckus in class. He shot glares at me as he left the classroom. I quickly threw him the chocolate, which unfortunately landed on top of his pointy hair. The others stifled their laughter as they watched us.

"Bakugou, you got er..." Kirishima pointed at Bakugou's hair.

"WHAT, SHITTY HAIR? SPIT IT OUT!"

"You got magical chocolate growing out of your hair!" Kaminari and Sero laughed, holding their stomachs.

"The fuck?!" Bakugou touched his hair and took the Kit Kat. His eyes darted from me to the chocolate.

"If you don't want it, you can give it back. Along with your luck," Kaminari teased.

"I don't need dumb luck, dunce face!"

"Then give it to me, I need double luck tomorrow," said Sero as he tried to snatch the chocolate from Bakugou.

"Hell no, I'm not giving away free food, flat face." Bakugou left without looking at me, while Sero, Kaminari and Kirishima trailed him. "STOP FOLLOWING ME YOU IDIOTS!" His loud voice echoed in the hallway, followed by rings of laughter.

Ahh... such a big tsundere.

Like an apparition, Todoroki has appeared beside me out of nowhere. His shifty eyes darted from me to the pack of chocolates I was holding. The hostile aura around him diminished.

"I'm all out," I said.

He gaped. "...... Okay."

Aww poor boy.

"I'm just kidding. Here." I gave him a piece of Kit Kat. It was strawberry-flavoured. "Good luck for tomorrow."

He blinked. "......Thanks."

"You're welcome." I quickly gathered my stuff. "You err... wanna go home together?"

Todoroki hesitated.

"It's okay. I'll just go home by myself. You seemed to have a lot of stuff in your mind lately. Just talk to me when you're ready. See you tomorrow."

"......Wait."

I turned around.

He stared at me intently. "...... Friends tell each other everything, right?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"When... When I win the Sports Festival, I'll tell you. In return for telling me about Lucifer."

"Tell me what?"

"The truth of my scar."

***

The truth of his scar... huh?

"What a mysterious guy, he is..." I muttered during dinner with my family.

"Who?" asked Hinata.

"My classmate, Todoroki."

"Ah. That silly classmate of yours."

"Todoroki?" My mom queried. "That Todoroki?"

"Who?" I asked, confused. "You know him?"

"I know a Todoroki. Todoroki Enji. Endeavour, the 2nd pro hero after All Might," she replied. "Good hero, but not a very good colleague. We clashed a lot."

"Did you win?" Hinata asked, excited.

"3 out of 5 times. He has firepower, but he doesn't have my ferocity. Humans can never beat demons." My mom touched her horn. "If I'm still active, I'd probably take his place as second." She suddenly glared at my father, who stiffened. "If weren't for my husband who is a permanent resident doctor, I would still be an active hero now."

My father gulped. "Err... why don't we just finish our dinner and watch a movie?"

My mind stringed the words together. Todoroki Shouto. Endeavour. Scar.

...... Did his scar had something to do with his father?

***

I didn't dare to ask Todoroki about the questions that pestered me. It would be bad to affect his performance in the sports festival later. Plus, he promised to tell me everything.

Patience is virtue, I told myself.

"Good morning, Takasaki." Todoroki's soft voice rang in my ears. His expression softened compared to yesterday.

"Ah, morning, Todoroki. Are you excited for today?" I asked with a smile.

"A little," he replied monotonously. His heterochromatic eyes darted from me to someone behind me. "Excuse me, Takasaki." Todoroki walked towards Midoriya, who was slightly surprised by Todoroki's presence.

With sharp and concise words, Todoroki declared war against Midoriya. Curious eyes gathered at the two of the strongest students in class. The green-haired boy was shocked at first, but he accepted Todoroki's rivalry with a determined heart.

Todoroki's face slightly twisted in displeasure. However, his eyes, too gleamed with determination to win Midoriya.

"Hey, we're all classmates. Can't we just get along?" Kirishima stepped up, trying to ease the tension.

But Todoroki easily shrugged off Kirishima's advance. "I'm not here to make friends," Todoroki said coldly. He briefly glanced at me apologetically and left the waiting room.

I sighed. Humans don't easily change, huh?

My legs moved before my mind reacted. A second later, I found myself outside of the waiting room, staring at Todoroki who was waiting for me.

"Todoroki..." I unconsciously blurted.

The boy stared at me silently with his blank eyes. A few moments later, he finally spoke, his voice slightly coarse. "Aren't you going to yell at me for saying that?"

I blinked. It didn't cross my mind at all. "No. Why?"

"Because that's what you would do," he replied.

"Maybe... if you didn't promise to explain to me about your scar."

His eyes slightly widened. "I see."

"I can be patient enough to wait for your explanation on your scar and your mood swings."

He raised an eyebrow. "Patience... doesn't look like it's your thing."

"You little..." I cursed. "Anyway, good luck. Break a leg, Todoroki."

Shock drew upon his face.

"I'm not cursing you... it's a figurative speech... never mind. Just win, okay?"

He nodded. "...... Good luck, Takasaki."

I watched him leave. My heart ached as his back looked lonely and sad.

......Whatever the outcome of the Sports Festival may be... whatever your past may be... Todoroki Shouto, you should know, you will never be alone anymore. I'm here for you now because I'm your friend.

***

I'm back! After passing up my thesis and my final year project, I'm finally free for a short period. So... it's back to posting stories! WOOHOO!! Thank you for the near 2.9k reads during my absence, love you guys :)