Date With Nejire

Suddenly, the door opened, and Aizawa entered, his capture weapon draped nonchalantly over his shoulder. The classroom fell silent, the whispers dying out. His usual stoicism seemingly restored after it had vanished yesterday.

"Alright, settle down everyone," Aizawa rasped, his voice rough. "Today, you should know…" He paused, letting the silence hang in the air before continuing. "That the UA sports festival is just around the corner."

"Sports festival?" Everybody in class asked, seemingly forgetting about their previous fear.

"Finally, a normal school event!" The red-haired Kirishima cheered, only to be interrupted by Kaminari.

"Wait!"

He paused, about to continue, but Jiro finished his sentence for him, "Is it ok to have a sports festival when we just had a villain attack? No matter how easily Akaeru dealt with it, what if they attack again?"

As if expecting this reaction, Aizawa nearly instantly responded. "By going through with this event, we want to prove that UA's crisis management team is outstanding."

'Outstanding my ass. They only came after I had dealt with everyone,' Akaeru thought, leaning on his palm.

"Security will be five times stronger this year." He paused, raising his head up slightly higher, "Above all, the sports festival is a big chance. It shouldn't be cancelled because of some villains."

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events. The Olympics used to be called the festival sports, and it excited the entire country. Now it's reduced in scale population. It's been reduced to a mere formality."

"Now, the UA sports festival has the place of the Olympics."

His classmates then started talking about the festival being a chance to get scouted by a pro hero, but Akaeru wasn't very interested in that. He'd become his own here. And besides, Mirko's already taken him under her wing.

"Homeroom is dismissed," Aizawa said, finished with telling his students the schedule.

***

Leaving school, surprising him, Akaeru once again got a text from his sister, Nejire.

[Sis: Ramen again?]

He stared at the message, a flicker of wamth within him. Nejire. Her sundress, her smile and the memory of their kiss despite being siblings.

[You: Yeah, sure. Meet you at the gate.]

After waiting for a little bit at the gate, Nejire came outside, shuffling through other students.

He spotted her vibrant blue hair amidst the crowd, a splash of color against the sea of uniforms. A hesitant smile tugged at the corner of his lips as she approached him.

"Yo," he said, his greeting mirroring that of his greeting on their first 'date'.

Nejire's eyes widened in surprise. "Akaeru! There you are! I thought you ditched me since I couldn't see you!"

"I told you I'd be at the gate, dummy," he said with a smile, patting her head like he did with Himiko. That reminded him that he needed to tell her about him and Himiko at the ramen shop.

"Let's grab some ramen," Nejire suggested, her arm looping playfully through his.

He nodded, a silent agreement. Maybe a steaming bowl of his food would help him gather his thoughts.

The walk to the familiar ramen shop was filled with Nejire asking questions, and Akaeru answering them. He had expected her to focus more on how he killed the villains at USJ, but not once did she say anything about it.

As entered the shop and settled into their usual booth, a familiar warmth washed over him. This, the ramen, the easy banter with Nejire, it felt like the one calm moment in his life, similar to how he felt when he was with Himiko.

Nejire took a sip of her broth, her eyes sparkling. "So," she started, "anything interesting happen at school today?"

Akaeru ignored her question, taking the last bite of his food. "There's something I need to tell you," he finally admitted, his voice calm despite it most likely being a situation that would spiral.

Nejire's smile softened, a knowing glint in her eyes. "What is it, Akaeru? You know you can tell me anything."

He took a deep breath. "Remember Himiko, that girl you used to hang out with two years ago with me?"

Nejire nodded, her smile growing slightly wider. "Of course. The one with the blood quirk?"

Akaeru slightly steadied himself. "Yeah, well… there's something else. We're kind of… seeing each other."

The words tumbled out, leaving him feeling exposed and vulnerable. He braced himself for a reaction, for anger, for disappointment as he looked into her bright eyes.

But unexpectedly…

Nejire's smile widened even further, a hint of amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Akaeru," she began, a soft giggle escaping her lips, "you know I already knew about that, right?"

Akaeru blinked, taken aback. "You knew?"

Nejire chuckled, leaning back in the booth. "Of course, silly! Multiple of my friends had seen you two together. It wasn't exactly subtle."

Akaeru felt a mixture of relief and confusion wash over him. Relief that Nejire wasn't angry, but confused by how calm she was. "Why are you not mad? Do you not feel like I'm betraying you?"

"Wasn't I the one who got in between you two? If anyone had the right to be mad, it was Himiko, but based off of my friends continuing to see you two together, she doesn't mind either."

Akaeru was silent for a moment, thinking on what she said. "That was too easy," he mumbled, getting a laugh from Nejire as they finished their food, but not before Nejire, like Himiko, said, "Just tell me if there are any other girls, or it's cheating."

Akaeru nodded just like he did when Himiko said the same thing.

"Alright, little brother," she teased, "where to next?"

Akaeru, still wrestling with the confusing emotions stirred by Nejire's behavior, shrugged. "I don't know. Anywhere you want to go."

A mischievous glint flickered in Nejire's eyes. "Hmm, how about a little detour? There's a cute little gift shop a few blocks down I've been wanting to check out."

Akaeru nodded and followed her lead. As they walked, a comfortable silence settled between them, punctuated by the occasional laugh from passersby enjoying the warm evening.

Unlike the ramen shop, the gift shop felt less familiar. Unlike the hidden away ramen shop, the gift shop was bright and out in the public's eye.

Nejire wandered through the aisles, her fingers trailing over delicate figurines and whimsical postcards. Akaeru watched her, mesmerized by her infectious energy. Suddenly, she stopped in front of a display of hair accessories.

Nestled amongst them he saw, a simple yet elegant silver hair clip adorned with emeralds matching his left eye caught his attention.

"Nejire," he called out, holding the clip up for her to see.

She turned, her eyes widening in surprise. The clip, shaped like a delicate blue butterfly, perfectly matched the color of her hair. "Oh wow, Akaeru," she breathed, her voice filled with a warmth that sent a shiver down his spine. "That's beautiful."

"Mhm, I'll get it for you." He said, thinking about when All Might gave him a card for spending money in exchange for not doing anything reckless, which he instantly agreed to. Being broke was annoying.