"Nico, you were amazing! You got second place! I saw the whole thing!"
I had just finished "lightening my load" in the restroom and was heading back when a breathless Ochaco ran up to me. Four-Eyes was with her, looking uncharacteristically depressed.
"Good job out there, Ochaco. What was your rank?"
"Haha, I was sixteenth... everyone is so fast. I've still got a long way to go."
"Sixteenth is plenty fast," I said, patting her head. "There are tons of people who haven't even crossed the finish line yet."
"I appreciate you saying that, but I'm aiming to be a hero, so I really need to..."
Ochaco is so ambitious. Such a hard worker. It made me want to pet her head even more. So, I did.
"Whoa! What's this?! Why am I being petted?!"
"No reason. I just thought you were cute."
"Cute?! Me?!"
I think it's a good trait to not be satisfied with where you are, but if you push yourself too hard, nothing good comes of it. So, I decided to comfort her in my own way.
"It's okay, Ochaco. I mean, there's someone with a Quirk literally built for running who was so far behind me I didn't even see his shadow. Compared to that, you're doing great."
"Midoriya!! Are you or are you not talking about me?! I'm well aware of my performance, so please don't kick a man while he's down!"
"I'm not naming names," I said.
"I just confessed to it!" Iida shouted.
I stuffed a piece of candy into the noisy Four-Eyes' mouth to shut him up, then turned with Ochaco to look at the giant electronic scoreboard.
There were some names I didn't recognize in third and fourth place. Who are they? No idea. Oh, look at that—Four-Eyes was actually in fifth. He did work hard, I guess.
"Sigh... I truly didn't expect to lose to you, Midoriya. I was on guard for your tricks, but I couldn't react to that blinding wall of fire you set off at the very start. If it hadn't been for that... no, I should stop. It's over now. I beat Todoroki, so I should be satisfied."
...Wait, what?
I looked down the list. Todoroki was in sixth place.
Well, uh... oops?
I felt a pang of guilt, so I left Ochaco and the others to go find "Peppermint." I found him standing like a statue in front of the rankings. I felt like I had done something terrible, even though I was totally innocent.
I wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know what to say. Still, I figured leaving him alone like that was worse, so I walked up and tapped his shoulder.
"—?! What is it?"
I timed it perfectly so that my index finger poked him right in the cheek as he turned.
A "Nico Special" joke. Come on, you should laugh.
"..."
Not even a twitch of a smile. In fact, he gave me a look so cold it could have flash-frozen the stadium. My joke was completely misunderstood. How tragic.
"Midoriya... no, never mind. Whether you're being serious or just playing around, the fact remains that I lost. But I won't lose next time."
He turned to walk away, looking so lonely that I couldn't help but give him a quick knee-buckle kick.
Nico Special Joke #2. Now, laugh!
He spun around with a look that was absolutely terrifying. His eyes were burning with a mix of intensity that rivaled Kacchan's. It was a scorching stare.
Whoa, that's hot! Literally!
"Midoriya...! What the hell are you trying to do?!"
He finally snapped. That was actually the first time Peppermint had ever raised his voice at me. Truly a rare occasion.
"I don't know," I said. "I just thought you were fun to tease today."
"Huh? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I like the 'you' today, Peppermint."
"...What?"
What was with that face? Today's Todoroki was actually hilarious.
"You're getting angry, you're getting worked up, and you're making confused faces like that. You don't usually do any of that, right? You barely even look at me normally."
Ever since I unilaterally decided we were best friends, I'd been messing with him quite a bit. Usually, Peppermint has zero reaction, so it never really stuck with me, but I think I tease him more than anyone besides Kacchan.
Unlike other people, Peppermint doesn't get mad when you mock him, and even if I go too far, he usually forgives me if I give a half-hearted apology. His reactions are normally boring, but he's "low-maintenance," so I couldn't help myself.
Today was different, which made it even better. He didn't have his usual composure, and thanks to that, he was giving me all sorts of fun reactions.
"—I don't know what you're thinking about, Peppermint, but I'm playing to win. I'm dead serious about reclaiming my summer vacation. So if you're aiming for the top, you better be ready."
My lost summer might actually be coming back. I have to give it my all. A high school summer vacation is for part-time jobs, shopping with friends, movies, the beach, camping—there's so much to do! I can't let it slip away. Maybe I'll even get my motorcycle license... though Mom would probably never allow that.
"Summer vacation... Is that really all you care about?"
"Of course! There isn't a single other reason—not even the size of a microbe—for me to be in this festival! If it weren't for that, I would have ditched hours ago!"
"...Sigh. Talking to you really throws me off my game."
He let out a long sigh and his face returned to its usual stoic mask. But something still felt off. There was an edge to him today.
"Midoriya. Let me say this again. I will beat you. I... there's someone I have to show my power to. I want to make him acknowledge me. That's why I intend to take first place without using my left."
"One arm, one leg? What kind of handicap play is that? You're already using both, though."
"No, I mean my left-side Quirk."
Oh. That's what he meant. What a confusing way to put it. This is exactly why "natural" types are so difficult.
"...Is that funny to you?"
"Yeah, it's confusing."
"No, I didn't mean my choice of words."
Oh, that again. I told you, you're being vague!
"I don't really care. Do what you want. I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're holding back, though."
"—Right."
It might have been my imagination, but I think Peppermint actually smiled. Just a tiny bit. The heavy atmosphere that had been clinging to him since this morning seemed to lift.
"HEY!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
An explosion of a voice announced Kacchan's arrival as he forced himself between me and Peppermint. He was still fuming from earlier, glaring at us with a terrifying expression.
"Geez, are you still mad? I said I was sorry. You were a huge help back there, thank you so much."
"OF COURSE I WAS! SHUT UP!! I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the half-and-half bastard!! I'm talking to you!!"
Peppermint, suddenly the target of Kacchan's wrath, looked genuinely puzzled. He's usually expressionless, but today he was an open book.
"Me?"
"YEAH, YOU!! YOU SHITTY BRAT!! You've been picking fights with the wrong person! I told you, I'M the one who's going to be number one!!"
"You said that at the opening ceremony. I heard you."
"THEN DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!! I'm the one who's going to crush you!! Not this idiot girl—ME!! And the one who's going to win is ME!!"
Um, excuse me? I'm the one who's going to win. What is this explosion-head talking about? I should punch him.
"Tsk, damn it! Let's go, stupid woman!!"
"Whoa—hey!"
Kacchan grabbed my arm and started hauling me away. He was being so aggressive I didn't even have time to wave goodbye to Peppermint.
What is this, a "group trip to the bathroom"? I'm a girl! Go by yourself!
"Kacchan, what? What do you want?"
"Shut up. I told you, you only need to be looking at me."
"Wow, that sounds like a really exhausting way to live."
"SHUT UP!!"
While I was being dragged along by Kacchan, Midnight-sensei's voice blared over the speakers, announcing the end of the Obstacle Course. At the same time, the qualifying conditions and the names of those moving on to the main event appeared on the screen. It looked like everyone in Class 1-A made the cut.
Midnight offered some "words of wisdom" to the press and the "losers" from her podium, and then it was time to announce the second event.
"Alright, the second event!! I already know what it is—but what about you?!"
The text on the electronic board started spinning like a slot machine. I felt nauseous just trying to track it with my eyes.
Ochaco, I'm counting on you to watch. Wait, normal people don't try to read the spinning text? Being "normal" is hard.
"THIS IS IT!!!!"
The slot machine stopped with a dramatic "BAM!" Displayed in giant letters were the words: CAVALRY BATTLE.
I grabbed the shoulder of the Kacchan standing next to me and made a proposal in the smallest voice I could muster.
"Pony-boy."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PONY, YOU BRAT?!"
Oh boy. My "Katsuki Express" is in a bad mood. I guess I'll have to give him some treats!
***
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