The weekend arrived the following day, and Ayaka had a long list of things to take care of. First and foremost was her quirk training, something she had been neglecting for far too long. The biggest issue with that, however, was the fact that using a quirk in public was illegal, and she didn't have a proper space at home to train her offensive techniques.
For the past few months, most of her practice had focused on precision rather than power. She worked on creating flowers with the perfect balance of size, energy, and weight, but that wasn't where her quirk truly shined. Thanks to her binge-watching of Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen, Ayaka had discovered several characters with abilities similar to hers, and it turned out that she had the potential to replicate some of their most impressive moves.
At the moment, she was already capable of quite a lot. She could create and control wood that emerged from her arms, legs, or even directly from the ground. The same applied to plants, and she had even developed a few with special properties, such as a blue flower that released calming spores. But beyond that, her offensive arsenal was still limited.
To a casual observer, her abilities might have seemed remarkable, but for someone aspiring to be a top-tier hero, Ayaka found them lacking. Today, she planned to go all out in a secluded spot deep in the forest, where she could train freely without holding back.
The rest of her responsibilities were mostly chores and flower shop duties, which she figured she could postpone for the time being.
After saying goodbye to her dad, Ayaka hopped on her bike and began the long ride to the forest. The journey took nearly two hours, but she didn't mind.
During her previous visits, she had discovered a quiet clearing, tucked away between tall trees, where she could train without damaging the surrounding nature. Once there, she dropped her backpack on the ground, stretched her limbs, and began preparing for a long day of training.
Her main objective today was to improve her offensive capabilities. She already had a few basic techniques in mind. Most of them were simple but effective, such as summoning a massive wooden spear from the ground, or using vines and roots to entangle an opponent and obstruct their line of sight. These moves required practice to control properly, but she managed to master them without too much trouble.
About three hours later, Ayaka lay sprawled on the grass, her entire body drenched in sweat. She could feel every heartbeat pulsing in her chest.
As she caught her breath, she decided to attempt one final technique before calling it a day. She wasn't entirely sure it would work on the first try, but she was determined to give it a shot. Today, she was going to attempt something she called the "Solar Beam."
The inspiration came from Pokémon and a manhwa she had read, in which a character with a similar ability pulled off a blinding solar attack. Naturally, Ayaka wanted to replicate it.
It took her over an hour just to figure out how to accumulate and concentrate energy into a tangible blast, but nothing seemed to work.
At first, she tried releasing it directly from her palm, only to scorch herself. Then she attempted using flowers to channel the energy, but they were instantly reduced to ash.
For her final attempt, she decided to take a more creative and refined approach. She crafted a wooden structure around her arm, extending from her shoulder to about sixty centimeters past her hand. The structure was thick around the forearm and narrowed beyond that, ending in a sharp wooden spike. This spike would serve as the release point for the solar energy.
Just forming the structure left Ayaka feeling drained. The material she created was much more durable than anything she had made before, built with the hope it could withstand the intense heat of the blast.
Focusing all her energy on the cannon, Ayaka poured every ounce of strength she had into a concentrated solar beam. The result was immediate. A brilliant ray of light shot forward, carving a clean path through several trees in the distance.
Her eyes widened in shock. Then, pain surged through her arm. The wooden construct collapsed into splinters, revealing scorched red skin underneath. While the structure absorbed most of the damage, the heat still managed to cause minor burns.
Before she could even recover, she felt a warm trickle running down her nose. She wiped it with her clean hand and saw blood smeared across her palm. A nosebleed. Classic sign of overexertion.
"Jesus Christ, I am not trying this again anytime soon," she muttered.
Before heading home, she took a moment to clean herself up.
Ayaka trudged back home with her bike, her muscles aching with every push of the pedals. The faint stinging on her arm had dulled, but the burn marks were still visible beneath her sleeve. By the time she finally reached her neighborhood, the evening sky was already painted in hues of violet and gold.
Her father was watering the plants outside the flower shop when she arrived. He glanced up with a warm smile that immediately shifted into concern.
"You look like you ran a marathon," he said, setting down the watering can. "Did something happen?"
Ayaka quickly waved him off, forcing a grin. "Nothing at all. Just… exercised a little too much today."
He narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced, but didn't press further. "Go take a bath before you catch a cold. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Got it," she replied, grateful he didn't ask more questions.
Upstairs in her room, Ayaka peeled off her shirt to check the damage. The burns weren't too severe, but they were raw enough to sting when the fabric brushed against them. She sighed, grabbing a small jar of aloe gel from her drawer and carefully rubbing it over the irritated skin.
The memory of the Solar Beam replayed in her mind. The power behind it was undeniable, but the cost was steep. She had barely pulled it off, and even then it left her body screaming in protest. If she wanted to keep experimenting, she would need to find a way to minimize the recoil.
As she lay in bed later that night, scrolling absentmindedly through her phone, a new message lit up her screen.
Momo: Are you free tomorrow?
Ayaka's heart skipped a beat. She typed back almost too quickly.
Ayaka: Yeah. What's up?
Momo: I was thinking we could study together. Or maybe… just hang out?
Ayaka buried her face in her pillow to hide the smile she knew no one could see. Her fingers trembled as she typed back.
Ayaka: I'd like that. Where do you want to meet?
Momo: How about my place? It might be easier. My parents are away this weekend, so we'll have the house to ourselves.
Ayaka froze. The words house to ourselves rang in her head like an alarm bell. Her thoughts spiraled instantly.
'Calm down, Ayaka, she literally means studying. Studying. You absolute idiot. Don't make this weird.'
Still, she couldn't deny the nervous excitement buzzing in her chest.
Ayaka: Sounds good. I'll bring some snacks.
Momo: Perfect. See you then.
Ayaka put her phone down, her cheeks burning with heat that had nothing to do with her earlier training. Immediately after that text, she called Jirō, to ask her if she had any progress with Momo.
She told Ayaka that they went out today, and while she didn't get a definitive answer on whether Momo was a lesbian or not, she had her suspicions. Then, she proceeded to tell Ayaka how the "Operation" went.
The next day, Jirō set the plan into motion. Shehad invited Momo to hang out at the mall.
It wasn't awkward in the slightest. Momo was easy to talk to, graceful without being stiff, and before long they were drifting from store to store with bags hanging from their arms, chatting about everything from study habits to favorite cafés.
Still, Jirō had an agenda. She began casually, sprinkling Ayaka's name into the conversation every so often, watching Momo carefully each time. For the most part, Momo responded with calm politeness, but when Jirō casually mentioned that someone had hit on Ayaka the day before, there it was, a flicker in her expression, a brief furrow of her brow before she quickly smoothed it over.
Got you, Jirō thought, hiding a grin.
She waited for the right moment before leaning back in her chair at the food court, swirling her drink lazily. "So, Momo… are you seeing anyone?"
Momo blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Me? No, I'm not."
"A boyfriend then?" Jirō pressed lightly, her tone casual. Then she tilted her head with deliberate nonchalance. "Or maybe… a girlfriend?"
That last word nearly made Momo choke on her straw. "E-excuse me?" she stammered, her cheeks flushing pink.
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea," Jirō said quickly, raising her hands in mock surrender. "I'm not hitting on you. I don't swing that way. I'm just curious, you know? You've never really mentioned anything like that."
Momo hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around her cup. "W-well… I'm not seeing anyone right now. I've never actually dated anyone, to be honest." Then, perhaps out of courtesy, she added, "What about you?"
Jirō chuckled, leaning back comfortably. "Never dated either. But I have kissed two people." She smirked at Momo's widening eyes. "Although, technically, one of them doesn't really count."
"Why not?" Momo asked, curiosity softening her embarrassment. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing dramatic," Jirō said with a shrug. "It's just… my second kiss was with another girl. I wanted to see what it felt like. Turns out I wasn't into it."
Momo froze for a moment, processing, before blurting out, "Wait, so you kissed a girl just to find out?"
"Pretty much," Jirō replied, sipping her drink like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. "I already knew I liked guys, but I was curious. So I tried. That's all. Also the other girl had the same intentions as me so it wasn't weird."
Momo's brows knitted together, her expression hovering somewhere between confusion and contemplation. She didn't push further, but her reaction was exactly what Jirō had been hoping for.
Inside, Jirō smirked. Ayaka, you owe me for this.