U.A. High School — End of Day
The warm orange glow of the evening sun stretched across the campus as students slowly filtered out through the front gates.
Conversations filled the air.
Plans for tomorrow.
Complaints about class.
Excitement over hero training.
Aoyama walked calmly down the front steps with one hand in his pocket.
His tie hung slightly looser now than it had earlier.
The first day had been… eventful.
As he absentmindedly scanned the crowd, his eyes eventually landed on a familiar figure standing near the edge of the walkway.
Izumi Midoriya.
She adjusted the strap of her bag while glancing down at her phone.
Minette had apparently already left ahead of her.
Izumi checked something on her screen—probably a picture of the school exit—before starting the walk home.
Did leaving her alone all day make her forget about me?
Aoyama tilted his head slightly.
He'd assumed she would wait for a chance to talk to him alone after class, especially after he'd spent most of the day surrounded by other people.
Well… I guess I'll just have to work harder to keep her attention.
Aoyama slipped through the crowd and quickly caught up to her, his eyes drifting toward the bag hanging loosely from her shoulder.
Snatch!
!!!
Izumi's eyes shot up from her phone.
The sudden tug on her bag startled her badly enough that she instinctively thought someone was trying to rob her.
"Wha—?!"
She turned toward the culprit and immediately recognized him.
"You know," Aoyama said casually, "most people say goodbye before abandoning their K-Buddy."
"A-Aoyama-kun?"
Izumi let out a relieved sigh the moment she saw him.
"I thought you were some kind of street robber!"
She lightly punched his arm for scaring her.
"What do you mean, street robber?" Aoyama replied. "U.A. is probably the last place someone like that would try anything. Anyone who gets accepted here has to excel at something."
Izumi thought about that for a moment while he continued carrying her bag.
"…I guess you're right."
"You should've assumed it was a prank first," he said smugly. "Then you probably would've guessed it was me."
"Oh?"
Izumi smiled slightly.
"And why would I assume that?"
Aoyama blinked.
"You tell me."
"Well…" she said softly, "you tease me a lot."
Aoyama shrugged with a grin.
"Fair point. That is a pretty obvious giveaway."
He casually reached over and ruffled her hair.
"And not getting the chance to talk to you all day just made me even more mischievous."
Izumi didn't pull away immediately.
In fact, she quietly accepted the affection as compensation for him ignoring her most of the day.
Only after a few seconds did she finally step back.
"…Are you walking home too?"
"I am," Aoyama admitted, "but I was planning to walk you home first."
"You don't have to do that."
Izumi looked away slightly.
"Shouldn't you be hanging out with the friends you made today? You said you wanted to become someone admired by everyone."
Her expression dimmed slightly at the thought of him spending time with the rest of the class instead.
"So wouldn't talking with everyone and answering their questions be the perfect start?"
"You're right," Aoyama admitted. "I could've gone with them to an internet café or karaoke or something."
Then he smiled faintly.
"But it wouldn't have been very fun knowing I left the first person who supported me alone on a day this important."
His words reassured her almost instantly.
He really does care about me…
Izumi looked into his eyes for a brief moment before quickly glancing away.
She laughed quietly.
And somehow—
the tension between them felt lighter than it had earlier.
The two began walking together through the evening streets.
At first, the conversation came slowly.
Mostly small things.
Classmates.
Teachers.
How terrifying Aizawa had been.
But gradually, talking became easier.
Izumi spoke about how overwhelming U.A. felt.
Aoyama talked about how strange it was seeing so many powerful Quirks gathered in one place.
Eventually, the conversation drifted toward the support gear he'd been discussing with Ochaco earlier, which also helped clear up Izumi's thoughts about their relationship—or at least the version Aoyama had explained to her.
"You really made those costume sketches yourself?" Izumi asked curiously as she looked over one of the drawings he'd pulled from his bag.
"Of course."
Aoyama shrugged lightly.
"If heroes are going to look dramatic while risking their lives, they should at least have good fashion sense."
Izumi smiled again.
"…You really like designing hero suits and support equipment, don't you?"
He nodded softly as she looked back down at the sketch.
Then she glanced back up at him.
"Could you help me design my costume too?"
That question made him pause briefly.
Only for a second.
Then he smiled faintly.
"…Yeah."
And strangely enough—
that answer sounded more genuine than most of the things he'd said all day.
Izumi smiled brightly, oddly relieved that he was willing to help her too.
"That's a deal then…"
She looked back at the sketch.
"Though I don't want mine to be spider-themed."
By the time they reached the Midoriya apartment building, the sun had already begun dipping below the skyline.
Izumi stopped near the entrance.
"Well…"
She adjusted her bag awkwardly.
"Thanks for walking me home."
"No problem."
Aoyama gave a lazy wave.
"Try not to get your school bag stolen by villains before tomorrow."
Izumi snorted softly.
Then paused.
It looked like she wanted to say something else.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
But before she could force the words out—
the apartment door suddenly opened.
Inko Midoriya stepped outside almost immediately.
"Oh! Izumi, you're home!"
Her eyes quickly landed on Aoyama standing beside her daughter.
And almost instantly—
she noticed the hesitation on Izumi's face.
The way she kept glancing toward him.
The way she looked like she wanted to ask something but couldn't quite say it.
A knowing smile immediately appeared on Inko's face.
"Well, don't just stand outside," she said warmly.
"You should come in too, Aoyama-kun."
Izumi froze.
"M-Mom—"
"What?" Inko asked innocently.
"It's rude not to properly thank someone for walking you home."
Aoyama blinked once before smiling lightly.
"Well…"
He placed a dramatic hand against his chest.
"When you put it that way, refusing would practically make me a criminal."
Izumi covered part of her face in embarrassment while Inko laughed softly and stepped aside to let him in.