Chapter Text
The day was a bust. Classes had been long and rough, all libraries were overcrowded during break times, and a sudden downpour had caught him off-guard just when he was about to return home. To make things worse, his bus had been twenty minutes late and the stop wasn’t even covered.
In summary, Izuku was thoroughly drenched and utterly tired when he finally passed the only remaining obstacle between him and his haven of peace: the door.
However, our eternal optimist wasn’t ready to let these mishaps ruin his mood; he wouldn’t let them dampen his spirits—especially when the event he had been agonizingly waiting for was eventually going to take place soon. In less than a day only, in fact! This event had been his only solace amidst the uncalled-for chaos life had unfairly thrown at him. He had no time to dwell on that!
For the occasion, he had taken a day off from his part-time student job. Well, studying wasn’t free and while he was grateful for his mother’s financial help, he didn’t want to rely on her only. Therefore, he decided to apply to a nearby library—a choice that aligned well with his deep passion for books and reading. Next to that enthralling job, Izuku also happened to volunteer in an association on Sundays: Idealis, a well-known association fighting for the betterment of people in need—a cause close to Izuku’s heart.
All that left him with little free time in his busy schedule. His best friends missed him so much that they couldn’t refuse the invitation to his cherished event. It wasn’t conveniently located in relation to their places, but thanks to his fresh driving license, and his new second-hand cozy car, Izuku had planned to pick them up and drive them all there.
To get to the campus, he usually preferred to take the bus, as the journey only took a ten-minute ride and there were few parking spots available. But to get that far, the car appeared more convenient.
If traffic were in their favor—which he hoped it’d be—, they could arrive at the event in approximately forty-five minutes.
Now, now. What was this event about?
A convention. But not just any convention! A grand book convention to which a multitude of renowned authors would attend to sign autographs, promote their works, hold conferences to offer useful tips, and answer their fans’ every question.
Izuku adored reading, but he didn’t aspire to be a writer. Although he was beyond thrilled to immerse himself in that world, surrounded by fellow enthusiasts, his main reason to go was that his favorite writer would be there as well.
Well—more or less.
His favorite writer did exist, don’t get me wrong. The thing was that… they were anonymous. They had never revealed their face or their identity; always publishing their work under a pseudonym, and no one knew the reason for that choice. They were adored in the literary world, even if they were sort of new to it. They quickly gained popularity and stole the limelight from many established authors as soon as their very first work was published.
Despite the great frustration elicited by that mystery, their readers found themselves even more intrigued by their productions and the enigmatic character behind them.
Izuku was no exception.
Dynamight was not going to be present physically, however, their latest book was going to be available for sale in a limited preview as well as pre-signed autographs. There was no way he could miss that opportunity!
A hearty dinner, a quick shower, a clothes change; and Izuku was ready to climb his bed and wake up in a good mood for the long-awaited day.
“Where are my fucking sunglasses?!”
The next morning, at Katsuki’s place, a different sort of chaos was unfolding. The guy was having another one of his angry days and had started turning his room upside down in search of the object he desperately needed and couldn’t find.
For some reason, he seemed much more stressed out than usual.
“Aren’t they on your head?” A calmer voice approached the doorframe and asked with its common indifference. Nothing was surprising about that agitated demeanor, after all.
The blond’s head perked up, sharp teeth revealing themselves just like those of a dangerous predator trying to scare its prey. “D’you think I am as stupid as you? They’re not on my head!”
Despite the obvious confidence his words had suggested, he still discreetly patted the top of his spiky hair to check; a gesture that elicited a quiet snort from the other. “Aren’t you too old to swear? There’s no sun outside anyway, why would you need sunglasses?”
For an instant, Shoto's questions hung in the air, unanswered. Katsuki’s attention had shifted to something else: he had found them! They seemed to have fallen to the bottom of one of his old bags, but nothing could escape his determined grasp! A triumphant yell erupted from the room as he proudly dropped them over his nose. Once his dear item was on, he turned around to face the intruder. “No way you can be that dumb. It’s to hide my face!”
“You’re anonymous, Bakugo,” Shoto serenely refreshed his memory, looking up from his phone and glancing at him with unfazed eyes. “No one knows your face. Besides, it will probably attract attention to you, and you’ll just look suspicious.”
“Hah?! Those nerds will assume I’m cosplaying or something. There’s no need to worry! Now, shut that silly mouth of yours or you’re fired!”
Unbothered by that sudden aggressivity—nothing was new about that—his gaze leisurely lowered to his screen again. “You pull the same threat every day, yet I’m still here.” He almost spoke with a touch of disappointment.
At that, Katsuki stormed out of the room, each of his steps carrying the weight of his annoyance. “The hell are you even at my house for?!”
“... You asked me to pick you up, remember?”
Right. His car had been acting up lately, and he couldn’t risk it breaking down in the middle of the road again. However, the reason for asking for Shoto’s help, of all people, wasn’t clear even to himself. It must have been another one of his impulsive and unexplained decision that he already regretted making.
Shoto followed him to the living room where he watched him slipping his long black coat on. “You strangely showed interest in that convention. It surprised me. You also seem to be in a hurry. We still have some time, you know?”
That boy was giving him a headache. What was the deal with his misplaced curiosity? So what if he did want to go there? It wasn’t as if he was used to spending his days locked up, unable to enjoy outings or special occasions like this one! Although…?
Anyway, Katsuki's lips couldn’t remain still. “I wanna be in the front row to see those idiots’ reactions to my new masterpiece. I wanna listen to them and their shitty assumptions about who I am, and how I am!”
His back was on Shoto, and yet the latter could easily tell he was smirking.
These words carried a grain of truth; however, there was an ulterior motive driving Katsuki as well. Deep down, there was also a part of him that longed to connect with his readers. He had always known that if he ever published a book, he’d want to do it in the shadows for reasons that were his own. He was still in line with that old choice, but there were moments when he wished he could feel his fans' admiration directly. That was his ego talking, nonetheless, it was nothing but a normal, human desire.
Shoto, as his manager, but mostly as one of his oldest friends, couldn’t be fooled. He was well aware of this motive, but he also knew there was more to it: the persisting desire to thank his readers and show them gratitude, in his own way. Something he found quite honorable of the author. “They’ll adore it, as usual. You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m not worried! I know that already.” He snapped with a click of the tongue, getting ahold of his hat and his backpack before heading to the door. “Coming, you snail?!”
Fishing his phone back into his pocket, Shoto reluctantly caught up to him. “Have you even eaten something?”
“Are you my mom or something?!”
The morning trip to the convention had been far from quiet thanks to Izuku’s great and clear excitement. Thankfully, neither Ochaco nor Iida did mind his talkative nature, especially when they hadn’t seen each other in a while.
They had missed everything about him, including his strong love for books, and his endless admiration for that author. They also enjoyed reading, but they knew they could never compete with Izuku’s fervor. Actually, they doubted anyone ever could.
Although… reflecting on it, maybe there was one little detail they hadn’t missed: instead of listening to music just like everyone else when driving, Izuku had that habit of playing his favorite audiobooks while sharing personal analysis they had heard about countless times. They didn’t even need to read Dynamight’s books to know their stories. By heart.
Since they had seen this coming, the two had prepared a little fun surprise for Izuku a few days ago. It was a nice way to avenge themselves for his improvised—but expected—literature class. They were sure it would be to his liking.
Anyway, luckily, the road was clear which allowed them to arrive on time and avoid the lengthy entry queue. As soon as they had stepped in, Izuku immediately sprinted to the stand—the one whose duty was to distribute Dynamight’s new gem to their fans. It would’ve surprised his friends if they weren’t used to his unsuspected speed.
The sale had not yet begun, yet many people were already standing before Izuku. Waiting was not his biggest problem; what he feared the most was that there might not be enough books, since it was a limited edition. The idea of missing such an opportunity made him crazy!
“Stop biting your nails!” Iida gently slapped his hand, an affectionate gesture akin to that of a father worried for his child. “You’ll have your book and your autograph, don’t worry. We made it on time for the opening!”
No matter how little force had been put into this slap, Izuku still let out a whine as he rubbed his skin exaggeratedly. “Have you seen the queue?! If I don’t get them, I’ll–”
“You’ll die, we know,” Ochaco rolled her eyes with a giggle. “You’ve already repeated it 100 times in less than an hour, yet it still doesn’t make it true.”
Izuku had always been overdramatic, especially when it came to the things he loved. But his worries were, once again, unwarranted. Sure, it took another long hour and a half before he was able to carefully hold his newfound treasures in his hands, but eventually, he got to acquire his precious autograph and one copy of the book he had already sworn to cherish.
One copy? Sorry, I actually meant three of them: one he’d use as decoration, one he could carry with him to read anywhere, and a last one in case he'd happen to lose one of the other two.
Scolding him for his selfishness would’ve been useless. He knew he had just deprived two strangers of their happiness, but… how could have he done otherwise?! Initially, people weren’t allowed to buy more than one copy to ensure fairness. However, it appeared that Izuku was accompanied by his two best friends. How convenient.
At that moment, he felt so lucky they had agreed to come!
“You’re incorrigible…”
“I’ll make it up to you! I promise! Thank you so much, you two are the best!” He grinned broadly at them, carefully fishing his new wonders in his backpack, except for one of his books. He didn't feel like letting go of it already when he'd just acquired it.
In the meantime, Iida and Ochaco exchanged a knowing look full of mischief. ‘Of course, you’ll make it up to us’, they thought. They didn’t need words to remind each other of the delightful plan that was awaiting their closest friend. The latter didn’t pay attention to their explicit eyes; he was way too overwhelmed to mind his surroundings. His attention was all on the pages he was delicately flipping through, eagerly discovering new lines he wasn’t yet familiar with. If he wasn’t scared to damage the book, he would’ve hugged it to his chest. And if he were to be alone, he would have started devouring each of its words on the spot.
But he wasn’t, so, with his new perfection safely nestled under his arm, they finally started to explore the various halls together.
Hours quickly passed after they checked out all the different booths and displays, bought a few things, ate, took pictures with amazing cosplayers, exchanged with nice fellow readers, and even took part in a few activities such as quizzes, and writing/drawing workshops. All these activities had been planned by the organizers at predetermined times and were listed on the paper map they had received at the entrance—a map Izuku didn't even need to consult since he had already studied it entirely during his first visit to the event's webpage. Hence the fact that he had been able to rush to Dynamight’s stand so easily, despite the numerous halls.
“Oh, Izu!” Ochaco suddenly locked arms with him, sneakily leading him back to the main exhibition room. “There’s another activity we wanted to take part in!”
“Huh?”
As mentioned above, Izuku knew them all by heart. According to his knowledge, the only activity left of the day was… a speed dating session. Bewilderment settled on his face as they got closer and closer to their destination. “You want to meet someone?”
That idiotic question made her laugh—in a sadistic way that didn’t bode well. “Me? Oh, no, silly!” She shook her head and let Iida take care of the next step.
“Hello! Have you signed up?”
“Hi, yes. He registered a few days ago under the name of Midoriya Izuku.”
“What?!”
The person in charge of the speed dating scanned through their long list with a keen eye, carefully moving their pen along the sheet until they finally spotted the name they were looking for. “Perfect, thank you for your interest! You can have a seat behind the curtain and wait for it to start in a few minutes!”
“Wait, there’s a mistake! I–”
Izuku didn’t understand much about the current situation, but he could tell he had been tricked. And before he could voice his protest, Ochaco had forcefully shoved him towards an empty table before quickly disappearing with a ‘good luck!’ that rang wrongly in his ears for long seconds.
Long seconds during which he wondered what the hell he could have done to them to deserve such an unfair betrayal!
Izuku was an anxious and socially awkward person. Only God knew how he had managed to approach these two in the first place, and now, they wanted him to sit still and have… dates? With strangers? Hell, he had never had a date before! What was he even supposed to say? How was he supposed to act?!
There was no room for self-questioning; before he could even realize it, a member of the staff had sat in front of him with a tablet in their hands. “Hey! Midoriya, right? Before it starts, do you have any gender or age preferences?”
“P–preferences?! Uh, n–no, but–”
“Good! Ahhh, but we still have a problem… one member is missing. Now, you’re an odd number…”
The guy spoke aloud, ignoring Izuku’s shy attempts at getting a word in. He would gladly fix that issue by withdrawing! It wasn’t as if he had willingly decided to participate in the first place!
Sadly, before he could express his desire to leave, the staff member had flown away without a second glance, immediately passing by the large back curtain to jump on a random passerby. “Hey! Would you like to join us for an amazing experience?!”
“Hah?” Katsuki, who appeared to be the unlucky victim, stared at the weirdo from behind his tinted sunglasses before he shifted his eyes to the obscure curtain. “Absolutely no–”
“Yes! Yes, he wants to!!”
The one who had just answered in Katsuki’s place wasn’t Shoto. The latter was the well-known manager of Dynamight, after all. People knew what he looked like, and if they were to be seen together, while Katsuki had decided to wear such a suspicious outfit… fans’ brains would easily make the connection between them.
Instead, another one of his friends who wasn’t famous—to their deepest regrets—had decided to be the one driving Katsuki to the convention. Indeed, all precautions were good to take: Shoto’s duty had been to drop him off at Denki’s place, which was closer to the convention, in case his car was known to the public and would've attracted attention to them. On the contrary, Denki's car was safe and would've easily gone unnoticed.
Needless to mention, Katsuki was against that idea, but he ended up giving in after a little while since he had no other choice. However, what was about to happen was precisely one of the reasons he didn't want this numbskull with him. It all unfolded in a matter of seconds: Denki had nudged him ahead, and before he could react, the activity organizer had already gotten hold of him to drag him to that peculiar hidden place.
“Oi…!”
“Do you have any gender preferences?” They asked, obviously ignoring the complaints.
Katsuki was utterly lost. He didn’t understand shit about the situation, and he didn’t want to. “The hell are you talking about?! I don’t have any preferences! Now, let go!” He demanded, yanking his arm free from their grasp. However, it was too late; he had already been led to an occupied table.
“Thank you for your interest! You can sit here and wait! We will start in a minute!”
Puzzled by his new surroundings, Katsuki’s curious eyes scanned the entire area until they landed on the girl sitting at the table he had been directed to. Given the disgusting way tables were decorated, and given the stupid background music… it didn’t take long before he figured out the primary purpose of this activity.
‘Oh hell no.’ He thought, realizing that the staff members had started forming couples around him. On top of that, he could feel the weight of that girl’s gaze on him, which highly added to his discomfort. Probably, his mysterious appearance was fueling her interest, but there was no way he’d stay and take part in that desperate game! He didn’t need to meet people, he had already enough to deal with in general!
With a loud grunt, he took a few steps away from her, determined to pass by that curtain and continue attending his business as if nothing had happened—after kicking Denki’s ass though. Yet, while he had almost reached it, his attention had been drawn to a cute guy sitting alone. His face seemed etched with great despair, and both his hands were clasped under his chin. Next to his arm, a book was lying on the table.
Not just any book.
His book.
His legs stopped instinctively as a sudden thought sparked his mind. Perhaps this was the opportunity he had been waiting for to connect with a reader; to receive live feedback, fair criticism, or praise. It could be his first time engaging in a discussion about the good and bad aspects of his works. Not that he doubted his genius skills—he was more intrigued in knowing if this guy could have managed to grasp the essence of his writing through his books. The essence of his person.
When he noticed someone was about to settle at that table, his body moved on its own and swiftly rushed to it to claim his place.
“H–hey dude, they told me to sit here…”
“Go find another table!” Katsuki protested with a frightening growl that made the poor guy walk off.
Great, one less problem. Now, all he had to do was to find a way to… nicely start a conversation. Which was what he had initially planned to do, but when he looked over at his supposed date again, he couldn’t help but notice the terrified expression on his face.
Well, his previous outburst had probably not given the best impression—he had literally yelled at a stranger and had growled at them like an angry animal. It was no wonder the poor guy facing him was confused. Nonetheless, the face he was pulling was cute, Katsuki thought before he sighed deeply and eventually found something to say.
“What’s with that face?! Have you seen a ghost or something, child?”
Talk about a nice start. If anything, his aggressivity startled the other even more.
“C–child?!” Izuku took offense, his features flashing with clear indignation. “I’m 22, for your information!” His cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he looked away.
Even better; he had managed to make him angry as well now. And he apparently wasn’t done disrespecting him.
“Hah?! 22?! You look 16 at best!”
Sure, with that angelic face of his, Izuku looked younger than his age. However, it must have been the first time he had been told he looked underage. That sounded so exaggerated! “16?! H–huh… well, thank you, I guess...? But you’re wrong!” He was getting uncomfortable, and it easily showed. Great job, Katsuki!
“Five minutes left!” Someone yelled from the front.
Oh, shit, there was a timer?! No one had warned him! He had no time to lose! Since he wasn’t the best at apologizing, he assumed he could try to cunningly change the topic. “You like this author?” He gestured briefly toward the book.
That worked. He didn’t know yet, but he had just found the best way to turn the happy-Izuku-mode on. “Yes!” The latter eagerly answered, his hand delicately landing on the smooth cover. “I came all the way here just to be able to get this book and my autograph! I ran to the author’s stand as soon as the doors opened, I couldn’t risk it being sold out!”
All the way here? Did he live far from the convention? Did he travel a long way just for a book? His book? Katsuki’s face unconsciously softened, but the other couldn’t tell because of the mouth-mask, and the dark sunglasses. Thousand of questions now aroused in his mind.
“Tch, you’re a fan then.” He tried to speak with a detached voice. “Have you read their previous books?”
“You’re joking, right?!” Izuku’s face lit up entirely. The sudden enthusiasm, excitement, and fervor he was bursting with piqued the blond’s curiosity. “I’ve read and reread them all! I know them by heart! They… each of them has got this… I’m not sure how to describe it exactly, but they all have this special something that can transport you to a whole different dimension, even if they’re not about fantasy worlds. You know, that feeling of getting lost in a story, of living another life through a character’s eyes…”
As soon as Izuku began rambling about his love for those books, his whole demeanor changed. A fierce spark had ignited in his eyes, illuminating his expression with a radiant glow that didn’t seem to fade away. The intensity of his passion was infectious, stirring something deep within the blond's heart.
At that moment, Katsuki was glad he didn’t listen to Shoto’s stupid advice to take his sunglasses off.
The sun was well and truly out.
“I made sure to buy them all, and to keep them safely in a corner of my apartment! Although I also bought them in audio version to be able to listen to them while traveling!”
“Huh? What a waste of money.” Katsuki's eyes rolled to the ceiling, even if he was, in fact, more than touched to hear that.
“It’s worth it!” His hand tightened around his treasure as a way to protect it. If he could, he would’ve told him about the three copies he had bought earlier, but… it wasn’t really legal, so, he kept quiet about that detail.
A little silence settled between them, but Katsuki knew the clock was ticking, and he still had a burning question to ask. “What’s your favorite one?”
He thought that’d be a difficult question; he thought Izuku would take a moment before replying, and yet…
“Love in Ruins.”
The straightforward answer took him aback. He straightened his posture, his fingers locking over the table. “Hah? I’ve heard that shit was their biggest flop, are you serious?”
“T–that what?! It’s an amazing book! People were upset because Dynamight dared to try something new, but it was so undeserved! I was surprised myself when I found out they wrote about a romantic tragedy, but it only solidified my belief that they are a talented writer no matter the genre! That story was… mind-blowingly written! It was definitely not a flop, a lot of people adored it, including myself!”
Oh, wow. He didn’t expect to meet someone ready to defend him body and soul to such an extent. It made him want to dig in deeper. “Not that I know much about them and their bullshit, but you realize they’re mainly a psychological/thriller writer, right? What the hell did you mean by ‘living another life through the character’s eyes’? Are you a weirdo?”
An overly cute pout now graced Izuku’s face to express the offense he had taken. The blond almost felt guilty for provoking him that way.
“Their characters aren’t just psychopaths, you know?! They’re amazingly well-written persons dealing with traumas and fighting against their demons all the time! They’re not just basic stories of serial killers! They carry deep, meaningful messages that helped me to reflect on myself many times, even though I’d never hurt a fly!”
How did this guy do that? How was he able to leave him speechless about a subject he was supposed to know better than him? Was he really that fond of his books? Before he could say something in return, Izuku continued.
"Dynamight helped me realize that everyone has a story, that everyone is fighting their own battles, and that everyone is capable of both good and evil! Their stories showed me that forgiveness is a powerful tool everyone deserves! Each one of them has a piece of my heart... They've taught me so much about life, about myself, and the world around me. So, if you don’t know much about this author or their masterpieces, you shouldn’t disrespect them!"
Once he was eventually done, he crossed his arms firmly over the table—keeping a protective finger on his beloved gem. He tried to stifle his shortness of breath, but he didn’t need to do that because Katsuki was still stuck on the words he had used to describe him and his stories.
“Two minutes left!”
That annoying voice brought him back to his senses. He didn’t want this moment to end; he wanted this conversation to last longer. Forever.
“It’s not healthy to be that obsessed with someone, you know?” Was the only thing he could think of after that overwhelming speech.
Again, Izuku’s face flushed bright red at that assumption. “O–obsessed?! I’m not! I’m… impressed, and admiring of this person, that’s all! I’m sure they are also dealing with their own demons, and that their stories are their only way out.”
He was right.
“I guess you were right earlier; I’m a fan. There’s nothing unhealthy about that!”
“Hah. You’d fall hard if you were to meet them and realize they’re just a disturbed creep trying to justify murder.”
Izuku’s blood boiled in his veins. It was rare to get him to feel that way, honestly. It only happened when he came across Dynamight’s haters on the Internet. Okay—with hindsight, maybe it wasn’t that rare.
“Why are you so harsh with them?! Have you even tried reading what they wrote?!”
“Don’t need to. ‘Am not interested in another random idiot trying to condone such acts.” He shrugged, slumping deeper in his chair.
“Condone?! He’s not–Oh, God.” Izuku took a deep inhale. “Please, never join my fan page!”
“Why would I do that?” He snorted before his brain processed what the other had just said. “Wait, what? You've got a fan page? Are you a stalker, on top of that?”
“What?! I’m not! It’s pretty common to have fan pages nowadays, you know?!”
“So, you’re one of those freaks trying to discover their identity?”
“I–I’m sure they are an interesting, and amazing person, but no!” He sharply shook his head. “And even if I knew who they were… it’s not as if they’d ever talk to me. So, I’d rather keep the mystery as it is!”
He’d never get tired of hearing such praise. Each one of them was a reminder of his hard work. To know that he had succeeded to reach a reader’s soul; to leave a lasting impression on even one of them was priceless. Especially when that one reader seemed to have understood his motives, and his being.
He definitely didn’t want this moment to end.
“Thirty seconds left!”
“Huh?!”
Katsuki was, once again, brought back to the harsh reality. Unlike him though, Izuku was looking forward to the end of that failed date.
I mean, Katsuki had spent more than five minutes shitting on his favorite author ever! There was no way he could have had fun! He didn’t mind curious people showing interest in something they didn’t know, but Katsuki had admitted not knowing anything regarding that specific matter AND still had dared to badmouth it. How could he?!
When the bell signaling the shift rang, Izuku promptly stood up while retrieving his book carefully. “W–well, huh. I have to leave, I still have a long way to go before returning home. T–thank you, for… eh… the exchange…”
No matter how angry Izuku could be, he’d never be impolite. At least, thanks to that stranger, he knew he could never befriend anyone illiterate. Yes, that was how he would consider this stranger from now on.
“Hah? Wait!”
As if they were in one of those mushy dramatic movies, Izuku hurried to run away, leaving a puzzled Katsuki behind him. He hadn’t even asked for his name!
“What’s wrong, Izu…?” Ochaco asked from the passenger seat, her voice laced with worries. “Are you really that mad about our little prank? We didn’t mean to upset you!”
They had noticed he seemed off since he had returned from the speed dating. He had angrily walked to them, and when they asked how it went, he simply answered ‘No comment. Can we please leave? I’m really tired.’
Moreover, he still hadn’t played any of his audiobooks.
The boy sighed, loosening his grip around his wheel. “I’m not mad at you, don’t worry! I just… I met an insolent man talking trash about Dynamight! He put me in a bad mood after all the criticism he uttered about them! I never want to see him ever again!”
“I fucking want to see him again! Look for everything you can find about this nerd!”
Katsuki, on his part, had been unbearable since his return from the speed dating. He couldn't get that guy out of his mind, and couldn't forget about all those nice things he had said about Dynamight. About him. It was the first time he had the chance to do something like that. Not the date: the chance to share an intimate moment with a reader. Even though that guy didn't know his real identity, he still enjoyed their moment, and he did want to relive it again. With him.
“I’m not a cop.” Shoto lowly breathed, sipping from his glass. “And I’m not paid for that either.”
Approaching him, and leaning closer to his face, Katsuki asked, “You want a promotion?”
Now, he was even trying to corrupt his own manager. Just how much did that stranger affect him?
“I wouldn’t say no to a promotion…” Denki shamelessly joined their conversation. Well, they were at his place, he had every right to do so!
“Shut up, dunce face! All that is your fault!"
Fault, incident, luck, fate, or coincidence. You can call it whatever you want; it doesn’t matter how they met. What’s important is that they did meet and that it would change their lives forever.