Chapter 7: Am I weird ?

Chapter 7: Am I weird ?

...

Another guy in my class that I met was Shoto Todoroki, the son of none other than the number-two hero, Endeavor. 

Crazy, right? But this is U.A., so I guess it's no surprise that a guy with a super-cool dad would be in my class. 

The thing with Todoroki is… he's complicated. He's distant, serious, quiet, and has this look that makes you think he's about to freeze you solid just for breathing near him. But something tells me that underneath it all, he's actually a good guy…

Yeah, I think he just needs to learn to relax a little. But I'm not about to be the one to say that… nop, don't want him to freeze my butt off for saying too much. Plus, it's not like I've had a real chance to talk to him.

...

As for some other cute girls I met, there were three from Class 1-B: Setsuna Tokage, Yui Kodai, and Kinoko Komori.

I talked quite a bit with Tokage first, since we're both from Saitama and even knew a few people in common.

And the best part is… Tokage is hot! 

That playful vibe she's got totally hooked me, and she has this confidence that makes it impossible not to want to impress her.

The problem is… well, she doesn't take me seriously, and she acts like she's already seen and heard it all. 

Like, I tried some jokes and flirty moves, even did some spark tricks to make an impression, but she just gave me this mocking smile and said, "Nice try, Kaminari." Then she laughed and went off to chat with the other two girls she was with… and I swear, right then, I almost would've preferred Kendo's punch over this hit to my self-esteem.

"..."

At least Komori seemed interested in hanging out with me and did take me a bit more seriously. Although, there's no real way to tell if she actually likes me, if she's interested, or if she just sees me as someone who'll listen to all her mushroom facts...

Yeah…, she's adorable, but in a way that makes it impossible to know if you're flirting or just talking. 

When I tried saying something kind of charming, like "You're like a rare mushroom… one of a kind and absolutely worth finding" she… well she got super excited... but only about the mushrooms! She literally started talking to me about mushroom species for a full ten minutes, and there I was, trying to keep up.

And then there's Kodai... definitely cute and hot, but she's, umm, a little… uh, mysterious? 

She doesn't talk much, and when I tried to get close and gave her one of my best compliments, her response was... dead silence.

Yep. 

She just looked at me, nodded, and went on with her day.

And again, I kinda felt like I'd rather have been punched by Kendo. 

I don't know if she's just not into guys, just not into me, or if she's super reserved, but I couldn't get a single reaction out of her. It's like trying to flirt with a brick wall. And honestly, it's a huge blow to my ego. But somehow, it makes me want to keep trying.

Just to be clear, I have zero signs of being a masochist, but hey it'd be amazing to get some reaction out of someone like her. Maybe even get her to laugh... eventually.

It'd be an achievement… and maybe, just maybe, who knows, I could get a kiss from those pretty lips of hers. I've heard that the quiet ones are sometimes up for all sorts of things.

...

The last girl and person I talked to was Toru Hagakure, another girl who'd be in my class.

Honestly, I still wasn't sure how I'd ended up in this situation. Between all the new faces and the excitement of meeting my future classmates, I'd offered to help this girl, Hagakure, move into her dorm room. It seemed like a solid move to make a good first impression on a girl, right? And I'm always up for helping a classmate in need—especially if there's a chance she'll thank me with a kiss, a date, or, you know, something… I don't ask for much.

There was just one tiny little detail...

She was invisible.

…

…

I'd just finished helping the three cute girls from Class 1-B move into their rooms on the first floor when I nearly bumped into... a floating hoodie and skirt?

Yeah, I admit, I was a little thrown off for a second before my brain kicked into gear.

'Probably some kind of invisibility quirk. That's pretty cool'

"Oops! Sorry! Didn't see you there..." I started, flashing a casual, confident smile—until I realized what I'd just said. "...I can't believe I just said that"

Yep, my attitude went from confident and casual to that of an idiot who just made the world's worst joke in front of a group of cheerleaders—total embarrassment.

But to my surprise, the invisible girl burst out laughing, the sleeves of her hoodie waving around in a playful way.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I get that a lot. Must be my face or something!" she joked, and I had to hold myself back from falling on the floor laughing; just for that, so yeah I already liked her.

"I'm Toru Hagakure! First room here on this floor. I guess you guys are on the second floor?"

"Denki Kaminari! Room seven on the second floor" I said, still grinning and feeling way more relaxed now that she seemed easygoing. "And yep, we're all up on the second floor and you guys are all on the first..."

"Wait, I uh, I was just down here helping everyone move in" I added quickly, just to clarify why I was hanging out on the girls' floor. Not that it was against the rules or anything, but one should at least have a decent reason to be here… No?

She just nodded with a sweet laugh, and then I decided to take a risk and offer to help her finish unpacking. 

Well, actually, I offered to help her with anything she needed…, and yes, that might've been a little toooo much, but luckily, she just laughed again and accepted my help.

...

"Thanks for helping me, Kaminari!" said a cheerful, lively voice beside me. The invisible girl, Toru Hagakure, as she'd introduced herself, spoke with this enthusiasm that, for some reason, made the situation feel almost normal.

I turned toward her voice, even though there was no one to look at. Well, technically, there was something. Toru was now wearing a T-shirt and skirt, creating this effect of "floating clothes" moving around the room. Without that, it would've been impossible to keep track of her. But she talked and gestured so much (even if I couldn't see her hands) that it was impossible not to notice her floating outfit. In a way, she seemed to go out of her way to be "visible," invisible or not.

"No problem, Hagakure. Uh... thought maybe you could use an extra hand" I tried to smile confidently, even though talking to floating clothes was surreal. Yeah, flirting with someone you can't see is definitely tricky... Try it if you don't believe me!

"Absolutely! Thank you, you're really nice" Hagakure replied, and I'd swear she was smiling even though I couldn't see it. Her voice had that friendly, cheerful tone that made everything seem easier.

While I helped her carry some light boxes and a few bags, I realized this was my moment. Me, Denki Kaminari, playing the good guy, the gentleman, the classmate who's always ready to help. So, I did what I do best: chat, joke around, and maybe flirt a little.

"You know, Hagakure," I started, trying (and failing) to look where I thought her eyes might be, "I bet it must be amazing to have a quirk like yours. I mean, being invisible is… wow, that must come in handy"

"It is! But sometimes people don't know I'm there" she laughed.

"Sometimes they even forget I exist!" she added dramatically, and I swear I could see her making a cute pout before laughing again.

I tried laughing along with her, though I actually thought it was kind of a shame. A girl with so much energy and personality, and nobody could see her. Actually, as we talked, I started forming this mental image of what she might look like if she were visible.

And I'll admit, maybe I let my imagination run a bit wild, but hey, it's not every day you meet an invisible girl! So I had the right to let my mind wander as much as I wanted!

So, in my mind, Toru Hagakure was beautiful, yeah, like, incredibly beautiful, as stunning as Yang Guifei, one of China's Four Great Beauties, with shining hair and expressive eyes that matched her lively personality. Her imaginary smile was one of those that makes you want to smile too, or in some cases sigh and get lost in it. 

Oh and her body? Ufff her body… Well, let's just say it was perfection, every guy's dream.

With that image in mind, I felt my confidence coming back.

'Come on, Denki!' I told myself. 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Besides, she's awesome!'

"You know, being invisible must be complicated… but electricity's got its perks too" I said, trying to give her some props for her quirk while shifting focus to mine and sounding interesting—but let's just say it's not easy to find a connection between our powers. Now I was already regretting not thinking this through before speaking, but that's just me and my big mouth. "It's like… having the power of a storm in my hands. I-I can literally light up an entire room"

Okay… if I thought I couldn't make it any worse, I was wrong. Nice going, Denki!

Dang it! I just wanted to make my quirk sound impressive by comparing it to a storm's power and force, but that came out horrible—even I didn't understand what I'd said.

And sure, I can light up a huge room, but that definitely didn't sound amazing. I should've said I could paralyze a whole group of robots! That obviously sounds way cooler.

Toru's T-shirt floated around me, turning as she placed a box on the bed.

"Oh, really?" Her voice sounded curious, but not in the way I'd hoped.

"Yeah, yeah… like a thunderstorm. It's… pretty poetic, don't you think?" Okey… I have no idea why I tried to sound deep, something I almost never do, but here we go, my big mouth strikes again. You can bet I'm going to give myself a serious lecture in front of the mirror tonight.

And yeah, to me, a thunderstorm is poetic—powerful, dramatic, full of light, sound, and energy! Super awesome, any way you look at it!

Hagakure just laughed, this contagious, happy laugh that filled the room.

"Poetic, huh? Sounds more like a bad joke, Kaminari" she said, still laughing.

'Bad joke…?' I thought, my ego a bit bruised. Ouch… that stings a little. But I wasn't giving up that easily. Toru was fun, and even if I didn't impress her with my, um… "electric poetry?" at least I could make her laugh.

"Well, that depends on how you look at it" I replied with my best, most charming smile, faking a confidence that was starting to fade. "I'd say my electricity has a natural magnetism…"

I raised my eyebrows, hoping for some kind of positive response. I mentally prayed to every ancestor and god I could think of.

"Huh? Oh, sure, sure! A 'magnetism' that keeps everyone away" she joked. Despite her words, her tone was still friendly. And I couldn't feel mad at her; it was obvious she was just being honest. And even though I didn't quite hit my target, I couldn't help but smile.

Of course, I kept talking with her, and every chance I got, I tried to get a positive response from my flirting, but talking with Hagakure was a challenge… 

And not just because I couldn't see her. She just didn't seem to take any of my attempts to be the "cool guy" seriously.

And she was really quick with funny or sarcastic comebacks whenever I tried to flirt or sound interesting. It was like she knew exactly what to say to keep me in my place, without letting me show off.

And yeah, the whole floating-clothes thing didn't help. I tried to look "in her eyes" while we talked, but all I saw were a T-shirt and skirt moving around, and that didn't exactly make the conversation easier. It was super frustrating, but also... fun.

Also, as weird as it sounds, I don't know why watching her invisible body move with that T-shirt and skirt was kind of... I don't know, enticing? I couldn't actually see her body, but just imagining it was intoxicating. The worst part was that she caught me looking at her a few times… 

And by looking, I mean, looking at her body…

Yep, it was beyond embarrassing, but to my surprise, she didn't react the way I expected.

Instead of getting mad or saying something, she seemed to ignore me and even made her movements a little more dramatic, drawing my gaze to that invisible body... then for some reason I'd started to think was really attractive… And no, I couldn't see it!

Okay, yeah, I get it—I have a serious problem, this can't be normal. Am I just a weird guy?

….

Finally, after we set down the last boxes and finished putting her stuff away, I just sighed. I'd tried every move in my personal "charm" book, and not a single one hit the mark. Toru Hagakure seemed totally immune to my efforts.

While I tried not to show my disappointment, Hagakure said, "Hey, Denki, seriously, thanks. You're a great friend!"

Her tone was honest, appreciative. 

She didn't know that those words felt like a thousand needles in my fragile heart.

But I pushed my thoughts and feelings aside because, even though "friend" wasn't the word I'd hoped to hear, something about the way she said it made it not feel so bad, after all.

"You're welcome, Hagakure! That's what I'm here for" I said with a goofy smile, giving an exaggerated, funny bow to the floating clothes.

"If you ever need help finding anything in the mirror, you know who to call" I joked without thinking twice, and yes, I was definitely going to have a serious talk with myself in the mirror later!

Luckily, she laughed again.

"That's not gonna happen, Denki… but thanks anyway."

As I walked away from the dorm, I found myself smiling, even though my flirting plan had completely failed, and I'd put my foot in my mouth more times than I could count during our conversation. This girl was easygoing, and even with my slightly careless attitude, I managed to get along with her and have a good time.