Chapter 28: Cliché moment

Later that evening, Aiden was lounging in his room, casually flipping through some papers on his desk when his tablet rang with an incoming video call. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was his parents—and Sera too. He grinned and quickly answered the call.

Max's booming voice filled the room immediately. "Aiden, my boy! How was the first day at UA?"

His mother, Eleanor, smiled warmly next to him, while Sera, lounging behind them, gave a small wave. Aiden leaned back in his chair, grinning. "It was good, you know. Made some new friends and the classes are interesting."

Max's grin widened. "That's what I like to hear! And, have you shown those Japanese kids what you can do yet?"

"Not yet," Aiden chuckled. "I'll let them figure it out slowly."

Sera raised an eyebrow, her face calm but teasing. "You? Keeping a low profile? I'm shocked."

Aiden shrugged, playing along. "Well, I didn't want to scare them right off the bat."

Eleanor leaned forward slightly. "I'm glad you're settling in, darling. And what's this about a new pet I heard from Elara?" 

Aiden's face lit up as he reached down and scooped up Nimbus, who had been resting on the bed beside him. The fluffy chinchilla blinked sleepily but didn't protest as Aiden held him up to the screen.

"This is Nimbus," Aiden said with a smile. "Picked him up on the way home today. He's chill, doesn't stay in a cage or anything—he just kind of roams around."

Max squinted at the screen, trying to get a better look. "A chinchilla, huh? Fancy. Good choice, son!"

Sera smirked. "Looks like you've got yourself a sidekick already."

Aiden laughed. "He's more of a quiet companion than a sidekick. But yeah, he's cool."

Eleanor smiled fondly. "He's adorable, Aiden. I'm sure he'll be a wonderful companion for you while you're in Japan."

They continued chatting for a while longer, with Max and Sera teasing Aiden about his new school and Aiden filling them in on the quirks of his classmates. Eventually, Eleanor gently reminded Max that it was getting late.

"Make sure you get some rest, Aiden," Eleanor said softly. "Tomorrow's another big day."

Aiden nodded. "Yeah, I will. Love you guys."

"Love you too," they all replied before signing off, leaving Aiden alone with Nimbus perched on his shoulder.

With a sigh, Aiden leaned back, looking out the window at the Tokyo skyline, the lights twinkling in the distance. His new life here was just beginning.

-

-

-

As Aiden stepped out of the car the next morning, he stretched lazily, giving a playful groan of annoyance. Seraphine, who had been assigned to accompany him today, followed closely behind.

"I still don't get why only one of you can follow me at a time. I mean, you two are practically inseparable," he teased.

Seraphine smirked, her sharp eyes scanning the area for potential threats. "It's protocol, Your Highness. Besides, Kaela and I agreed. One of us has to stay behind to ensure nothing happens at home."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I guess." He adjusted his uniform and royal robes, ready to head into school when, out of nowhere, a swarm of local journalists ambushed him.

"Prince Aiden! How are you finding Japan so far?"

"Can you comment on your quirk? Is it true you're royalty?"

"What do you think of UA?"

Questions came at him from all angles, and the flashing lights from cameras bombarded him, making it nearly impossible to focus. He clenched his jaw in frustration, feeling his patience wearing thin.

"Ugh, seriously?" he muttered under his breath. He hated this part—the endless attention, the invasive questions.

Without even turning around, Aiden called out, "Seraphine. Kaela. Handle it."

The two royal guards, who had already sensed the oncoming chaos, were more than ready. Seraphine stepped forward with a calm, deadly smile, drawing her sword with a flourish that cut through the air, the blade gleaming menacingly.

Kaela, who had been keeping a subtle distance, quickly appeared by her side, drawing her own weapon.

The pair moved in a blur, slicing through the crowd with precision. Not a single hair was harmed, but cameras and microphones shattered in their wake, torn apart with effortless grace.

Pieces of destroyed equipment fell to the ground as the once-aggressive journalists began backing away in terror.

"Get back!" Seraphine ordered, her voice cold and commanding. "Unless you want your limbs to meet the same fate as your gadgets."

Kaela gave a smirk, her eyes narrowing at the retreating reporters. "Try asking again, and it won't just be your cameras next time."

The once-confident journalists quickly turned tail and ran, leaving behind nothing but fragments of broken devices.

Aiden smirked, watching the chaos unfold. "That was... therapeutic," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You two are way too good at this."

Seraphine sheathed her sword and gave a small bow. "Only doing our duty, Your Highness."

Kaela winked at Aiden, slipping her weapon back in place. "Next time, just say the word, and we'll clear the whole street."

Aiden chuckled, shaking his head. "Tempting, but let's keep the destruction to a minimum. For now."

With the reporters dealt with and the area cleared, Aiden finally made his way toward the school, feeling much lighter now that the irritating press had been scared off. He was sure the news would spread about how "intense" his guards were, but honestly?

He couldn't care less.

Let them talk.

...

Just as Aiden reached for the classroom door, it suddenly flew open with the force of a small explosion. Mina Ashido, full of her usual energy, burst through it without a care in the world.

Aiden didn't even have time to register what was happening before they collided. The impact sent them both crashing to the ground in a chaotic heap of limbs.

Aiden blinked in confusion, dazed for a moment, and that's when he noticed something... odd.

His face was pressed against something incredibly soft, and as he tried to push himself up, his hand came to rest on something smooth and warm—Mina's thigh, just under her skirt.

His eyes widened in panic.

Oh no...

He quickly realised that, somehow, he had landed with his face buried in Mina's chest and his hand in a place it definitely shouldn't be. For a few excruciatingly long seconds, neither of them moved, both frozen in mutual shock.

"Uh..." was all Aiden could muster as his brain scrambled to process the situation. Mina, on the other hand, just stared down at him, blinking in surprise.

Before he could attempt an apology, a familiar voice broke the silence. 

"Yo, Aiden!" Kirishima's laugh echoed in the hallway as he approached, hands on his hips. "Didn't know you were that smooth, man! Falling into boobs on your first week, huh? That's a move!"

Aiden felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. "I-it's not what it looks like!" he stammered, his voice rising in pitch as he scrambled to move his hand away and push himself off of Mina.

His heart raced as he tried to untangle himself, the awkwardness of the situation growing by the second.

[A/N: Don't mistake his character as one those stupid MC's that get embarrassed about every little thing. This is honestly how I would react in such a situation]

Mina, to his surprise, didn't seem upset at all. In fact, she burst into laughter, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oh my God, Aiden, relax!" she giggled, sitting up as she brushed her pink hair out of her face.

"It's like something straight out of an anime! You know, the classic accidental fall. I didn't think that actually happened in real life."

Still flustered, Aiden tried to apologise again. "I swear, I didn't mean to! I—I'm really sorry, Mina!"

But Mina waved it off, standing up and offering him a hand to help him off the floor. "Seriously, it's fine. I think it's hilarious. Don't worry, no hard feelings." Her wide grin made it clear she found the whole situation more funny than anything.

"You just lived out every rom-com trope in one go. Impressive."

Aiden hesitated but eventually took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet. His cheeks still burned with embarrassment, but at least she wasn't angry.

That was something, right?

Kirishima, meanwhile, was still snickering. "Man, that's gonna be hard to top for the rest of the day. Aiden, you're already becoming a legend around here." He gave him a hearty slap on the back, nearly knocking him off balance again.

"Don't worry, dude, it happens. Though you might want to work on your landing skills." 

Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, still flustered but grateful for the lightheartedness of the situation. "Yeah, thanks, Kirishima… but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a lot more than landing skills to avoid moments like that."

Mina, still grinning, leaned in slightly. "Or maybe you just need to stay alert when you're near doorways. Just a suggestion."

Aiden let out a nervous laugh, trying to shake off the lingering awkwardness. "Noted. I'll add that to my list of things to watch out for at U.A."

Mina clapped him on the shoulder as they all made their way back into the classroom. "Hey, no worries. Could've been worse. Plus, it's kinda cool—now you've got a fun story to tell on your second day here!"

Aiden sighed, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his first real interaction with a classmate had somehow involved face-planting into her chest.

"I'm gonna need to start paying more attention, or I'm gonna end up as the protagonist in some accidental harem anime at this rate."

Kirishima laughed, Mina gave him a playful wink, and Aiden couldn't help but smile despite the embarrassment.

As the three of them walked back into the classroom, Aiden couldn't shake the feeling that life at U.A. was going to be anything but ordinary.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=