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The busy hallway of Aldera Junior High was a minefield for Izuku Midoriya. He kept his eyes locked firmly onto his notebook, frantically scribbling down notes about a pro hero agency debut he had watched on the news that morning. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the sudden shift in the hallway traffic.
With a sudden, sharp jolt, his shoulder collided with someone else. The collision sent his notebook flying from his hands. Izuku stumbled back, losing his balance, and hit the ground with a thud.
Panic instantly flared in his chest. His heart hammered against his ribs as he braced himself for the inevitable. Usually, bumping into someone in these hallways meant a harsh scolding, or a rough shove or laugh from Kacchan or one of his lackeys.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going at all!"
The voice wasn't angry. It was soft, light, and genuinely apologetic.
Izuku blinked, his vision clearing as he looked up. Standing over him was Himiko Toga. She was a third-year, an upperclassman, and one of the more popular girls in the school. She was known for the easy way she moved through social circles. Someone like her was in an entirely different universe than a quirkless loser like him.
Himiko offered a warm smile, her feline-like eyes crinkling at the corners. She bent down, picking up his scattered notebook before extending a soft hand toward him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with sweet concern. "That looked like a pretty nasty fall."
Izuku stared at her outstretched hand as if it were a puzzle. His mind completely short-circuited. No one helped him up. Especially not someone with a glowing reputation like Toga. People usually avoided him like the plague to keep from being targeted by the rest of the class.
"I-I... uh..." Izuku stammered, his face instantly turning a deep shade of crimson. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet on his own, too terrified to actually take her hand, though he instantly regretted the awkward movement.
"I'm fine! Totally fine! I-I'm the one who should be apologizing, Toga! I was distracted and- and I didn't see you, and I'm really, really sorry for getting in your way!" He bowed so low that his green curls smacked his knees.
Himiko let out a soft, melodic laugh that made Izuku's stomach do a nervous flip. To tell the truth, he had held a quiet, distant crush on her for months. He had always noticed her laughing with her friends in the courtyard, but he had forced those feelings down. It was safer to ignore them; a quirkless freak like him had no right looking at someone so bright.
"Hey, don't worry about it so much," Himiko said softly, stepping closer and gently pressing his notebook back into his hands. Her fingers brushed against his for a second, sending a jolt of electricity straight up his arm. "No harm done, see?"
"R-Right! Thank you," Izuku squeaked, clutching the notebook against his chest like a shield. He looked down at his shoes, desperately wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. "I'll just... go this way now..."
"Wait a second," Himiko called out, stepping into his path to block his retreat.
Izuku froze, his anxiety spiking again. Did she realize who he was? Was she going to laugh at him now?
Instead, Himiko tilted her head, studying his flushed face with an intense, curious gaze. A playful, slightly mischievous grin spread across her lips.
"You're Midoriya, right? From the grade below me?" she asked.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Izuku blurted out, standing at absolute attention.
"You know, I see you around the halls a lot," Himiko murmured, her smile widening as she leaned in just a bit closer, causing Izuku to take a sharp breath inward. "I've actually been wanting to talk to you. I think you're really cute, Midoriya."
The hallway seemed to go completely silent. Izuku’s brain paused entirely. He was completely convinced he had entered an alternate reality or was currently experiencing a stress-induced hallucination.
"Cute?!" Izuku squealed, his voice cracking dramatically. He pointed a trembling finger at his own chest. "Me? You think... I'm... cute? Toga, I think you might have me confused with literally anyone else in this building-"
"Nope, I definitely mean you," Himiko interrupted smoothly, her eyes gleaming with amusement at his reaction. She reached out and lightly tapped the tip of his nose with her finger. "The curly green hair, the freckles, the way you get all flustered... it's adorable. You shouldn't look at the floor so much. I like seeing your face."
Izuku felt so much heat rushing to his cheeks that he thought his ears might actually start smoking. His hands trembled against his notebook. The girl he had been secretly admiring from afar, the popular, beautiful upperclassman, had just completely shattered his reality in the middle of a Tuesday morning.
"I-I... uh... thank you!" he managed to choke out, his voice a breathless whisper.
"See you around, Midoriya," Himiko said with a playful wink. She turned on her heel, her skirt swirling as she easily melted back into the crowd of students, leaving Izuku standing frozen in the center of the hallway, completely dazed.