Tora was nervous. Despite constantly telling himself this week it was just a day out with a friend, he couldn't shake the feeling that this day out had more to it.

Right now, he was looking in the mirror, trying to make himself a little more presentable. Not that there was much to work with. His hair refused to lie in down in any way other than just-ran-through-a-tornado style and he didn't have any pieces of clothing put aside for an occasion like this. All he had was another oversized, brown shirt with a drawing of an eagle on it and some cargo pants. Tora sighed while he looked at all the other clothing that was strewn across his bed. Each looking more dishevelled than the other. Some even had holes in them. Why did he keep those? He looked again at himself in the mirror. It'd have to do.

Kaira was already waiting for him when he came downstairs. She was wearing a dark red crop top and a pair of black short shorts and a small, black purse was draped over her shoulder.

Tora blushed as he saw his companion for the day. She was revealing a lot of skin.

"Is it going to be that warm today?" He had checked the weather for today and though summer was in full swing, today promised to be just comfortably warm.

"What are you getting at?" Kaira shot a dirty look at the blushing teen.

"You're uh… lightly dressed?"

The dirty look changed into a roll of the eyes and an exasperated look. "I need to stay cool. Unless you want to hold me back when someone bumps into me."

"Oh right," Tora rubbed the back of his neck, "sorry. I kinda forgot about that side of your Quirk."

"Forget about it. You ready to go?" Kaira was still annoyed at his remark, but at least he apologized.

"Yeah, think I got everything." Tora padded his pockets to make sure. "Got my phone, student pass to get back on campus and my wallet. Got it all."

"Good. let's get going then. We got a train to catch."

The two students talked about what happened the last few days at school. Tora had been busy with studying and class president business, so he could spend today with Kaira, but that had taken up almost all of his time. Now was the perfect moment to catch up.

"You really learned a lot from Lockjaw, didn't you? I was surprised how much better your fighting was. You gave Yamabushi a run for his money."

Kaira grinned. She'd gotten the chance to show of her more refined fighting style this week and the class was impressed to say the least. Wednesday, she'd fought against Yamabushi in a simulation of a 'Villain base invasion'. After she'd found him in the labyrinthine building, they had a bout while the building itself also turned against Kaira with traps and hazards. She surprised everyone when she didn't just charge at her opponent and started wailing at him. Instead, she weaved around Meiyo and tried to strike him where he couldn't block her blows as easily. In the end, Yamabushi won, having the home advantage, but it was hard-fought this time, unlike a month before, when he wiped the floor with her.

"Oh yeah, he's been a massive help. I've been thinking about taking up his classes after school. The way he fights would probably work well with my Quirk, even if I might have to adjust it a bit. Lockjaw's a lot bigger than me."

"Oh man, that sounds great! Do you think he could teach me too?"

The short girl put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "I don't think so. He's mostly focused on using your strength to your advantage. Your Quirk makes you strong too, but it would be a waste for the other parts of your Quirk. I think you need something or someone more versatile."

"I see. That does make sense. Guess I'll have to keep looking, or maybe just make up my own style. I don't know any Heroes that can switch between strength and speed like I do."

"I hope you're better at making up a fighting style than studying, 'cause otherwise you'll be working on that for a while." Kaira laughed at her own joke, while Tora pouted.

"That's mean! My studying will improve. Just you watch. I'm getting Yui to tutor me soon."

"Spending even more time with Tobuga? Don't you spend enough time with her? People might start thinking you're dating." Kaira's laugh came to a sudden halt and her brows furrowed.

"I-it's not like that. We're just friends. Most of the time we spend together goes to class president stuff."

"If you say so…" Kaira muttered in an unconvinced tone. She fished her cellphone out of her purse and started tapping away, effectively ending the conversation.

What did he say? Tora told the truth. He and Yui mostly just prepared things for school. Was she jealous? Oh god, what if she was? So this was a date! No no, he wasn't sure. Maybe she actually thought Yui, him or both had an eye for the other and she's annoyed that he wouldn't admit it to her. She disliked lying after all. But he was telling the truth, like he promised he would. Sometimes there's just no winning…

The rest of the walk continued in silence. Kaira kept glancing at her phone screen occasionally while Tora kept wondering what they were going to do and what he was supposed to think of this day out. He didn't dare ask Kaira. She still looked annoyed and he didn't want to make her angry that early or not all today, if possible.

Once they arrived at the train station Tora deigned it necessary to ask where they were going.

"We're going to the shopping mall first. I need some new clothes and we can look for something for you too if you want."

"First? We're going somewhere else after?"

"Probably, depending what we feel like. I didn't plan this day out to the minute, you know. I have some things planned, but we'll just go with the flow."

Tora nodded. It made sense. Neither of them was that anal about planning.

With a quick swipe of their train passes, both students passed the turnstile and went to the platform where their train would arrive in a few minutes.

The mall was crowded, as it usually was on Sundays. But today even more so than usual. Tora was pretty sure you could've walked on peoples' heads if you wanted to.

Kaira seemed to enjoy the hustle and bustle, or she was just looking forward to a day out and about. Her frown had been slowly disappearing the closer they got to the shopping centre.

"Where to first?" Tora inquired.

"There are a few places that I normally go to. After that we can have a look around for you."

"Wait. We're buying clothes for me too?"

"Of course. We're supposed to shop together, right? It's not together if only I get to look around."

"But…" Tora didn't want to bring down the mood by mentioning he barely had enough money to buy anything and he was hoping to spend that on something more fun than clothes.

"Don't worry. I know a few thrift stores around here. They sell some good stuff on the cheap. Clothes that actually fit you, for example."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Tora was a little offended. Sure, they weren't brand clothing, but they were fine, right?

"Tora, you're basically drowning in your shirt. We're gonna get you something that actually fits. It doesn't have to be form-fitting, but something I won't be able to fit in with you."

"I bet you don't fit in this with me. Wanna try?" Tora held out the hem of his shirt, inviting her to crawl into it. A mischievous smile plastered on his face.

Kaira face turned a fierce teal as her face heated up at the suggestion. When did he turn so teasing? She pushed him away and started walking in the opposite direction, her face still flush. A few seconds later, Tora caught up and jogged up beside her.

"Too much?" He asked, still wearing the same smirk.

"There's people watching, you idiot! You can't just go around doing stuff like that!"

"Alright, alright. Lead the way."

Kaira's part of the shopping trip went smoothly. She and Tora went through several stores and eventually she found some shirts and a pair of shorts she liked. While she was shopping and trying out clothes, Tora was also looking around. Though he was also looking in the girls' section. Kaira decided not to ask why. She figured he was looking around for one of his sisters.

When they entered a thrift store for him, however, things went off the rails rather quickly. Kaira was sitting on a bench, waiting for her friend to show some clothes he was going to put on. He was taking long though and Kaira was wondering where he was, worried he might've run into another group of bullies or maybe a Villain had turned up. Her worrying was interrupted when she heard Tora yell from behind a clothes rack.

"Hey Kaira, check this out!"

Tora walked out from behind the rack to show off what he was wearing. It took all her willpower for the navy blue-skinned girl to not burst into laughter.

He was wearing a long, fur coat that was so big, he dragged part of it behind him like a cape. On his head, he wore a hat, with a gigantic rim and on his nose were a pair of big, star-shaped glasses with coloured lenses in them. To complete the outfit, he was holding a dress cane in his hand with a diamond, that was most likely just cut glass, on top.

"What do you think? You think mister Sero will let me attend class like this?"

Kaira couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, clutching her stomach while she tried not to fall off her bench.

Tora grew a big grin and strutted to his friend, striking several poses to give her a good look of the ridiculous outfit. This only caused Kaira to laugh even more.

When she finally calmed down, she asked in between breaths: "Where… Where did… Where did you even find that?"

"Right next to the changing rooms. They got this big section with all kinds of crazy clothing. Lemme show you."

Kaira jumped off her seat and followed Tora, wiping away her tears of laughter. They arrived at the aisle Tora mentioned. Both sides were filled with garments you would only wear for a dress-up party. The boy hung his previous costume back where he found it and dove into the clothing rack. A minute later, he jumped back out, in a dragon onesie.

"This place is great! They got all kinda stuff here."

Kaira grabbed the nearest clothes hanger and sure enough, she had a big ballroom dress in her hands. She quickly put it away before Tora egged her on to wear it, but when she looked up he was already gone again.

He was different today, Kaira thought to herself. He seemed more at ease. At school or in the dormitories, he was always calm, but there was still a certain seriousness about him then. Now, he was letting loose. He was messing around and having fun. He was making Kaira laugh and he seemed to enjoy every moment of it.

Saotama dove in and out of the clothing lines, sometimes disappearing in one of the changing rooms to change clothes, but each one looked more absurd than the last one, making Netsuka howl with laughter. They kept going until one of the clerks came up to them to ask if they were going to actually buy something or were just fooling around.

Eventually, they walked out of the store with an extra bag in their hands. They'd found a shirt that fit Tora, was cheap, and still in good shape. Kaira wanted him to put it on immediately, but Tora insisted he wash it first. "You don't know where it's been. I want to be sure it's clean," he argued and she couldn't fault his logic.

They quickly put their purchases in a locker, so they wouldn't have to lug them around the rest of the day.

"So what's out next stop? We've both done our shopping. Anywhere else you want to go?"

"I was thinking we could go to the arcade, but you already bought something. I don't know if…" Kaira trailed off. She didn't want to shove it in Tora's face that he was poor. Playing in the arcade was going to cost some money, especially if they were going to go with Kaira's plan.

"It's fine. The shirt didn't cost that much. I've got enough left. We can go." Tora turned to Kaira and gave her a million-watt smile, "but thanks for thinking about it. That's very considerate of you."

Kaira felt her face heat up. She turned away before her friend could see. She didn't think she was being that considerate. What fun would it be when she played and he just watched? She knew he wouldn't accept her paying for his games. It was hard enough to make him accept compensation for all the meals he cooked for her. She didn't feel she deserved it, but she liked the fluttering feeling she felt in her heart when he praised her.

Fluttering feeling? She needed to focus on something else before she became a nervous mess like when she asked Tora out. She quickened her pace to the arcade. The games there could surely distract her.

Tora yelled and ran after her when she didn't respond. Did he say something wrong again? Things seemed to be going fine, but then suddenly she shut down and speed walked away from him. Something definitely was going on with her.

The arcade was a cacophony of noises from slot machines, arcade games and people yelling in excitement or frustration at their win or loss respectively.

Once Kaira and Tora entered the building, the former excitedly ran to one of the machines at the front.

"No way! They got the new zombo-calypse game! Tora, we gotta play this one!" She turned around to see Tora still standing at the entrance. "Tora?"

The boy was still trying to take in the interior of the arcade. It really was an assault on the senses. Neon colours decorated the floor and ceiling, indicating walkways to the different sections of the store. The sounds from the cabinets all mixed together into a ball of noise that was starting to give him a headache. The flickering lights from those same cabinets assaulted his eyes and were making him see stars. He wasn't used at all to this sort of environment and it was taking him some time to adjust to it.

"Tora, you okay?"

Kaira had come back to her perplexed friend and was waving a hand in front of his eyes, snapping Tora out of his stupor.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just not used to so much noise and so many lights."

"You've never been to an arcade?"

"N-not really. I've been once with Akai for her birthday, but that's about it. And that one was a lot smaller that this place."

"I'll help you around then," Kaira grabbed Tora by his wrist and dragged him with her, "Come on. I know something easy to start you with."

The first machine she took him to was, indeed, simplicity itself: a boxing ball. The game had several categories depending on if your Quirk enhanced your strength or not. You always had some dweebs who wanted to show off and used their Quirk in a non-Quirk category, but overall people kept to the agreement.

Tora decided to decided to participate in both groups. Once with music playing in his ears and once without. With music and his Quirk, he didn't place very high, as expected. There were people running around with Quirks that allowed them to put everything in a single punch. There was no way Tora, with his all-around Quirk, could compete against those.

In the Quirkless category, however, he did better, a lot better.

"DING! DING! DING! NEW HIGHSCORE! CONGRATULATIONS! NEW HIGHSCORE!" The machine blared at the participant. Tora looked at the machine in disbelief, then to his fist and back to the machine.

"Wow, those few months at U.A. have really been paying off." He said while adjusting his glasses.

He didn't get the highest score. That belonged to some guy that undoubtedly used his strength-enhancement Quirk, but he did get the ninth place.

Now that she saw him at work, Kaira fully took notice how toned Tora's arms were. Between his school uniform and his Hero Suit, he usually wore long sleeves, but today he was wearing a T-shirt and she got to look at his arms in all their glory, toned and defined, but not overly bulging. Kaira's mind wandered for a moment, wondering how it would feel to touch them, but she quickly pushed those thoughts back down.

"You wanna try?"

"Nah, I don't feel like heating up today."

"Fair enough. What game do we try next?"

Kaira shuffled her feet. "I kinda want to try the new zombo-calypse, but I don't know… It's more difficult and I don't know whether it's your thing."

"Only one way to find out. Just explain to me how it works and we'll see."

Reinvigorated, Netsuka led Saotama to the machine she was looking at when they entered the arcade. She grabbed one of the plastic pistols out of its holster and handed it to Tora.

"You aim and shoot it like a regular gun. You press the pedal there with your foot to take cover and reload. Up there you can see how much bullets are still in your gun and what your score is. Got it?" Kaira quickly explained.

Tora, meanwhile, was still trying to get a proper grip on his gun. "Man, this did take a leap in difficulty, but I think I'll get the hang of it while I play."

"Just wait 'till we get to the fighting games. That'll really get your head spinning." Kaira laughed, eager to see him struggle with the combos you can pull off in those games.

Tora chuckled nervously along. "Let's just start with this, shall we?" He put some coins into the machine, which sprang to life, instructing both players to get ready.

Tora was quick to pick up the controls, but struggled with the reload pedal. Kaira never was good at these kind of games. She preferred fighting games, but figured this was easier for Tora to get into. Her competitive spirit was still at work, despite her preference. In between yelling at each other to look out, they noticed their scores were still very close. Either of them could win and the final level was about to start.

"How about a wager?" Tora said while the game was loading in. "The winner gets to decide what game we play next."

Kaira grew a toothy grin. "Oh, you're on! Better prepare yourself to play what I want."

"We'll see about that."

"FINAL LEVEL! BEGIN!"

Their competitive spirits ignited, both teens blazed their way to the level. Kaira was quick to find a lead. She saw a big zombie turn the corner. If she killed it, she would score a lot of points and she would basically secure her win. She levelled her pistol, aiming at the zombie's head. One well-aimed shot and it would be down.

When she was about to pull the trigger, she was suddenly pushed to the side. Her aim thrown off, Tora managed to take the opportunity to take out the big, undead monster.

Kaira turned her head to see Tora trying to act as if nothing happened, but he couldn't hide to smile that was creeping on his face.

So that was how it was going to be. Kaira straightened herself and returned to shooting at the zombies on the screen, but meanwhile she kept an eye on her opponent, looking for a chance to repay him.

There! She threw her shoulder into Tora and quickly killed a whole bunch of monsters by shooting an explosive barrel – a staple in any shooter really.

Tora laughed and put himself in position again.

The two teens kept going at the last level like this. Occasionally shoving each other to take a few extra zombies for themselves. Eventually they just stood shoulder to shoulder, trying to get whatever advantage they could get.

"Yes! I won!"

The last level was completed and the screen was showing the winner: Player 1.

"Hah! In your face, Tora. Cheaters never win!"

Tora rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, you won sorta fair and square. Let's not rub it in. What do you wanna play next?"

Looks like Tora was a bit of a sore loser after all. Kaira would have to remember that, but the prospect of picking the next game demanded her attention now. She put a hand to her chin while she went through all the games at the arcade. An evil grin spread across her face when she realized what game they had to play next.

"Uh-oh."

"I know just the game we're going to play. I was gonna go easy on you, but with what you tried to pull, you deserve some punishment."

"I don't like the sound of that…"

"You're not supposed to. Come on. The wager was your suggestion."

Tora reluctantly followed his friend to the next game. They arrived at a bigger, open area next to a wall. On said wall hung a big screen with two platforms in front of it. The platforms had arrows painted on their floors and railing stood at the edges, which you could hold onto. Tora's heart dropped when he realised he was looking at a dancing game and would be dancing against Kaira.

"We, Tora, are going to dance, and I want as many people as possible to watch you flail about."

"D-do we have to?"

"It was your idea to let the winner choose." Kaira got closer to Tora in a taunting manner and a smug look on her face. "Or are you going to chicken out?"

Tora audibly gulped. He wouldn't say he was prideful, but ignoring a challenge was not in his nature. He steeled himself and begrudgingly accepted. He walked onto the second platform and waited for Kaira to start the game. He was already starting to regret this.

To say it went badly would be an understatement. Tora had aimlessly flailed on stage, even on the easiest difficulty setting he couldn't keep up with the arrows. If there had been a failure state, instead of a playing and trying to score as many points as possible, Tora was pretty sure he would've failed within the first fifteen seconds. At least nobody had been watching. They were all too busy with their own games.

Kaira on the other hand did great. While she said she only played these dance games when others asked her to, Tora was pretty sure she practised in her off-time. Her feet dashed across the board while the rest of her body moved with the rhythm of the music.

"I really thought you would at least put up a fight. There's no fun in beating a complete newbie."

Kaira had continued her teasing after they jumped off the stage. Playing up her own skill and laughing at the moments Tora nearly fell over, trying to keep up with the song. Tora was unfazed and let her have her glory. She beat him fair and square after all.

"What did you expect? I've only been to an arcade once before and I don't think I've really ever danced."

"Wait wait wait, you've never danced before?! You? The guy with a Quirk that activates when he hears music, has never been on a dance floor?"

Tora scratched his cheek. "Not really… The most I've done is wobble around during the Quirk discovery party of Nentou and Yomu."

Kaira looked shocked. With wide eyes and mouth agape she looked at Tora like he just told her he was actually 500 years old. After a few seconds, she suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him along without saying a word. After nearly falling over, Tora managed to keep up with Kaira, who was now running along the balconies of the mall.

"Whow, Kaira! Where are we going? What's gotten into you?"

"We got an urgent problem to solve."

"What are you talking about?"

"We are going to dance."

"What?!"

"You've got a musical Quirk and you've never danced. That can't stand. We're gonna solve that right now."

"Even then. Where? I hope you're not expecting me to dance in the middle of the foyer."

"Of course not silly. We're going to the youth club."

"The what?"

"This!"

Kaira stopped in front of a purple double door. Above it hung a big billboard saying 'Club Caraveg'. The few windows at the front were blackened, but Tora could see coloured lights streaming out. The muffled beat of music could also be heard."

"I'm still not sure what this is. Are we allowed to go in there?"

"Of course! It's a youth club. Kinda like a nightclub, but for high schoolers. The place closes much earlier, the music's catered to teens and they don't serve any alcohol, so totally fine and totally safe."

"If you say so…" Tora wasn't too sure about this. This was getting quite far out of his comfort zone. A club with likely a lot of teens pushed together on a dance floor, low lights and pounding music. It didn't sound all that appealing to Tora.

"It'll be fine. Come on, loosen up and have some fun. We were doing fine 'till now. How will this be any different?"

Tora had to admit, she hadn't been wrong yet today. The dancing game was a struggle, but it was fun nonetheless. He'd just have to trust her.

"No use standing out here. Let's go in!" Kaira again pulled him along, through the doors and into the club.

It was hard to see inside. The room was dark with a few spotlights flying across the floor. Above the middle of the dance floor hung a disco ball – strangely out of place in an otherwise modern establishment – that sparkled all over the walls. The centre of the room was filled with adolescents, all dancing to the pounding music.

Tora felt less overwhelmed here than at the arcade. All the lights were still an assault on the eyes, but the music wasn't one big cacophony. It was rhythmic and clear, though it didn't seen to activate his Quirk.

Kaira looked like she was in her element. She started smiling the moment she opened the door and she was now basically skipping across the room, still pulling Tora along, through the dancing crowd.

"Let's find a spot where we can stand!" She yelled over the music.

Trouncing through the packed students, however, made Tora's hairs stand on end. He wasn't used to this many people close together. Every moment he was being dragged along, he was bumping into somebody else. Many didn't notice or ignored him, but it was the people that did turn around that put off Tora the most. He was pretty sure some of the girls were checking him out. What kind of place did Kaira bring him to? Now that he looked at the mass of people, this seemed to be the crowd of people Kaira would feel at him in during middle school. The 'cool kids' as the trope called them. Delinquents and troublemakers mostly, but they weren't bothering anyone right now. Some of them were holding cigarettes though. Luckily, Tora got pulled along by his classmate before he could start preaching about health.

A minute later they'd found a spot where they had enough room to move. Kaira let go of Tora's hand and immediately started dancing to the music. Tora, on the other hand, just stood in place. He had no idea what to do. He had never danced before and just getting thrown in the deep did not help his anxiousness.

Kaira noticed when the song died down a bit and she opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Like I said, I don't know how to dance."

"It's not hard. You have to feel the music. Let it move you."

How should he feel the music? Tora guessed he felt the music that he used to activate his Quirk. It coursed through his body and made it move in different ways. Would the same work for dancing? Saotama closed his eyes and focused on the song. There was no power that coursed through his body, but he felt something else. The beat, the rhythm and the melody all pulsed through his body. It began to move by itself. Simple at first, his foot tapped with the slow, heavy beat that ran through the song, then his hips began to sway with the rhythm and soon the rest of his body followed.

"There ya go! It ain't that hard now, is it?"

Tora still thought his movement to be stilted and awkward, but nobody seemed to pay him any mind and Kaira's encouragement was enough to keep him going.

Now that his eyes were open again, he saw Kaira giving the dancing her all. He couldn't stop himself from looking at her. Her entire body was swaying and moving to the rhythm. Now that the third song was beginning, she had worked up a sweat. She was beginning to glow and with her increased body heat, the sweat was already beginning to evaporate. Her movements, combined with the steam rising from her body and swirling around her gave her a mystical aura.

Tora had never seen her this graceful before. In school, she was laser focused and during training, she moved with power, every punch housing enough force to break a wall.

Now, that power was gone. In its stead there was a finesse, style and beauty Tora had never seen her display before. And he wasn't the only one who noticed. Around them several people had stopped to look at the strange, blue-skinned girl that danced as if there was no tomorrow. When the song came to a close, the kids around them began to clap. Kaira became aware of the world around her again and looked around in confusion for a moment before flashing a grin and giving exaggerated bows to her audience.

The next song came on, but it was different from the previous ones. No heavy beat could be heard, no electronic sounds filled the air. Instead, a piano started playing. Tora recognized this song for a change. It was a slow song about romance and love. A bit out of place in a club like this, but he figured everyone liked some variety.

Then, an idea popped into Tora's head. He still had to get Kaira back from making him flounder on that dance game and he had just found the opportunity to do so. He walked up to his tormentor, who was catching her breath and fanning herself with her hands to try and cool off. Before she could ask what he was doing, he grabbed her by her waist, pulled her closer and slowly started to swing and move around in a circular motion.

"T-T-Tora! W-W-What are you doing?" Her face was lighting up like a teal headlight. She didn't know where to look. Taking up half her vision was her crush, who was now holding on to her and around them were more couples doing the same. Some of them getting really close or even kissing.

"You wanted to dance, right? This is a dance I do know, so now I gotta give it my all." A big grin spread across Tora face. He'd found a way to get her flustered. Now he could tease her a bit instead of the other way around.

"W-Well, if you think this is okay. I-I guess I'll indulge you." She called his bluff and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck and began to move with him.

Now that she wasn't as flustered anymore, Tora became aware of the situation they were in and started to waver himself. He looked away, only glancing at her occasionally. Without him noticing, Kaira was doing the same, until suddenly they glanced at the same time. Their eyes locked onto each others and neither of them seemed able to look away.

Now that he was this close to her. Tora noticed some details he hadn't seen before. At the centre of her pupils was a faint glow, like her body usually glowed, but small, calm and permanent, like a small, blue ember burning in each eye. Hidden by her darkened skin, he also saw Kaira had freckles surrounding her nose. A slight imperfection on her otherwise flawless skin that Tora thought was incredibly cute. His eyes wandered further down, to Kaira mouth. Her lips slightly apart as she looked up to him, a slight shine to them from the lip gloss she wore. They looked so inviting, he wanted to get closer. Just a little closer…

Then suddenly, the song was over and more electronic music began to boom through the boxes, pulling the two students out of their trance. Tora instantly became aware of how close he was to Kaira and pulled away with a jump. Kaira also looked away, holding her face to try and hide the heat that was emanating from it.

"Do you… S-Shall we go do s-something else?" Tora offered, trying to get out of the awkward situation they were now in.

"Y-Yeah, I'm getting kinda tired. M-Maybe we should go back to the dorm."

Tora nodded. They both walked out of the club, not sure what to do, say or even think of the situation they were just in. They both decided not to mention it and wait for the other to say something.

They went to grab their bags and walked back into the city. While they were walking back to the train station, Tora became aware of something. People were pointing at him and giggling or whispering among themselves. Was something wrong?

"Hey Kaira. Do I have something on my face. People are looking at me strangely."

Tora pulled up his hand that was not holding his shopping bag to point at his face, only to feel it pulling something with it. When he looked down to see what it was, his faced turned beet red. Kaira turned to see what he was looking at and her face heated up in turn. Their hands were holding onto the other, fingers intertwined. They had been walking like this for god knows how long, completely unaware of what they were doing.

Both teens immediately let go and jumped back.

"I-I'm so, so sorry. I-I don't know how it happened. I-I didn't even know I was holding it." Tora bowed deeply, both to apologize and to hide his blush.

"Nonono, it was my fault. I didn't feel it either. I don't know when I grabbed hold. L-Let's just forget it ever happened." Kaira waved her hands in front of her face and took another step back.

"M-Maybe we should." Though Tora did feel a pang of disappointment, he went along with her request. Why was he disappointed? What was happening to him today? He needed some time to think. His room seldom looked like such a good prospect.

Kaira closed the door to her room, pressed her back against it and sunk down to the floor. Tobuga's idea had been great. She got to see another side of her crush. There was his calm, caring side. The side that everyone knew about and the reason why he was chosen to be class president. Then there was his serious side, one Kaira was pretty sure some people, who had to work together with him during tests, had seen. It was the side of him that Kaira had come to admire, dedicated, focused and willing to push himself to the limit to see things through.

Today, Kaira got to see a third side to Tora. One she was pretty sure no one in school had seen before. Today, Tora was relaxed. He fooled around, he played, he teased. She loved this side to him, but it also was much more than she had bargained for.

She felt her cheeks heat up again when she thought back to their time at the youth club. It had started normal enough. They danced, Tora got to loosen up and eventually Kaira drew some eyes to her. She was used to that, her unique appearance combined with her Quirk made her stand out anytime. But then the slow music came on. She still couldn't believe Tora was bold enough to get that close to her. It had obviously started as a prank, but it had quickly evolved into something more. He was so close to her she could feel his muscles move. She could still see his amber eyes getting bigger as their faces got closer. She thought he was going to… But then the music just had to stop. She remembered she cursed whatever god had decided to interfere at that exact moment.

And then the walk back to the dorm. She looked at her hand. She could still feel a remnant of the warmth of Tora's hand. She, too, hadn't been aware that they were holding hands, but she found that she didn't mind it as much as she thought she would. The first moments she jumped back more out of surprise than actual embarrassment. She wanted to grab hold of his hand again, but Tora immediately began to apologize. Did he not like holding her hand? Was he embarrassed for what he had done? Maybe he thought she didn't like because she jumped back as well.

The rest of the trip back was filled with awkward silence. They each went to their room after a quick wave goodbye. Kaira didn't know how Tora felt about all this. About today, about her, about them, but she did know one thing for sure. She was falling head over heels for the boy.

Tora was lying on his bed. Everything was so confusing. Today he had seen another aspect of Kaira, one she had told him about from her middle school. One that let loose and just had fun, though back then, if she was to be believed, she mostly went about it alone.

But that wasn't what was confusing him, his feelings were. It had been there for a while, he thought, but today it decided to make itself known. He felt something for Kaira he'd never felt before. He wanted to take care of her, be close to her and while it was inappropriate he had to admit he wanted to feel her.

He didn't know what this all meant. Was this that feeling that everyone talked about in movies? He needed to talk to someone to clear this all up and get his thoughts put straight. He picked up his phone and dialled a number. After a few moments someone on the other side picked up.

"Hey Akai, it's Tora… Yeah, sweetie, I know. I did already call yesterday to tell you about my week, but something important came up. Can I talk to mommy?… Thanks."

Tora waited for a moment while the phone was being carried through the house and handed to the next person.

"Hey mom. Sorry I'm calling again already, but I… um… gotta ask you something. I…" Tora took a deep breath. "How do you know you've fallen in love with someone?"