Boku no Hero Academia belongs to Horikoshi Kohei

Author's note at the end

The soft movement of Tsuyu's fingers on the wooden desk was the only thing keeping Kirishima awake during the first hour of the day. Regretting staying up late playing video games, Kirishima dropped his forehead to the desk, letting it fall against the table. From his position, he was able to see Ochako and Izuku's joined hands underneath the table while he explained something to her. The early Monday morning didn't seem to promise anything spectacular; even a bit of rain would have made the day more entertaining for Kirishima, since he'd be able to jump puddles on his way back home.

"Boring morning, huh?" Kaminari asked from beside him. Kirishima turned his head to give the blond a bored look.

"Tell me about it," he mumbled, returning his eyes to the wood. He stared at the pristine desk, wondering if anyone had ever been brave enough to scribble on it. He had a marker in his schoolbag, and he tossed the idea back and forth in his mind before he relented at the thought of the consequences.

His eyes slowly closed, ready to give in to the clutches of sleep for a temporary nap, but the clatter of the metallic legs of the chairs dragging suddenly jolted him awake, indicating that the teacher had walked into the classroom. Kirishima focused his eyes on the board where the teacher always began writing as soon as he arrived to class, but this time it wasn't the strange hieroglyphics the teacher called calculous that caught his attention.

Next to the teacher stood a girl with cotton candy pink hair and bright golden eyes. She bounced back and forth, balancing on the balls of her feet. Her hair was cut short but still looked fluffy and full of life, and atop it was a pair of yellow horns that stood out from the curls. Kirishima was just able to see a purple headband attached to them. She had the school girl's uniform; a gray skirt and white button up shirt with a red tie. Her eyes curiously scanned the room with a soft smile on her face.

"Good morning class." The teacher's voice was as lackluster as usual, despite the amazed looks from the students. "As you can see we have a new student."

"My name is Mina Ashido!" she greeted, somehow seeming more excited to be in the class than the students were from getting a new classmate. "I just moved to this town, I hope we can all be friends! Don't let the horns deceive you; I assure you I mean no harm," she joked. She looked so bright and cheerful, and her voice was just as bubbly. Kirishima smiled, feeling the exasperation of the teacher who looked uninterested with the new girl.

"Mina, take a seat next to Kirishima," the teacher said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Mina simply nodded and put her stuff in the seat next to the boy, the only seat available in the class. Bakugou was unlucky to be sick that day, and Kirishima knew his friend would despise the idea of having to drag a new desk to the classroom.

"Oh, you're like me!" Mina smiled at him, pointing at the two strands of hair on Kirishima's head standing out from the spikes. "You're my horn buddy. But you have real horns - which is a real disadvantage if you ask me. But I won't be defeated!" she whispered with a friendly smile on her face full of determination, as if she was facing the most important challenge of her life. She lifted her fist so he could pound it. A light shade of pink warmed his cheeks before his fist bumped with hers.

It didn't take a genius to figure out Mina was quite an eccentric person, and that went far beyond her appearance. The teacher had to shut her up more than once because when she wasn't trying to coerce Kirishima into talking with her, she seemed to want to do the same with Tsuyu, even when the green haired girl insisted on the importance of paying attention. After that, Mina compromised enough to just play around with her long hair.

The second the lunch bell rang, Kirishima could have sworn he saw a stampede of seventeen year-olds pass by his desk, all of them rushing to meet the new girl. Tokyo was a big city where most people followed a constant daily routine; a new student transferring in the middle of the school year broke that routine, causing the students' curiosity to grow. A couple of the teens crashed against the redhead's desk on their way towards Mina, who tried her best to greet everyone who approached.

"As the class president, I wanted to give you a warm welcome to our class and let you know that any of us are available if the need arises!" Iida was the first one to speak.

"Yep! You can count on us anytime!" Ochako came afterwards, offering a bright grin. "I'm Ochako, the guy with the glasses is Iida, and that boy with wild green hair is Izuku-"

"Her boyfriend," Tooru interrupted, fake coughing and making the brunette hold her blushing cheeks.

"It's not like that!" Ochako pouted.

"Where are you from, Mina?" Momo asked, smiling kindly at the girl who was watching Ochako's reaction with amusement.

"I'm from Osaka! I got here a week ago, but with all the moving and paperwork I was only just able to come here."

"What's it like there?" Jirou spoke up this time. Mina began to explain her life in detail, from what she did daily to what her school and former classmates were like.

"And do you have a boyfriend?" Sero asked, leaning against her desk. The question piqued Kirishima's interest.

"Why, are you interested by any chance?" Mina boldly leaned forward, smirking. As Sero's face turned red, she began to laugh loudly. "Nope! I'm actually single," she said with a grin.

Kirishima was unable to help chuckling at his friend's reaction as he pulled out a bento box to begin eating lunch. His stomach was growling, and he'd probably waste the entire break if he continued hanging on to every single one of Mina's words.

When the time to leave school came, he packed his stuff as fast as he could, ready to go to soccer practice. There was a game coming, and if they won they would have an easy ticket to the finals. His classmates, aside from Mina, seemed to be as ready to leave the school as he was, but the new girl was putting all her materials into her schoolbag with care.

"Did you sign up for any clubs?" Kirishima asked, putting his bag on his back and adjusting it

"Not yet," Mina answered cheerily. "I'm thinking about signing up for cooking. I don't really want to miss the "high school experience". What club are you part of?"

"I'm part of the soccer club," Kirishima admitted proudly. Mina's smile seemed to grow wider.

"Really? Can I watch you play sometime?" Her voice was full of enthusiasm. Kirishima could hardly remember anyone who was not a part of the team as excited as she seemed to be; they hadn't even won the game yet. He could remember his classmates cheering him on and wishing him luck before any tournaments, but this felt different.

"We have a game next week if you'd like to come." Kirishima waited as she adjusted her bag, and the two of them began to walk side by side

"Ohhhh, I'd love to! I'll make sure to bring the biggest banner with your face," She said, extending her hands wide enough to almost hit him. He chuckled.

"That won't be necessary. There's also more teammates who deserve credit," Kirishima reasoned.

"That's true, but so far I only know about you - so I want everyone to see you and your cute face!" she stated with a bright smile. Kirishima put one hand over his mouth to hide the blush he felt creeping up his neck towards his cheeks.

They walked together to the school entrance, and he was thankful she didn't say anything about the fact that the soccer field was on the other side of the building. Kirishima knew a shortcut he could take, anyway; the time he spent listening to her talk about mundane things made it worth the two extra laps he would have to run around the field for arriving late.

xxx

Barely a week had passed since Mina came to the school, and yet it seemed that the rumor of a new girl with cotton candy hair had spread like wildfire. In that short of time, she was one of the most popular girls at school. It seemed like there was always someone wanting to talk to her, and Kirishima could see why. She was so full of energy that it seemed like she could run a thousand times across the soccer field and not tire out for a second.

Yet, she never seemed to be around for the sports class.

They had sports twice per week. Being on the soccer team helped it be the only subject Kirishima never had any trouble with, and since he was part of the school's team, he had the option to skip it. However, he decided to join just to have fun with his classmates.

Mina, on the other hand, was never to be seen the second the class began. When they asked the teacher about it, he just dismissed them with a simple flick of his hand, ordering them to focus on the class activities. She'd always be waiting for them in the classroom when they finished, her regular uniform still on as she stared out the window to a perfect view of the field.

"I just wasn't in the mood to go and get all sweaty! Do you have any idea how long it takes to do my hair?" she answered with a grin, passing a hand through the pink mane. Kirishima wondered if skipping the class under such an excuse was actually allowed at the school.

After the exit bell rang, he approached his friends. They had agreed to go out that Friday afternoon. A new pizza place had opened near their high school, and they had planned to go as a boys-only day out. The specificity of the rule was mostly directed at Kaminari, since he had brought Jirou along more often recently because "she made it more enjoyable."; he was only partially telling the truth, of course. The more likely reason, Kirishima knew, was that Kaminari enjoyed rubbing his girlfriend in all their single faces.

Promising Bakugou they would wait for him until he was done with cleaning duty, Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, and Mineta walked out of the classroom. They stood beside the open door, unwilling to go out and have the burning sun directly in their faces.

"We were talking about Mina," Sero began, calling Kirishima's attention. That wasn't entirely surprising; everyone was talking about Mina recently. It wasn't a new topic.

"She's super nice, and so energetic and manly!" Kirishima grinned, nodding. He felt the need to compliment his new friend. He never told them he already had her cellphone number. Mina had given it to him while saying that Horn Buddies had to stick together no matter what.

"We've heard a little more about her," Mineta smirked. Kirishima tilted his head slightly, a curious expression crossing his face. Any time that look formed on Mineta's face, the screams of rightfully furious female classmates accompanied it.

"How so?" the redhead questioned, noticing how his friends smiled suspiciously.

"Well, I have a cousin who has a friend who said he met Mina, and it seems like she had quite the reputation in her former school," Sero explained as he folded his hands behind his head, stretching his arms.

"You guys shouldn't be spreading these kinds of rumors." Kirishima shook his head, looking into the classroom where Mina was sitting with Momo in front of her, the pink haired girl fixated on the book in her hands.

"Apparently she was expelled after they found her making out with a guy in the bathroom," Kaminari continued. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Sero had told the others before they shared with Kirishima their discovery. Kirishima failed to see how Mina kissing other boys should have any significance in the way they treated her. It was her life, after all.

"It's wrong to talk about people behind their backs," Kirishima stated in a serious tone.

"So, with this information on hand, we decided to make a bet. The first one to get with her wins!" Mineta said this time, voice sounding far more proud than it should have.

"That's not right-"

"It's 100,000 yen."

Kirishima froze for a second. That was a large amount of money, and there was so much he could do with it; starting with his mother's birthday. Still, he knew his mother would ground him for an indefinite amount of time if she found out how he acquired the funds.

"So, what do you think?"

Kirishima stared at them. What they wanted to do was something he knew was completely wrong. Playing with someone else's feelings would always be wrong. Despite this, Sero, Kaminari and Mineta looked back at him, waiting for an answer.

Kirishima's eyes focused on Mina as she talked animatedly with the girls. Turning her head towards the door, she lifted her hand to wave a quick hello at him. The weight of his decision already loomed heavily over his shoulders.

"I'm in."

His friends smiled between each other. Not even a second after he agreed, the guilt settled in.

Hello wondeful people reading my work!
If you have read anything I previously work you might realize I don't usually do author notes. But this is an especial ocasion since this chapter was edited by a wonderful person who was really kind to do so.
This person goes by the name "skeletordraws" on tumblr so I wanted to thank them for their generous help and let you all know you should follow them, their art is great.
Thank you for sticking with me until now and I hope you have enjoyed this and have a very nice day