The clinking sound of knives, forks and chopsticks against plates was obscured by the constant chit-chat in Lunch Rush. You glanced at Todoroki across the table. He chatted with Midoriya, who had earned Todoroki's respect during the Sports Festival. As it turned out, both boys were big All Might fans.

You noticed that Ochaco did not place her tray next to yours. Instead, Ochaco sat further away from you, allowing Tsu to take her usual seat. For some reason, she seemed off since this morning.

You couldn't work out why Ochaco was avoiding you. You always had something to talk about, but today she kept giving you short responses.

"Ochaco, are you okay?" You said.

"Yeah. No problem." She beamed at you. Though you figured that her smile was fake, as she swiftly carried on talking to the rest of your classmates.

After lunch, you wandered around the school halls on your own until you had a great idea. You could go up to the school's rooftop to take in a better view of Musutafu. You had wanted to go up there for the longest time but weren't sure if it was out of bounds for students.

You trotted up the stairs and pushed the heavy door open. As you looked around the spacious place surrounded by fences, you noticed him. Todoroki was sitting down, with his elbows on his knees, drinking some strawberry milk.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." You put your hands together and took a step back.

Even though this was his sacred thinking place, he tapped the ground next to him to invite you to join him.

You caught a fleeting glimpse of his smile. All you needed was that. You walked and sat down with caution, making sure to leave a gap between the two of you.

He placed the milk carton on the side before he broke the ice. "I like the sound of your hero name, by the way."

"Thanks. I like yours, too. Nice and simple."

"Yours is nice and simple as well," Todoroki deadpanned. "The Life Hero: Vita. Did you have a hard time coming up with it?"

"A harder time than you did with yours, that's for sure." You let out a small laugh.

Todoroki shook his head. "Fair enough."

"It's cool." You patted him on the back harder than you intended, which startled him. He lurched forwards, but soon regained his composed posture.

As the spring wind ruffled both of your school uniforms, Todoroki rested his chin on his hand, pensive.

You brought your legs closer to your chest. Though the silence between you was comfortable, you remembered that you wanted to check on him earlier.

"Um, so, who are you planning on doing your internship with, Shoto?"

When his lips set in a grim line, you acknowledged that that was what was probably bothering earlier today.

"I've yet to decide. Thanks to Midoriya, I'm starting to come to terms with some unresolved stuff from the past."

You nodded, listening intently. Midoriya had encouraged Todoroki to use his left side during their one on one battle, but his change of heart stemmed from somewhere far deeper.

"I received well over two thousand offers, but I was wondering whether I should shadow my father."

You scratched your cheek as a chill ran down your spine at the thought. "Alright. I see where you're coming from."

"How about you, (y/n)? You received plenty of offers as well, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I'm not too familiar with most agencies in Musutafu, so I might have a better look before settling which one I'm going for."

"You're staying in Musutafu?"

"Oh, yeah... I think it might be easier in terms of transport and all," you said. You did not want to be unnecessarily spending money when you knew your family was strapped for cash. The fact that you decided to move into the U.A. dorms didn't help them financially, either.

Noticing that you had gone quiet, Todoroki ran a hand through his dual-coloured hair. "Hey, (y/n)?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you meet me here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, definitely," you blurted out. With your heartbeat speeding up by the second, you stopped yourself from fidgeting with your fingers out of nervousness thanks to having Todoroki's judging gaze set on you. "So... the bell's about to go, so I'm gonna start heading downstairs."

"Good idea. I'll be down soon."

You kept your cool in front of Todoroki, but rushed down the stairs caught up in your optimistic thoughts. He wanted to spend more time with you. Did that mean that he considered you his friend? Or at least, would he stop avoiding you once and for all? You let out an unintended squeak out of excitement and bit your lip, hoping no one had heard you.

That aura of positivity turned sour when you came across Momo at the girl's changing room. Her hero costume of a sleeveless crimson leotard with silver lines hugged her body tightly, exposing her skin from her neck to just below her navel. You glanced down at your current hero costume. The new one Chiharu had designed for you was yet to be finished. As the black-haired girl walked past you, your shoulders shrank.

---

The next day, you rested your back against the fence on the rooftop, fidgeting with your fingers. I can't stop shaking, but I really want to know.

"Shoto, is there anyone you're interested in from our class?"

Todoroki's gaze softened as he looked up at the sky. "I think I've managed to go beyond being interested. I might be falling for her."

"Oh, right." Your chin dipped to your chest. So, he does like Momo... I get that. What's there not to like? She's the smartest girl in class and she's also really pretty.

Your phone chirped, snapping you out of your thoughts. Your childhood friend had sent you a message, asking you to go with her to the cinema for her birthday, the weekend after next. Realising that you wouldn't be able to go, you pouted. As you looked up to the few lonely clouds, you heard Todoroki shuffling closer to you.

"May I?" He gently extended his hand towards your face.

"W-what?" Why is he leaning in?!

Covering his mouth, he grinned when he saw your priceless expression. He showed you what he had on his palm. A beautiful hairpin in the shape of a flower. It was almost a throwback to the daisy Koji had given you, but you could tell that it must have cost Todoroki quite a bit.

"It's a present for you. May I?"

You nodded, feeling his hand caress your cheek before he placed the hairpin on your (h/c) hair by your ear. Yet again, his hand lingered there a little longer than he had anticipated.

"Hold on. Why are you crying, (y/n)?" He said as he pulled his hand away from you, worried that he had hurt you in any way.

You rubbed the corner of your eye. Even if Todoroki liked Momo instead of you, you cherished seeing him grow as a person. Ever since the Sports Festival, he was becoming warmer towards you and the rest of the class, and he also seemed more content with himself. "Thank you, Shoto. I'm just so happy."

---

The rest of the week went in a blur of organising internships, studying and training. One thing you regreted was not making more of an effort to make up with Ochaco, especially as you wouldn't be seeing your classmates next week as all of you would be shadowing heroes.

Although, now, this was your second weekend back at home since you started at U.A., and your thorough plan was in action. With little time left, you tiptoed to your uncle's desk, taking a pair of latex gloves out of your pocket. You had taken them from the nurse's room after your training with Recovery Girl.

Silently, you searched for the briefcase. A wave of relief washed over you when you spotted it in the same place as last time. You wasted no time. You crouched down under the desk and took a piece of paper with various numbers scribbled on it from your pocket. A list with possible combinations for the four-digit passcode. From birthdays to other important dates in your uncle's life... even his current hero ranking: #9537.

After trying all of them, you noticed the new computer on the table. It looked expensive and high-tech, unlike most of the equipment at the hero agency. That didn't seem to add up as you thought that your family was pretty broke nowadays.

Your breath hitched. What if I try the date of dad's accident?

Your curiosity had become a heavy load. One too heavy to hold. You entered that fateful date and heard a click. Narrowing your eyes, you opened the briefcase and examined the five vials stored with a fitted grey sponge. Not only did you notice that they shared a resemblance to bullets, but also that the clear liquid inside one of them had already been emptied.