They'd ended up walking around the park some more, occasionally stopping to pet dogs, which Haru found mesmerising. He'd never interacted much with animals before, and the dogs seemed to inherently trust him. They went nuts for Mina, too, and Mina cooed in adoration at all of them.
After that, they went roller skating after Haru had spotted the rink. He'd never done it before and made an utter fool of himself, while Mina was an expert, of course. She'd ended up holding his hand for a lap and helping him go a little faster, which only further flustered him on the inside. Is this a date? She's kissed me on the cheek, held hands with me, sat in my lap, flirted with me (I think), and yet the status of our relationship remains unacknowledged. What am I supposed to do?
As he waved goodbye to her at the onset of evening, watching her leave the train platform with a smile, another part of his mind answered the question.
Don't worry about it, and enjoy the fact that you have a good friend at all.
Maybe he should have been angrier about her actions during the Sports Festival. But with all the other things that had happened that day, it just didn't seem that important or worth getting worked up about. Am I blinded by my own feelings? Was he really ready for a relationship, or would he end up too forgiving, and let a girl walk all over him?
Here I am, worried about girls. Ridiculous. He tossed his phone onto his bedside table as he fell back into his bed, waiting a few minutes before he would have to head down and help with dinner. I got first fucking place in the Sports Festival. My future as a hero, as far as I've been told, is practically secured. I have stable friendships and a stable education. Why bother muddying the waters with girl troubles? What else is there to worry about?
His phone buzzed. Confused, Haru looked at the screen, expecting some sort of message from Mina saying that she'd enjoyed the day, but it was from Midoriya. Midoriya had texted him.
Izuku: I know you aren't that close with Iida, but it's probably important that you know about this. I know you don't keep up to date with hero news, so I just thought I'd make sure.
And then, a link to an article.
PRO HERO INGENIUM MORTALLY WOUNDED IN ENCOUNTER WITH THE HERO KILLER: STAIN STRIKES AGAIN
His eyes widened in shock. A pro hero called Ingenium, real name Tensei… Iida?
Iida's father? No, too young by the looks of the photo… must be his older brother.
It began to sink in.
Iida's brother had been hospitalized by a villain attack. He was likely never working as a hero again.
Images flashed through Haru's brain. A decaying hand, opening wide toward his face. A monstrous creature bearing down upon All Might, the symbol of peace bloodied and battered and nearly defeated. And narrow yellow eyes, surrounded by a dark purple void, threatening to consume.
Haru dropped his phone, light-headed.
I am the biggest dolt on the planet. Nothing to worry about? The villains are out there, and they have MARKED me.
The struggle is only just beginning.
"I'm home!" Mina Ashido declared loudly as she slammed the door behind her.
"No one asked!" her older brother called from his room upstairs. Mina sighed, and deadpanned, her shoulders falling.
In the living room, her mom was watching the second year Sports Festival, while her younger sister played with toys on the carpet.
"You know any of these kids, honey?" her mom asked her absentmindedly, not looking away from the screen.
"The second years? No, not at all."
"Why not? You had older friends in middle school."
"Mom… it's only been like, a month…" Mina gritted her teeth. "Why are you watching that anyway? I'm not even in it!"
"Don't be full of yourself, honey. That teleporting boy wiped the floor with you."
"Ugh! Mom!"
"I think Oka-san was just joking," her little sister put in helpfully. "Where were you by the way, Mina-neesan?" She looked up from her toys.
"Oh…" Mina felt heat rush to her face, and she straightened the strap of her purse. "I was just out… with a friend."
Her mom actually tore her eyes away from the TV and gave her daughter a dry look. "It was a boy, wasn't it?"
"N-no!"
"It was the warping boy that won the festival and beat you, wasn't it?"
"HOW! How did you figure that out!"
Her mom's eyelids were halfway down. "Honey, when you get to be as old as me, you start seeing things that easy."
"It's kind of obvious," her little sister mumbled.
"Okay, well…" Mina traced her toe along the floor, mumbling. "He doesn't even like me like that, so you can both just shove it, to be honest…"
And then she walked out of the living room. "It's your turn to wash the dishes tonight!" her mom yelled after her.
Mina slammed her bedroom door and collapsed onto her bed, annoyed. Why does my family have to exist and ruin a perfectly good day?
She'd been terrified that Haru wouldn't forgive her. But of course he had, he was just nice like that. And funny, and brave, and stubborn with his beliefs. He'd won the Sports Festival with that tenacity.
Ugh… I thought he liked me for sure… but even after I clarified my intentions with the apology, he still didn't make a move…
Mina had no intention of asking him out directly, not yet. She enjoyed the thrill of the game, the cat-and-mouse. It was just like all those romance shows.
Haru Namikaze, you walking contradiction. How can you be so hard to fluster and yet so shy at the same time? Just ask me out already, grrrrrr! I'm GOING to say yes if you do!
It was like… he'd trained himself to let all words, including any teasing or flirting, to just bounce off of him. Nothing was sincere. Everything was reflected with a counter-comment. An impenetrable shell.
Mina's eyes widened, and she lifted her face off her pillow. THAT was another thing. Alongside all the other attractive qualities… Haru Namikaze was mysterious.
The way he'd acted around those dogs, like he'd never seen dogs before and was just… dazzled. It had been adorable, sure, but also off-putting. Then there was the fact that he'd never been roller skating… didn't know about any of the good restaurants in his own area… didn't know much about heroes despite applying to become one…
A worrisome thought began to grow in her head. Did Haru… not have a childhood?
Toru had mentioned multiple times that she'd rarely seen him around their middle school and that he never used his Quirk. No one had known about it.
Plus there was the cool-headedness he'd shown during USJ… the initial dismissal of fighting other students in the festival, claiming it to be frivolous… and the surprise combat ability in the 1v1 matches, seemingly from nowhere…
Is Haru… some kind of child secret agent?
Mina slapped herself in the face. Don't be stupid. Something is definitely up with him, but it's certainly not THAT.
… probably.
… right?