Chapter Text
(MIC POV)
Nemuri told me that she and Shota are childhood friends. Apparently, they’ve known one another since the younger was born, and their mothers were good friends… She gets along amazingly with his family in South Korea… The rest should be history.
All of this really does sound like the ideal love story. Grow up with Shota Aizawa, see him in all his moods and behaviors, watch him become a man, see him become best friends with your cousin.
Even when your cousin dies, you stick with Shota, be one of the three (Nemuri and I were the other two) to stop him from killing himself… Become pro heroes and get married even though you work at rivaling schools.
Match made in heaven, Black Cat x Tabby Cat kind of relationship.
Right?
Well, standing where I am right now, it looks like the Black Cat prefers Samoyeds.
I think the signs were always pretty obvious. Even back when Shirakumo was alive, Shota never showed much (romantic) interest whenever Fukukado visited U.A to see him. He was usually to be found with Nemuri anyways, and although at the time it was our Cloud-Themed Bestie and the R-Rated Heroine-to-be all the way, Shota had a little thing for the popular girl, too.
Only I knew about it, though. We didn’t tell our mutual friend for fear of complicating the trio, and I guess Fukukado herself never quite picked up on it.
She’s going to be heartbroken when she finds ou-
They’ve seen me! Shit, s-should I run off o-or… AAAaaaanddddd….. Shota’s motioning for me to come back in. Alright, lecture-city here I come.
…
Oh.
Both my co-workers appear guilty as anything, which is understandable. They’re as aware of how their new love for each other will hurt the Smile Heroine as I am.
But they want me to tell her?! ME?!!! I tell Shota “No”, that he’s Fukukado’s crush and he should tell her himself, but he’s begging me, clearly anxious about how the delivery would go if it came from him.
Ugh, the things a guy does to help a buddy, although this isn’t feeling as helpful as other favors I’ve agreed to.
Driving to Ketsubutsu Academy, I reflect on the few times I’ve truly interacted with my friend’s friend.
As high-schoolers, she came around more often, but of course wanted only to shadow her crush and older companion. Shota could never seem to shake her, and he didn’t seem to mind even though he never reciprocated her.
Shirakumo being her cousin, I still was formally introduced, and the very first thing I ever noticed was that she had an incredibly bright smile.
Her smile. That was the thing that’s always stuck with me despite the rarity our conversations are. She has a lovely, make-the-sunshine-jealous kind of smile.
Nana-san complimented her on it once, I remember. During one joint-training field day, the current Symbol of Peace and her successor had visited to do some coaching, and Nana had encouraged the fourteen-year-old girl to keep smiling always, no matter the situation she found herself in.
Evidently, that advice has always come with her wherever she’s gone, because Ms. Joke never stops smiling.
It’s admirable, and never an ugly sight, for sure.
Really, none of her is ever ugly. She’s not slender-built, similar to Nemuri or Young Takeyama, and not quite as muscular and ready-to-throw-down as Young Usagiyama. A sweet, athletic compromise of a figure.
Her seafoam hair used to come only to her chin, and then she had an era of what some call a “lesbian cut” (straight as a rod but Shota and I sure as hell had to stop any rumors, all the same) only to finally settle with the shoulder-length waves she sports nowadays.
Empathetic, emotional eyes. Colored kind of like a darker green seaglass, and with the kind of shine that never leave one guessing what she’s feeling in the moment.
All of her was always so expression-filled. A walking, living and breathing emotion in of herself, and certainly a force of nature. I’ve seen her fight, and she might not be as strong as Usagiyama, but definitely rivals her in badassery.
"What does Shota not see in her?" A thought I’ve wondered since I met her. How is it possible that a man looks at someone so beautiful and still decides to reject them as harshly as he’s tended to in the past?
But after Shirakumo died… Well…
Brrrr, alright, Hizashi, that’s enough… It’s evening so does it even count as daydreaming? Whatever I’ve been doing for the past thirty minutes, I should stop. It’s not my place to think like that.
Pulling in, I spot two of her students, Grand and Turtle Neck, just sneaking back onto the school grounds. How cute. Shota says these two are dating, and that it was apparently Fukukado who brought them together.
How very Hopeless Romantic of her, to make sure everyone else finds someone…
I catch up to the lovebirds and after assuring them that I won’t snitch on their being out past curfew, they tell me their Homeroom Teacher is up in her dorm. I get the number and floor, then head off.
Okay, rock and roll.
Well… I suppose this is more of a Blues genre kind of situation.
Something tells me that pretty smile of hers won't last for long.
Shota owes me big time for being the messenger with this.
(EMI POV)
“I-I’m sorry…” Fuck, who am I to get like this in front of Shota’s best friend of all people? I hardly know this guy, after all…
Ugh, my head is starting to pound, and my legs feel weak. The sensation of my heart dropping to the pits of me and shattering into a million pieces makes me queasy as the metaphorical shards pierce my organs.
As I go to hold my stomach, my vision clears from the crying and I notice the mess I’ve made of his jacket.
“Oh… S-Shoot, t-that’s embarrassing, I’m such an idiot.” I reach out to try to kind of dab off the tear stains, feeling an ashamed heat seep into my already flushed cheeks.
He gently nudges my hand away, giving a small shake of his head as though dismissing my self-consciousness.
“No,” Volume quiet, which is shocking from the Voice Hero himself, I’ve only ever heard him be loud as hell, “you’re perfectly alright. This reaction is more than understandable.
In all honesty, I was surprised, too. Though I suppose those two had to develop a mutual romance sooner or later, mm?” He takes off his jacket entirely, setting this aside on my desk.
I fold my hands in my lap, taking a sudden interest in the fuzzy pattern of my carpet. A simple nod is all I can manage or I’m sure I’ll break down again.
Yamada must have noticed that I’m still not emotionally stable yet, because he changes the subject pretty quickly.
“So… You’re also a cat person, I see.”
Hm? Oh, right, Sugar just waltzed in looking very proud of himself, which tells me to check his litterbox later for whatever dead rodent he just brought in.
“Uhm… Y-Yeah. After finally getting to see Sushi over at Nem’s, I decided I’d take in a fur-baby of my own. Found this troublemaker in an alley on a night patrol two weeks ago.”
Sugar hops up beside me, sensing my uneasiness, and hugs my neck, his little tongue leaving kisses on my cheek while he purrs. I embrace him securely, hoping to find comfort in the fluffy tabby fur.
A soft chuckle to my right, Shota’s friend is watching with an amused half-smile.
“Ah? That’s exactly how your cousin found Sushi all the way back when, you know. This one seems sweet, too. Much like his owner.” A friendly wink, which relieves some of the ache burdening my shoulders.
“Heh, I just got the biggest heartbreak of my life and you’ll flirt? Tch, I’m kidding.” I backtrack when his expression switches to apology-ready.
“It isn’t that surprising, actually.” Retracing to the more pressing subject. “You’re right that those two had chemistry, and I don’t know how I didn’t catch the signs sooner.
Nemuri’s “slut-sona” really is only for fanservice, so it’s not world-altering if she happens to have a more introverted, gentle side that might attract Shota more than my problematic self ever could.”
Hearing this brings that weight back into the room. This hurts so much just coming from the friend-through-a-friend and yet part of me still wishes Shota had had the balls to come tell me himself.
I’d be a bit scared, too, though, if I had been rejecting a woman practically her entire life and then up and started a romance with someone completely different from her who she also knew. In this light, it’s hard to really blame him, since opposites still attract, just perhaps not as drastically as he and I would have been together.
The lighter-green eyes are obviously searching for some soothing words to add to the freestyled advice following his news earlier, so I snap out of my thoughts to address him.
“T-Thank you for coming to tell me, s-still! You’re very kind to do this for Shota, even if I will probably confront him after tomorrow’s meeting.”
His shoulders lower, tiny smile returning. This sight pulls my own lips out of their previous frown.
“Of course, what are distant acquaintances for? I hope you’ll take care of yourself getting through this.”
Then he cocks his head confusedly. “Meeting tomorrow? We have a- Ohhhhhhh, shit, that’s right!” Jumps up, grabs his jacket and looks around for his sunglasses. “Gasoline-Breath called us all in to discuss that stupid rule constriction manual he came up with! I should go make sure my hero suit is clea-”
Pauses in placing his decorative eyewear in his pocket, turns back to me sitting on the edge of my bed, Sugar napping close by now.
“Uhm… H-Hey, pretty bad timing if it was the case s-so just know this isn’t a romantic outreach, but… Uh… Y-You feel like getting breakfast or something before joining everyone else at the Commission offices for that meeting? If I recall, you like that cat cafe in the downtown Kamakura area, which is close enough for us to swing over to Tokyo afterwards.
How about it? Maybe the “distant acquaintances" label can get changed to friends like you and Nemuri.”
Breakfast at Kamakura? With Yamada? He’s right that this could easily come off as a date offer, but although I haven’t gotten the chance to know him so very well, I’ve never doubted his morals or manners, he is capable of being perfectly companionable.
Deep down, those metaphorical shards of my broken heart still stab at my insides, making the queasiness rise to bile in the back of my throat. Nothing sounds that good right now, but… I shouldn’t let even something like this hold me back from taking an opportunity to know someone like this guy better. I could be missing out on a valuable connection, otherwise.
“Really? Uh… S-Sure!” The words feel forced, but I was tired enough before the Shota/Nemuri thing was brought to my attention, so my energy is pretty low by now. “What time should I meet you?”
He waves me off. “Not necessary. You deserve to sleep in, so I’ll come by and pick ya up around then. We’ll grab the grub, maybe buy the little guy a new collar,” motions to my cat, “and then arrive fashionably late to piss off Endeavor for an hour or so.
Have a good night, Fukukado, and try to get a good rest.” A nod, smile like he’s already proud of me for recovering, then he’s gone.
I sit there a while after that, processing. Getting to know Shota and Oboro’s best friend will definitely be fun, and a welcome distraction from my rising depression…
“Hm,” Sugar perks when he hears me speak mostly to him, partially to myself, “tomorrow will be interesting, then.”