Chapter Text
Since Mina had so much fun paddle boarding around Nabu Island, Eijiro decided to try and find a lake or something nearby with rentals they could go to, while it was still summer vacation.
What he finds is a lake just outside of town, with a small connected river. They sell rentals for only 2k yen! What a deal! He’s about to text Mina to ask her to go on a date with him, but- he realizes it can’t really be a surprise where they’ll be going because she needs to be dressed right for it. He tries thinking up some way where he could still surprise her.
He imagines a whole scene,
“Hey Mina, so I was thinking for our date today. I should pick out your outfit!”
“That’s pretty weird Kiri, but okay!” She unveils her closet to him, and it’s so many clothing items, he doesn’t even know where to start, and as he grabs any part of a bikini, she says, “Someone’s feeling pretty bold today.”
OR WORSE! She’d say, “That’s really weird and perverted don’t you think?! I’m breaking up with you!”
Man… Dates are hard.
Just as he’s running through even more scenarios that are not at all how they’d happen in reality. His phone rings and he’s quick to answer, “Yo.”
“Kiri!”
“Mina!”
Mina says, “Let’s go paddle boarding today! I found a great spot just outside of town and the rentals are only 2k yen! What a deal right!?”
“-Yeah! Let’s go!” She really read my mind. That’s so manly!
“Awesome! I’m gonna get dressed and then I’ll meet you downstairs in like ten minutes! I love you!” She shouts it like she’s trying to fight him about it.
“I love you too!” He shouts right back and hangs up. God, she’s great. His outfit isn’t anything too complicated, just a red and black sleeveless hoodie with swim trunks. He flexes in the mirror, and checks his hair. His spikes ain’t spiking quite right, so he grabs a black bandana to use as a headband, and just like that he’s good to go.
When he comes down, Mina’s actually already waiting for him, he was expecting her to wear the same outfit she did on Nabu Island, but it’s way cuter! She’s still got the big straw hat that her horns can poke through, but now she’s got big shades. She’s wearing a loose black tanktop with a red bikini top underneath, and red short trunks.
They take one look at each other and have the same thought. Oh my god, we match! Mina can’t keep her hands off him for too long. Wrapping her arms around his bicep, she asks, “Ready to go?”
“Yeah man. You look great by the way…” He’s trying not to stare at her too much, but Dammit! She’s so cute!
“You’re not so bad yourself.” She looks at him with a kittenish smirk, until he has no choice but to kiss her. Damn, he’s so cute! UGH!
He cheers like he just won the championship bout, “Alright let’s go!”
“Yeah!”
Just as they’re about to run out the door, Ms. Joke jumps in the way, “Where are you going!?”
Eijiro quickly tries to remember if they were supposed to be on house arrest or something after coming back from Nabu Island, it was supposed to be a make-up grade, even if they didn’t do that much there. “We’re uh…” He’s really not sure.
Mina declares, “We’re going paddle boarding and you can’t stop us Ms. Fukukado!”
Emi snorts at how tense they both got. “Cool! Let me drive you.” She grabs her keys from the key ring, and when she turns back towards them, they’re just staring dumbfounded at her.
Mina asks, again so seriously “Ms. Fukukado. Did you… want to go paddle boarding with us?”
“Is that an invite or a concern?”
Mina giggles but doesn’t answer the question.
Fukukado sighs and admits, “Eraser took Eri to go buy groceries, so I just need something to do.”
Mina squints, “Why didn’t you just go with them?”
“Because first, he said, ‘Do you want to get groceries?’ and I said ‘Nah.’ but before I could say, ‘I’m gonna stay here with Eri!’ Eri said, ‘I’ll go with you daddy!’” She does nearly perfect impressions of both of them.
Mina nods understanding completely.
Eijiro glares at the ceiling as he tries to understand the issue, “So wait why didn’t you go?”
Fukukado snorts, “Ugh. Boys, am I right Mina?”
Mina giggles. “So right, Teach.”
“Hey man, that’s messed up.”
“Well let’s get going.” Fukukado just leads them out the door.
Eijiro follows with Mina, but despairs, “Are you actually not gonna explain?”
Mina says, “So, because she told Aizawa she wasn’t interested in getting groceries, if she changed her mind when Eri decided to tag along, then it would seem to Aizawa that she was mad at him or just didn’t want to spend time with him.”
Emi nods.
He says, “But like, why not just tell him she’s not mad at him or anything?”
Mina thinks of a better way to explain this, with an example. “Hey Kiri. Just so you know. I’m not mad at you.”
Eijiro thinks she’s just referring to this conversation, and that she’s mad at him for not getting it fast enough, “-wait, are you mad?”
Fukukado stifles a giggle. Mina fully laughs, “No, Kiri. That’s what I’m saying Aizawa would feel like if she said that. See?”
“Oh. Gotcha…”
Mina has the strong feeling he doesn’t actually got it, but she lets it go as they get into the car with Fukukado.
Fukukado turns on the car, but turns to look at them both in the back seat. “Okay, my taxi service does come at a cost.”
Mina didn’t bring a purse, or a wallet, just the 2k yen she needed for the rental stuffed into her pocket so she wouldn’t have to worry about losing anything in the water, or leaving money in the locker. “Uh…”
Seeing the panic in their eyes, before either of them can say something completely unhinged, Fukukado says, “One of you needs to sit up front.”
Mina snorts, “Teach, we’re not gonna make out in the back of your car. While you’re driving.”
“Mina, why did you add the last part..?”
“Eheh.”
“Don’t eheh that, Mina! What does that mean!?”
While they’re having that banter Kirishima is spiraling, Is it more chivalrous if I sit up front, so then Mina can have the whole backseat to herself? Or is it better if she sits up front since the airbags are better up there…
Mina just climbs over the console to sit up front, hitting Kirishima’s face with the side of her butt as she does so. Definitely on purpose.
Eijiro’s about to suggest maybe he sit up front instead, “Uh.”
Mina smiles back at him, Aw, I know what he wants to ask. She reaches back to hold his hand.
He could fully cry right now, Oh my god, she’s so cute! He's completely forgotten what he was actually going to say.
Emi starts driving the car once they’re both buckled up. They're so stinkin cute! “So! Uh… How long you kids going for?”
Eijiro, who was half listening, a little lost just admiring Mina's Red Riot + Pinky themed nail polish, says, “It's been six months today, but we've known each other for way longer than that!”
Aww, he did know it was our anniversary.
As cute as Emi finds that, she says, “Uh, I meant like, paddle boarding, today.”
“O-oh.” They're gonna think I'm so stupid!
Mina giggles, “We'll probably stay out till dinner. When we went on Nabu, we went around like half the island, it was awesome.”
Emi says, “Oh I forgot to ask, which lake are we going to?”
“Lake Hinata.” They say in unison.
Mina cocks a brow at this, How did he know… Unless, awww he was planning for paddle boarding too! She sparkles at him.
“Lake Hinata, huh?” Fukukado leans out the window to open the gate with her key card before driving through. “Did you guys have something special planned for dinner?”
“I was thinking we'd check out a place by the Lake.”
Eijiro nods, “Great minds think alike.”
“You two better make sure not to lose your phones out there. You'll have to call me when you need a ride home, or else you'll have to flag a taxi, or walk all the way to the train station!”
“We'll be careful!” They say in unison again.
After Fukukado drops them off they stop by the office to sign in, lock their phones and shoes up, and pay for their boards.
A short walk over to the lake's dock. They meet the wharf master! As Mina insists on referring to her as. All the rental boards are the same size and shape but they come in a variety of colors. Mina of course chooses pink, and Eijiro takes red.
The wharf master says, “If you want I can give you a push out once you're on the boards.”
“Sure!”
Eijiro always feels a little wobbly getting on and off these things, but it's made a lot easier by staying seated.
Mina drifts up next to him, and says, “Ready!”
The wharf master uses her quirk to bend the water to her will, sending them off into the lake on a gentle tide.
Mina waves with her paddle, “Thank you Wharf Master!!”
The woman snickers, “You're welcome!”
Mina is quick to stand, and look around, the lake is surrounded by woods on all sides, but at the distant end there's a little wooded island that Mina desperately must explore!
Eijiro stays seated on his knees for now, but keeps pace with her. “Can't believe we've never come here before.”
“Doesn't it make you wonder what other stuff is around us that we've just never thought to look at before?”
“Got some other random hobbies you want to give a try?”
Mina seriously considers it before saying, “Skateboarding?”
“That would be so-” He stops himself from saying manly, “Radical!”
Mina giggles, and for a while, the two just drift along the water together, quietly enjoying the serenity together.
Eijiro is so happy Mina seems to have recovered her old cheery self again. He was getting so worried for her for a while back there… He wants to ask-
“Hey Kiri.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for sticking with me through everything.”
He isn’t so sure how to take that, but he knows what she's talking about, “What kind of man would I be if I abandoned someone who was hurting?”
She smiles but a little solemn as they drift together. “I don’t know, I think a lot of guys woulda stopped putting up with a girl after the second or third time she woke up screaming.”
He’s so sad that she could think that, “Mina, you saved me in Esuha, remember.” He almost says, ‘Staying with you is the least I could do’ but he's quick to realize the error in that. “You didn’t do that because you had to. You did it because that’s just what you do when you care about someone.” He’s pretty sure that makes sense.
“You wanna know what I realized though?”
“Sure!”
“It’s okay to fail. Everyone does eventually, but… There’s always going to be someone else who needs saving. So if you give up, then who’s going to save the next person, you know?” Though she knows Ochako, probably would’ve been fine on Nabu Island even if she didn’t catch her, it meant a lot to Mina that she was the one to catch her.
He remembers what he told himself during his fight with Rappa If I crack, then I'll just harden again! Stay strong! Protect others! “Hell yeah man!”
“Hell yeah!” She claps paddles with him and pushes on ahead making a bee line for that island. “Let’s go explore!!!”
Eijiro struggles to keep up. He realizes paddle boarding is less about raw strength, and more about rhythm. If there was one thing Mina had in spades it was rhythm.
When she beaches her board she uses the momentum to flip with her dismount. Eijiro always forgets how fast that stop happens, and flops face first into the sand. Mina giggles and helps him up. “Think we’ll find buried treasure?”
He shakes the sand off his head and smiles, “Probably not.”
“Well come on let’s go!” She drags him up the beach towards the forested path. The island wasn’t much bigger than their classroom, so there really wasn’t that much to explore, but he would follow Mina anywhere.
“Hey Mina.”
“Yeeees?” They reach the center of the island where rays of sunlight just barely pierce the trees in the prettiest way. The light glimmers on her pink curls, and really makes her face shine.
“I want you to know, you’re stuck with me okay?” His smile was so sincere, to Mina he seemed like the sun itself.
Mina blushes, “Where’d that come from???”
“I- I just thought you should know!”
“Are you trying to say you’re gonna marry me?” She leans against him, looking up into his eyes with that sinister smirk of hers.
“Y-yeah. Someday!” If I don’t mess it up like an idiot.
Cuuuute! “Well, someday . Maybe I’ll say…-” She makes a dash for the paddleboards.
“Mina!” He chases after her.
“You’ll have to outrace me if you want to know the answer! First one to that big weird tree over there wins!” She’s so quick to hop back on her board, and start paddling towards the next shore.
Eijiro doesn’t have time to find his balance! He just stays seated on the board, but pushes with all his might, but he remembers what he realized, that it’s not about strength, it’s about rhythm. Moving with the tides. It was weird, he didn’t think that a lake would have tides, but the wind still blows, and the water moves with it. He needed to ride those little waves if he was going to catch up to her. If he was going to know.
They’re neck and neck, and then- Eijiro touches his paddle to the leaning tree’s branches. “Hell yeah!”
Mina sits back on her board, seemingly a little winded. She giggles, “Good hustle!”
He looks at her a little expectedly, though he feels it might seem a bit desperate if he pushes for an answer.
Mina blinks at him, so innocently.
Eijiro has to look away, TOO CUTE!
In that moment she leans in to whisper, “I’d say yes.”
Eijiro’s cheeks turn the same color as his hair. He tries to play it off all cool as he paddles away, just saying, “Manly…”
Mina snickers and follows. Having no trouble catching up to him now. She keeps bumping her board against his to see if she can make him topple, but in a way that she could totally act like it wasn’t on purpose. “Hey Kiri, do you know how to swim?”
“Haha, who doesn’t.” He starts to push away from her, a little too quickly...
Mina catches up again. “I think like really cute ditzy guys probably don’t.”
“Well it’s a good thing I’m definitely a handsome smart guy!”
Not at all the response she was expecting to hear, she snorts. “I don’t know Kiri, you seem a little nervous on your board.”
He’s really hoping she doesn’t remember that time the entire class went to the pool together. He didn’t get called out for it then, because everyone was too distracted by Bakugo, and a lot of the other boys fully cheating in the swim competition, but he could also hide it by just staying in the parts of the pool where he could stand… “I mean yeah, I just don’t want to get soaked you know. Bad for my hair.”
“Ohhh…” She tosses her paddle into his arms, and leaps into the lake.
She vanishes under water for a while, leaving her hat floating on the surface.
Eijiro is all but certain that she knows how to swim, and is absolutely just messing with him. He fishes her hat back onto his board. Then- he thinks, What if she’s trying to see if I’ll dive in after her, like a hero! “Mina!” He’s about to jump in when-
“Rawr!” Mina grabs his ankle from behind.
His whole body hardens, though only for a second.
Mina has a little giggle fit as she floats in the water. “I really got you!”
He sits back down on his board with a relieved sigh. “I was just starting to think what I woulda told the police if you actually drowned. ‘Officer, you don’t get it, I thought she could swim!’”
Mina giggles even more, but pats his cheek, “I woulda definitely haunted you too! Every time you go paddle boarding, this is what would happen.” She lunges up to wrap her arms around him, and pull him into the water with her.
Eijiro struggles with all his might to stay on his board, “Mina!” He falls in and frantically struggles to keep his head above water. “That’s not funny!”
“Wait do you actually not know how to swim!?” She floats back to see him flailing to stay afloat.
“I get the general idea! I just haven’t had much practice okay!?”
“Aww Kiri. Let me teach you!” She’s half expecting him to have some like chivalrous pride or something, and refuse her.
But he actually says, “I’m listening!”
“You have to relax…”
“How does that work???”
“Just look at me.” She takes his hands so he’ll stop flailing so much.
He watches her calm motions, and slowly starts to sync with her. First the gentle waves of her arms, then her gentle kicking. Lastly even her breathing that seemed to guide her rise and fall. “Oh… Hey this is way easier than I thought man!”
She giggles, “Yeah, I guess I’m just a pretty awesome teacher.” She lifts herself back onto her board with no trouble at all. She takes off her shirt to ring it out, exposing the red bikini top underneath.
Eijiro gulps as he’s a bit entranced by her.
She smirks at him, that devilish smirk again. “Like what you see?”
He’s quick to turn away when he realizes he got caught, but also he needs to get back up on his board. Though he confesses, he's too embarrassed to actually look at her as he says, “Of course. You’re gorgeous Mina…” He doesn’t have trouble lifting his body up above the board, but he’s very wobbly as he tries to sit on. Though he does still succeed it’s a lot less smooth than Mina’s. Now he catches her staring. “What?” He chuckles.
“I gave you a little show, now where’s mine?”
He looks at his sleeveless hoodie, “I don’t really see much point in ringing it out, won’t it just get wet again?”
She puts on her straw hat, and speaks in a country accent, “Wouldn’t want ya to catch cold now partna’…” She bites her lip, poking at his hoodie with her paddle.
He laughs at that goofy accent, “Alright. Alright.” He imitates her, crossing his arms as he lifts the hoodie up off over his head, exposing his abs and pecks. He even strikes a little pose, brushing his fingers through his hair.
Mina is equal parts flustered and tickled by his performance she has to lay on her board as she laughs. “Way too cute!”
He twists his hoodie up, and slaps her across the stomach with it.
“Ow!”
“Oh god- Did that actually hurt? I’m so sorry!”
“I’m okay!” Mina has a little giggle, rubbing her abs, which now have a line across that’s a darker pink than the rest of her, “I mean it mostly just startled me.”
Seeing the mark he hands her his still twisted hoodie, and lays out on his board. “Okay, it’s only fair if you get me back…”
So chivalrous. She smirks and does as he wishes, but she holds nothing back, really whipping his stomach with it.
He winces, but doesn’t make a sound. Just a deep exhale.
That’s honestly funnier to her than if he just yelped. Mina enjoys just laying out on her board, she floats a little closer so she can hold his hand, and just enjoy the sun for a while. The warmth felt so nice on her skin right now.
Though Eijiro was enjoying the sun, he thinks about just how much he loves holding Mina’s hand. He finds it sort of amazing how through all the battles, and all the training, Mina’s hands have stayed so soft. Probably an aspect of her quirk. Her skin was incredibly smooth. Though now he’s curious, “Do you get sunburned?”
She thinks about it for a while, and then concludes, “Nope! Don’t think so.”
“Dang. Must be nice.”
“Wait, did you put on sunscreen?”
“Of course man! Protection is manly!”
Mina snorts, “I’m gonna remind you, you said that, the next time we-”
“Is that KiriMina!?” The unmistakable voice of Pony Tsunotori crosses the calm waters to them.
Mina sits up to see Pony, and Setsuna sharing a canoe, slowly approaching. She waves, “Hey guys!”
Eijiro was at least a little disappointed to have their date crashed, but he didn’t mind Pony or Setsuna’s company. Even if he’s barely spoken to either of them before. He waves a little more awkwardly than Mina, “Hey.”
Setsuna notices, but doesn’t speak up. Pony says, “Isn’t it funny we all came out here today?”
“All?” Eijiro visibly panics at the idea that their entire class was with them.
Pony clarifies, “The four of us.”
“Oh.”
Mina squeezes his hand, “Today is actually mine and Kiri’s six month anniversary!”
Setsuna’s feeling increasingly awkward being here, but Pony is relentless. “That’s awesome! Is it weird if we make this a double date?”
Setsuna and Eijiro’s thoughts sync, Very!
Mina says, “Not at all! I’ve been wanting to hang out with you anyways, Horn Sister!”
Pony says, “There’s another dock on the far shore with a vending machine, we were gonna head over there to grab some water.”
“Lead the way!”
Pony does just that, and Mina floats right along next to her.
Eijiro follows behind, he glances over at Setsuna who mouths to him, “I’m sorry.”
He chuckles, and whispers back. “It’s okay.”
Mina asks Pony, “Have you ever tried paddle boarding?”
“I have! But sadly slippery boards don’t tend to agree with my hooves too much…”
“Sorry to hear that!”
“It’s okay! I can still snowboard ‘cause they make ‘em with special foot holds for people like me.”
“Well that’s good!”
Pony admits, “Setsuna wanted to go swimming today, but I’m not too good at that either…”
Eijiro chimes in, “Hey! There’s no shame in that!”
Mina giggles and explains, “I just taught Kiri how to swim like five minutes before you guys rolled up.”
Eijiro says, “For the record, I knew how to swim. Just not… very well.”
“Actually I should be clear, I taught him how to float.”
Setsuna floats her upper half away from her bottom half to tease him, “It’s okay Kirishima, not everyone can be as blessed as me.”
Eijiro sneers at her, “Tokage, has anyone ever told you your quirk is insane?”
Pony shouts, “I know right!”
Setsuna reattaches herself, and brushes a tuft of hair behind her ear, “Why whatever do you two mean?”
Eijiro says, “Well you can split into- I don’t even know how many pieces, and fly. Like those two things aren’t even related.”
Pony adds on, “Not to mention she can regenerate lost pieces, and all her internal organs stay connected in like some other dimension or something!”
Mina asks, “Wait what does that mean?”
Pony says, “Like if she detaches her head, and eats something, her stomach will still get full!”
Setsuna thinks, Why is that the example she went with? “I can also see out of a detached eye, and like my heart still pumps blood through everything”
Eijiro says, “That’s insane.”
Mina says, “What I’m really jealous of is that regenerating outfit!”
Eijiro didn’t even think about that, “How does that even work???”
Setsuna shrugs. “You’ll have to ask the support course that one.”
Mina nods, “Those guys are straight up magic.”
The four of them dock, and just as Pony promised, a vending machine! There’s a little campsite not too far down the trail from here and they can see some people setting up tents. Mina sparkles getting an idea for a future date. Though that one may take a bit more convincing on Fukukado’s part.
Pony takes a seat on the dock, letting her hooves graze the water’s surface, Setsuna plops down beside her. The two competitively bump shoulders for a bit, before Mina and Eijiro join them.
Eijiro says, “Tsunotori-”
“Pony.” The horse girl growls.
He corrects himself, remembering she insists all her friends call her, “Pony, you know your quirk is pretty crazy too.”
She just tilts her head.
He explains, “Like, you can make infinite horns, and control them with your mind!”
She raises a finger and clarifies, “I can only control six at a time right now.”
Mina asks, “Does it like hurt to make more?” She still remembers seeing Pony face off against Shoji last year.
“Uh…” She looks at Setsuna.
Setsuna sighs and explains. “Pony prefers to keep her weaknesses a secret.”
Mina and Eijiro's thoughts sync, Weird but okay.
Mina breaks the tension by stealing a bite from Eijiro's high density protein snack bar!
“H-hey!”
“Am I not allowed to be hungry?”
“You have your own!”
Mina stuffs her face with the wagashi she got from the vending machine, and stuffs her pocket with the wrapper. “Nu uh.” She says, gulping down a mouthful.
He decides now is the perfect time to steal a little kiss.
“H-hey!” Mina is more surprised than anything.
He gives her that shark-toothed smile of his, “Am I not allowed to be hungry?”
Pony and Setsuna both think, Hungry for a kiss?
“Nope!” Mina hops back on her board, and stretches for the sky, twisting back and forth as she says, “Nope! Too cute! Way too cute!”
Setsuna floats a water bottle over to her, “Girl you better drink up, you're looking thirsty!”
Mina sticks her tongue out at her, but then chugs the bottle all the same. She tosses it perfectly into the trashcan on the dock. “Let’s go!”
The other three finish up their drinks and join her back on the water. The four enjoy another lap around the lake, spending most of the time just taking in the sights and the breeze together. Eventually they make it all the way back around to the wharf they started at, and decide it’s as good a time as any to call it a day. Their arms and legs started to feel more like jelly than limbs, and the sun was just starting to get a little low on their afternoon.
After turning in their gear, drying off, and retrieving their phones and shoes. The four walk down the trail, back towards the shops and restaurants they passed on the way here.
Mina thinks to ask the other girls, “How did you two get out here anyways?”
Setsuna and Pony tilt their heads in perfect sync. “?” They say, “We flew.”
Mina slumps against Eijiro, “Life can be so unfair!”
Eijiro holds her up, “I know! Stay strong Mina!”
Pony giggles, “How’d you two get out here?”
Mina sniffs, “Ms. Fukukado drove us.”
Pony snaps, “What are ya complainin’ fer then!?”
Setsuna more calmly asks, “Could we maybe ride home with you guys?”
Mina says, “Sure! Let’s get dinner first though!”
Eijiro already scouted out the perfect restaurant for him and Mina, “There’s this place I’ve been really wanting to try out, not too far from here.” He takes Mina’s hand, smiling at her.
Setsuna feels a little guilty still intruding on their anniversary date, but since Kirishima’s leading the way she follows along. Pony asks, “What sorta place we talkin’?”
Just as he said it’s not too far at all, he presents a totally standard looking traditional japanese restaurant! “Tada!”
It takes Pony a moment, but she reads the katakana on the sign as, “Charmy’s Kitchen…” Nothing about that name really stands out in her mind, but she’s always down to try new food!
Mina feels compelled to ask, “Why’d you want to try this place out?”
“You’ll see.” He smiles at her as they head inside.
A suited man with a sheep head greets them at the door. “Table for four?”
Kirishima nods, completely unphased, while the girls stare. A sheep?
He leads them to a booth with menus, glasses and silverware already set out, and the group take their seats.
While the host is pouring them each a fresh glass of water, Mina notices that all the staff here seem to be some variety of sheep based heteromorph. Does Kiri think my favorite animal is a sheep for some reason? She looks over, and sees Eijiro just very seriously staring at the menu. After a moment he catches her gaze, and smiles back at her. So sweetly shark-toothed. Too cute.
As the host leaves, Mina takes a look at the menu, and her eyes instantly find her favorite words to find on a restaurant menu: “Okra Natto!”
Eijiro sparkles with pride, “Told you.”
Mina kisses him, “You’re the best, Kiri.”
He smiles, and gently butts his head to hers, “I try.”
Pony grimaces looking at the description of Okra Natto on the menu.
Setsuna whispers to Kirishima, “Not to sound rude, but what’s with all the sheep people?”
Kirishima shrugs, “I just picked this for the menu.”
A couple minutes later, a different sheep person, this time a girl, who’s more just a human with ram horns, and white curly hair comes by to take their orders, and politely takes her leave.
Setsuna’s still just trying to understand this restaurant’s theme. The horns on that girl makes Pony wonder, “Do you think I could get a job here?”
Mina snorts, “When would you have the time?”
Pony shrugs.
Setsuna is lost dreaming of Pony in a chef uniform. So cute…
Soon enough that waitress returns expertly balancing two large trays with all their food. She sets down the Okra Natto for Mina, the steak stir fry for Eijiro, the nikujaga for Pony, which she ordered just because she never heard of it before, and it sounded cool, and lastly just a simple yakisoba for Setsuna.
“Thanks for the food!” The couples dig in! The food is all so delicious, and it’s gone before they know it, nothing left behind but four very satisfied customers.
As everyone else groans in the aftermath, Setsuna quietly pays for everyone, only slightly scaring the waitress when her hand floats up to her with a credit card.
Mina sips her water and sighs against Eijiro’s shoulder, “That was great…”
Pony can no longer contain herself, she has to ask, “Hey Mina, why natto?”
Mina squints, “What do you mean?”
“Like ain’t it… kinda gross…”
Mina is flabbergasted! “That’s so mean!”
“I’m sorry! But like- I just really don’t get it.”
“I’ve just always liked it since I was a little kid and my mom used to make it.”
Pony says, “Oh…” I’ve stumbled into learning her tragic backstory.
Mina, seeming to connect to Pony’s mind via Horn-Link, says, “She’s not dead. She just stopped making it because my dad said it stunk up the whole house every time she did…”
Setsuna snorts. Pony says, “See!”
Eijiro comes to her defense, “I think it’s manly that Mina likes a food everyone else calls gross! You don’t let anyone else tell you what you can and can’t like!-” He sees Mina is fully not listening as she’s texting.
She looks up after a beat of silence, “Sorry what? I was letting Teach know she can come pick us up now.”
Eijiro’s about to repeat himself, but Setsuna comes to the rescue saying, “Kirishima was just saying he thinks it’s cute that you have such a unique taste!”
“Aww!” She looks at him, and then realizes, “-he said it was manly didn’t he?”
Eijiro dies.
Mina giggles, “It’s okay Eiji!” She pinches at his cheeks like a some kind of crab woman, “You may be a little stupid sometimes, but you’re my stupid!”
“Gee, thanks…”
Mina squeezes him so tight, until he has no choice but to hug her back.
Watching this, Pony feels compelled to hug Setsuna just the same.
Setsuna chuffs, but says, “We should probably take this party outside before Ms. Fukukado decides to leave us here.”
Eijiro says, “But wait, we didn’t pay yet.”
“Oh I took care of it already.” Setsuna shoots finger guns at the waitress, who just awkwardly waves.
Mina’s touched, “You paid for all of us?”
“I felt bad we kind of just tagged along on your anniversary date...”
Mina chuffs, “We’ll have plenty more, it’s okay!”
Eijiro hadn’t really thought of it like that before, but it makes him happy that she’s so confident in their relationship.
Pony catches him sparkling at Mina. Setsuna offers a hand to help her out of the booth. Pony says, “I’m really sorry if we kinda got in the way of a romantic evening…”
Eijiro says, “It’s really no problem!” He has to basically pick up Mina in order to escape the booth with her attached. “You and Setsuna were-”
Mina climbs all over him to just get on his back.
He can’t help but laugh, “You’re such a weirdo.” He adds, “My weirdo.”
Mina smiles and squeezes him tight. She did this more because she was feeling way too tired to walk, rather than trying to be quirky or something. Though she’s always happy to hear a little callback.
As much as Pony would love to be carried out too, she settles for just holding Setsuna’s hand as they walk out.
Eijiro follows Pony and Setsuna, saying, “You two were a lot of fun to hang out with though. We should definitely do another double date like this in the future. Maybe next time, on your six month anniversary!”
Pony and Setsuna laugh.
Fukukado pulls up, just as they make it outside. She shouts out the window, “Oh my god! You’ve multiplied!”
The four laugh, but Pony shouts, “Shotgun!” She runs across to take the front passenger seat. None of the Japanese citizens understand why she shouted that.
Eijiro opens the door for Setsuna and Mina to pile in, but has a small crisis when he realizes he’s forced Mina to take the middle seat, even though they all have seat belts. Would it have been more chivalrous for me to take the middle seat, if we get into an accident I can handle being flung through the windshield- His thoughts are silenced when Mina nuzzles into his shoulder with a yawn. He takes her hand, and kisses her forehead, before resting against her.
Fukukado catches this in her rearview mirror. So stinkin' cute! She glances over at Pony as she starts to drive, “Hey, Pony…”
“Yes Em-Ms. Fukukado.”
Setsuna squints wondering what that was about, but she’s too tired to question it. Decides to just take a little nap…
“Did you get permission from anyone before you left campus?”
Pony gets a chill down her spine, she chooses her words carefully, “I told Mr. Snipe when I went to pick up Setsuna…”
“And he said it was okay?”
“Yeah…”
Fukukado just drives in silence for a few moments, Snipe probably let Aizawa know what was going on since he’s the official dorm advisor for 2-A, but it would’ve been nice if he told me too! She finally says, “Fair enough.” Pony’s already asleep too. Fukukado chuffs, she felt so happy to see them all so at peace. After everything that happened with them in Esuha, especially Mina, she worried she’d never see them all so peaceful again. She prays that for them, days like this will last.