Chapter 12: Order a Salad if You Want to be Healthy

"Midoriya, will you go out with me?" Todoroki Shouto says with such an earnest face it was impossible to say no.

Midoriya Izuku almost drops the menu he was holding. Beside Todoroki is Uraraka Ochako, who was currently stifling her squeals and making weird wiggling gestures as if saying, 'My ship has sailed!'.

You could already guess who is the mastermind behind all of this.

So, how did they end up here again?

*

It was a Tuesday, about 11 in the morning and just a few hours after Café Perry opened and an hour before rush hour starts. Currently, there were only a few people dining in the acclaimed café. One of them, of course, is their regular customer: Todoroki Shouto.

Todoroki sips at his cup of matcha green tea. As revised by Iida a couple of months ago, he has successfully tasted every single Frappuccino flavor offered by the establishment. Now, he's trying the teas. As per usual, he's busy fiddling with his laptop for his upcoming novel. Even though he just released a new book recently, he's already coming up with a new one.

He is minding his own business when he hears a commotion. Someone behind him slams his hands against the table, making the cutlery rattle.

"This isn't working out."

Heterochromatic eyes narrow, trying his best to block out the couple's conversation a few tables behind him.

Such cliché words of breaking up, he can't help but comment.

Today's a Tuesday, only 11, and yet someone's already creating a scene so early in the morning and in the week. Todoroki never really understood people who would talk about such private matters in such a public place. It's like they were begging to be eavesdropped on. But Todoroki respects them, even if they themselves do not.

"This relationship is too unhealthy, you know."

... But it's rather difficult not to hear them when the man is literally shouting at his companion.

The woman mumbles something under her breath, where the guy replies with a cliché gangster 'HAAAAAAAA?' sound.

"I said," the woman speaks with a louder voice. "YOU SHOULD'VE ORDERED A FUCKING SALAD IF YOU WANTED TO BE HEALTHY."

Todoroki chokes on his tea.

"Midoriya-kun," She shouts the name with too much familiarity, it made his head turn. "Give this asshole a Ceasar salad!"

Mismatched eyes widen in a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

It was Uraraka Ochako.

"You bitch," Uraraka's date snarls, abruptly standing up from his seat. "even until the end you're not going to take me seriously." He then proceeds to storm off, slamming the door (but ultimately failing since the door has an anti-slamming mechanism) in his wake.

Uraraka stretches her hands out in his direction, as if not wanting him to leave. "At least pay for your food!" She cries. "I didn't bring enough money with me today..."

Todoroki sighs.

He stands up and sits on the chair in front of Uraraka which was recently occupied. "I'll pay for it," He says.

"T-T-Todoroki-kun!" Uraraka exclaims, eyes widening in shock.

Todoroki gives her a quick glance. "You seem alright."

She blinks. "What do you mean?"

Uraraka Ochako is wearing her casual clothes, dining at the café as a customer today. A red ribbon served as a headband on her head. She was wearing a white tank top underneath a worn-out denim jacket. She looks lovely, as she always does.

As she always does whenever she brings her boyfriend to her, every single time it ends in a breakup.

He shrugs. "I expected you to be crying or something."

But never, in all those dozen times she brought a boyfriend here in Café Perry only for them to leave her to the dust, did Todoroki see her cry.

Uraraka snorts. "You watch too many dramas, Todoroki-kun."

I don't even own a TV, "You don't look sad at all."

Uraraka shakes her head and smiles. Oh, there it was. The sadness.

"I found out he was cheating on me with another co-worker. Oh, I meant in my other job, not in Café Perry." She adds off-handedly.

"You have two part-time jobs?" Todoroki tilts his head to the side. This is the first time he hears about such a thing.

"Five, actually."

Todoroki nods, sweating profusely as he wonders if it's a normal thing for college students to have multiple jobs at the same time.

"I'm not like Midoriya-kun or Iida-kun," Her Hazel eyes are clouded by an unreadable emotion as she speaks. "Midoriya-kun took this job because he needed some mental stimulation while he takes a break from college. Iida-kun wanted to have some extra allowance for his school needs. While I," Uraraka faces him and he could finally see it. The intensity in her eyes. "do this because I need to survive."

He interprets it as Envy.

"You know, that guy reasoned out that I haven't been spending time with him because I spend all my time working." Uraraka leans on the table, resting her chin on her palms. "He knew full well of my financial situation and how I'm trying to make amends with my living expenses. He told me that the reason he 'fell in love with me'," She made the quote-unquote gesture as she rolls her eyes, "is because of how hard-working I am. And yet, now it's the exact reason why he broke up with me."

She releases a long sigh, enough to last a lifetime. "Relationships are difficult, Todoroki-kun. Thank you for listening to my TED talk." She adds, trying to lighten up the mood.

Todoroki smiles at her attempt at comedy, though he's not sure on what to do with her advice since he's not planning to pursue a relationship any time soon.

"If I may ask," She gestures for him to continue, and so he does. "if you knew he was cheating on you, why didn't you break up with him immediately? He made it seem like you're the one in the wrong..."

Her hazel eyes widen, her whole body perking up. "Thank you for reminding me!"

She fishes something out from her sling bag that was resting on her seat. "I planned to break up with him after we use this, but well... as you can see."

She hands two pieces of blue paper to Todoroki. He eyes the paper for a second, identifying it as some sort of coupon before hesitantly taking it. "This is?"