"That's me!" Toru Hagakure said cheerfully. "Mind if I sit with you guys? I promise I'm not invisibly stealing your food."
"Sure," Izuku said easily, gesturing to the open seat. "Although I might have to start guessing where your plate is so I don't accidentally take a bite out of it."
She giggled, light and unrestrained. "Careful, Midoriya. I might let you."
Mina's grin widened immediately. She leaned over and subtly elbowed Ochaco, who rolled her eyes—but couldn't hide her smile.
Toru set her tray down with surprising precision—cutlery clinking softly, plate landing perfectly centered on the table—and slid into the seat like she'd always been there.
The conversation adjusted naturally, making space for her.
"So, Hagakure," Izuku said after a moment, genuinely curious, "your Quirk's invisibility, right?"
"Yup!" Toru replied proudly. "Always on. No off-switch." She puffed up a little. "But I'm trying to make it useful for more than just sneaking around. Combat invisibility, stealth rescues, surprise attacks—you name it!"
Izuku's expression shifted—not awe, but interest. The kind that meant he was already thinking ahead.
"That's honestly a huge advantage if you use it right," he said. "You could control the flow of a fight without ever being targeted. Feints, misdirection, psychological pressure… I can already think of a dozen ways you'd outsmart an enemy."
There was a brief pause.
Even without seeing her face, they could feel Toru light up.
"Thanks, Midoriya!" she said brightly. "You're way nicer than I expected."
"Expected?" Izuku asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Well," she teased, "you're tall, quiet, kinda mysterious. I figured you'd be all broody and standoffish."
"Hey!" Mina cut in. "That's my vibe."
Izuku chuckled softly, and something about the sound drew another round of glances from nearby tables.
Ochaco noticed. She also noticed how easily he spoke—no stiffness, no awkward pauses. Just natural confidence. Mina noticed too, though she pretended not to.
That was when Momo Yaoyorozu passed by.
She hadn't intended to stop. Her tray was balanced neatly, steps measured—but she caught sight of the table.
Ochaco. Mina. Hagakure.
And Izuku—seated among them, calm at the center of it all.
They were leaning in. Engaged. Laughing.
Momo slowed.
After a brief hesitation, she turned slightly and offered a polite nod. "Mind if I join you?"
"Of course not," Izuku said immediately, shifting his tray to make space.
No pause. No second thought.
Momo sat gracefully, setting her tray down. "I couldn't help overhearing. You were discussing Quirks?"
"Yeah," Izuku replied. "We were talking about how Toru's and Mina's could be applied creatively in hero work."
Momo's eyes sharpened—not with competitiveness, but interest.
"Application theory is often overlooked at this level," she said. "Raw power gets too much attention."
Izuku nodded. "Exactly. A Quirk's value depends on how you use it."
That was when Momo realized something. He wasn't dominating the conversation. He was elevating it.
By the time lunch ended, the table had quietly grown into a small cluster of Class 1-A students—drawn in one by one, without realizing why. Uraraka sat directly across from Izuku, Mina beside him, Toru diagonally across, and Momo on his other side.
The conversation drifted away from school entirely—stories, jokes, small moments that didn't need analysis.
It felt easy.
Comfortable.
When the bell rang and trays were cleared, Mina leaned toward Ochaco, lowering her voice just enough to be secretive.
"He's… interesting, isn't he?" she whispered, lips curling into a knowing smirk.
Ochaco glanced ahead, watching Izuku walk a few steps in front of them, hands tucked casually into his pockets.
Her cheeks warmed—just a little.
"…Yeah," she murmured.
"He is."
After School
The final bell rang, sharp and liberating.
Like a dam breaking, students flooded out through U.A.'s gates—voices overlapping, laughter spilling into the afternoon air. Backpacks were slung over shoulders, conversations already drifting away from school and toward freedom.
Izuku was among the first to leave.
Hands tucked into his pockets, he scanned the crowd calmly until a familiar flash of pink came bouncing toward him like a heat-seeking missile.
"MIDO—!"
Mina skidded to a stop in front of him, waving both arms wildly. "Yooo~! Ready to get absolutely destroyed at the arcade?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow, a smirk already forming. "Oh? You think you can beat me?"
"Please," she scoffed, flipping her hair back dramatically. "I'm the Queen of Games. By the time we leave, you'll be calling me 'Your Highness.'"
"Guess we'll see about that," he replied, falling into step beside her as they headed toward the train station.
Mina shot him a sideways grin. "I like your confidence. It'll make your defeat way more satisfying."
---
[At the Arcade]
The glass doors slid open with a hiss—
—and the world exploded into color and sound.
Neon lights bathed the room in electric blues and pinks. Machines beeped and chimed in chaotic harmony. Buttons clattered, speakers thumped, kids cheered, tickets spilled like waterfalls from prize counters.
Mina practically vibrated with excitement.
"This place never gets old," she said, eyes sparkling. "Alright—warm-up round. Racing game?"
Izuku followed her to a pair of bright red racing pods. As they slid into the seats, she nudged him with her elbow.
"Don't hold back just because it's our first game," she said, grinning. "I wanna see the real deal."
"You asked for it," Izuku replied calmly.
The screen flashed.
3… 2… 1—GO!
Engines roared as both cars shot forward.
Mina drifted through corners with practiced ease, laughing every time she clipped a boost perfectly. "YES! See that line? Textbook!"
But Izuku. Izuku was silent. Focused. His hands moved smoothly, eyes flicking between the road, the mini-map, and the timing of every curve. He took risks that didn't look risky—slipping through impossible gaps, accelerating at moments Mina hadn't even considered.
"Wha—HEY!" Mina shouted as he overtook her on a razor-thin hairpin turn. "How are you—?!"
"Instinct," Izuku replied evenly.
By the end, his car drifted across the finish line several seconds ahead. Mina leaned back dramatically, clutching her chest. "Okay… okay. That was pure luck. Rematch!"
"Nope," Izuku said, standing up with a smirk. "Next game."
Shooting Game
They moved to a light-gun zombie shooter.
Mina cracked her knuckles as she grabbed her plastic shotgun. "Now you're in my territory."
The screen flickered to life—groaning zombies crawling from all sides.
Mina went wild, laughing loudly as she blasted anything that moved. "HEADSHOT! DOUBLE KILL! Oh—GET BACK—!"
Izuku stood beside her, unnervingly calm. One shot. One hit. No wasted ammo.
Halfway through, Mina's screen flooded with enemies. "IZUKU! COVER ME!"
Without hesitation, his shots snapped across her side of the screen—clean, efficient, surgical. When the game ended, the scoreboard flashed. Izuku's score was nearly double. Mina stared.
"…You're a menace," she said slowly.
"You're just bad," he teased.
She snorted. "Rude."
Dance Machine Challenge
Mina grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the dance pad.
"This is it," she declared. "There is no way you beat me here. I've got rhythm for days."
Izuku stepped onto the pad beside her, rolling his shoulders. "I've got good footwork."
The music kicked in—fast, upbeat, relentless. Mina crushed it, hips swaying with the beat, steps sharp and confident. Mid-song, she shot him a smug look. Then noticed his score. Perfect. He wasn't even looking down.
"Wait—how are you—?!"
"Good reflexes," Izuku said simply. When the final scores appeared, he'd beaten her by a hair.
Silence.
"You cheated," Mina said flatly. "I don't know how—but you did."
"Maybe you're just not as good as you think," Izuku replied.
She glared at him… then burst out laughing. "Oh, it's on now."
Claw Machine Chaos
Mina suddenly stopped. "Wait—wait. That one."
She pointed at a pink octopus plush. "Win me that." Izuku studied the machine quietly, slid in a coin—
CLACK.
The claw descended. Grabbed. Lifted.
Dropped it perfectly into the chute.
"…Okay," Mina said, stunned, hugging the plush. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Glad to be of service," Izuku replied.
Air Hockey
They finished at the air hockey table.
Mina leaned forward, eyes fierce. "Winner gets bragging rights. Forever."
"Forever's a long time," Izuku said.
The puck flew.
Mina played aggressively—fast, reckless, determined. Izuku countered every shot with perfect timing.
She scored once and threw her hands up. "YES! FINALLY!"
Then Izuku scored five times in a row.
When it ended, Mina slumped against the table, laughing breathlessly.
"I officially hate you," she said. "But like… in a fun way."
Izuku smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They left the arcade together, neon fading behind them.
Mina hugged her pink octopus plush to her chest, pouting just enough to be cute.
"Next time," she said, "I'm picking games you can't win at."
"Good luck finding one," Izuku replied.
She glanced sideways at him, smirking. "…You're lucky you're kinda hot, or I'd be way more mad."
Izuku chuckled, hands slipping back into his pockets.
"Let me walk you home," he said. And Mina didn't argue.
TO BE CONTINUED