Satoru was standing in the preparation room with his class. He was wearing his costume for the play. (This shit... It's heavy. I feel hot.)
"What's with those clothes, Kendo?" Monoma asked.
"She looks cute with those clothes, Neito," said Mato. "Stop that."
"Yeah, Hid's right," said Tetsutetsu.
(Kyaaa! Hideki-kun said I look cute with these clothes! Is this a sign?)
"Hey, boys, just don't walk in like this," said Reiko.
"It's hard to believe that's the look of someone who's sold her soul to violence!"
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Itsuka asked.
"A compliment!" Monoma replied. "After all, the one who entered you was me!"
"So you forced her to participate..." Mato muttered.
"Exactly! If she wins, the Class B will go even more Plus Ultra! And during that time, I'll be free from her powerful fist!"
"But not from mine," Mato slapped Monoma's nape. "Anyway, Itsuka, don't mind him; if you want to win, win for yourself, not for doing a favor to Neito."
Itsuka blushed.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Nejire Hado approached. "Why is Kendo so sure to win?"
"Hado-senpai!" Monoma exclaimed.
"Oh my, speaking of victory while disregarding me?" Bibimi Kenranzaki appeared.
(Good God, this girl has had a complete makeover from head to toe. How the fuck did she win last year? Natural beauty is supposed to count, in theory.)
"It's a fight among women..." Yosetsu muttered.
"Yeah, that's none of our business," said Mato.
(Togata-senpai and Eri-chan are supposed to arrive in a while... We'll perform after Izuku's class, so I'll watch him alongside them.)
__________
10:00 AM
Satoru was standing in the crowd beside Mirio. He was holding Eri in his arms.
"Can you see, Eri-chan?" he asked.
"Yeah..." Eri said.
"That's great," said Mato. "Togata-senpai, are you ready?"
"I'm born ready!" Mirio exclaimed.
The curtains rose, and 1-A appeared.
(C'mon, Izuku.)
The concert started. Confetti, lights, people floating thanks to Uraraka's Quirk. It was beautiful.
Eri smiled.
"Togata-senpai, look..." Mato muttered, calling Mirio's attention. "She's smiling... she's smiling..."
(I'm so glad she's smiling... Izuku, Nighteye, we did it... Eri-chan's smiling!)
__________
"My name is Romeo!" Monoma shouted. "Ghost of Azkaban, Count Paris! Return Juliet to me!"
"Romeo..." Mato muttered. "You heard about your father from Gandalf, right? That he was the king of Gondor. That was a lie."
"I am your father!"
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
(I was forced to say that,) thought Mato. (But man, as long as it makes Eri-chan smile, I'll do it.)
___________
After the play ended, Satoru reached Mirio and Eri.
"Yo," he said. "Did you have fun, Eri-chan?"
"Yeah!" Eri exclaimed. "At first I didn't recognize you, but it was super-duper funny!"
Mato smiled. "I'm glad you had a good time."
He kneeled and patted Eri's head. "Now, we should reach Izuku. There are still a lot of things to do."
"Will you pick me up?" Eri asked.
"Of course!" Mato picked her up. "The fun just began, Eri-chan!"
_________
Beauty Pageant
"Itsuka is supposed to appear now..." Satoru whispered.
"How's your friend like?" Eri asked.
"She has orange hair, green eyes, and wears a sky blue dress," Satoru explained. "Look, she's here!"
"Kendo, who can blast you away in one hit!" said the presenter.
(Damn, she destroyed those wooden tables as if they were made of glass...)
"What a beautiful performance!"
"Whoa, Bibimi Senranzaki made a good performance..." Monoma whispered.
"Hey, I heard everyone liked your play!" said Kirishima.
"Thanks, man," said Tetsutetsu. "I liked your concert as well!"
"And now we have the third year, Nejire Hado!"
(I hope Mei-chan doesn't catch me watching other girls...)
"Hey, Izuku, do you want to hold her now?"
"Yeah, of course!" said Izuku. Mato passed Eri to Izuku.
"Will you hold me again later?" Eri asked.
"Sure," said Mato. "When my arms regain strength."
__________
"Vote for one of these contestants!"
"Kendo! Vote more than once for Kendo from Class B!" Monoma shouted.
"She will be disqualified!" said Yosetsu.
"Always the same, huh?" Mato muttered with his arms crossed.
"Anyway," said Mirio. "We've still got a lot to enjoy!"
__________
End of the Sports Festival
"Thanks for today! It was fun!" Eri exclaimed.
"Yeah," said Izuku. "I had fun too."
There was a moment of silence.
"Eri-chan," said Mato. "I've got something for you."
Mato extracted a candy apple. "Surprise!"
"A candy apple?" Mirio widened his eyes. "They were selling them? I couldn't find any!"
"Looking at the program, I thought maybe there wouldn't be any," said Mato. "So Izuku bought the ingredients for it when he went out this morning."
"It was easier to make than I expected," said Izuku. "The only thing I couldn't find was the food coloring, so I borrowed it from Sato."
"Well, you should be able to see her again soon," said Mirio as Eri bit the candy apple.
"I really hope so," said Satoru. "Does it taste good, Eri-chan?"
"It's even sweeter!" Eri said.
"I'll make it again," said Izuku.
"Togata-senpai, take care of her when we're not around," said Mato.
"I will," said Mirio.
"Please, Eri-chan, behave yourself, okay?" Satoru kneeled to Eri. "I promise we'll see each other again soon, and when we do, I'll make you have more fun than we had today!"
"Thanks, Dark," said Eri. "I promise I'll behave!"
(This girl... I don't know why, but she awakens a soft spot in my heart that only Himiko-chan could achieve until now. Maybe... my heart of stone is slowly turning into a heart of gold.)
"Now we're going, bye!" said Mirio.
"Bye, Deku! Bye, Dark!" Eri exclaimed, following Mirio.
Mato and Izuku remained alone.
"Will we protect her?" Izuku asked.
"Are you even asking?" said Mato. "Of course we will."
(Tomura, I'm sorry, but you won't touch this girl.)
Chapter 48 - End