Izuku arrived back home, his steps lighter than usual, an almost invisible smirk on his face. The faint, lingering rush from earlier still pulsed through his veins, like a warmth he didn't want to fade. He closed the door behind him, letting the quiet of the house wrap around him.

It had been a while since he'd felt that kind of thrill—a mix of control, risk, and victory all bundled together. He couldn't help but think ahead, imagining how his "flowers" would bloom in the coming days. Mitsuki especially. He planned to leave her exactly as she was now for three days—no more, no less. Three was too short to forget, but just long enough for frustration to ferment into something even more intoxicating.

Stripping down, he stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash over him. Steam filled the bathroom as he leaned against the wall, running a hand through his hair, replaying today's events. Everything had gone almost exactly how he wanted. Every reaction, every little push forward, had been deliberate.

'The only thing left now… is to sleep,' he thought, feeling the fatigue of the day catch up to him.

After drying off, he went into his room and dropped onto his bed, sinking into the mattress. But just as his eyes began to close, his phone buzzed. And then buzzed again. And again.

Groaning, he reached over to his desk and picked it up, unlocking it to see a flood of messages. Every girl in his class had texted him. And, somehow, so had all the guys… including Aoyama.

'…What the hell could Aoyama possibly want?' he thought, scrolling.

The messages were endless. Momo's were neatly typed and polite—fifty of them, each spaced out by minutes.

Mina's were a rapid-fire mess of emojis and random questions—sixty-nine messages exactly. Tsuyu had sent a staggering one hundred ninety, most of them short one-liners like "Hey." "What's up?" "You there?" over and over.

Then there was Ochaco —this time another nine hundred messages, each one a different link to "How to make money" videos with a simple, repeated question: "Is this real?"

Izuku sighed deeply, tossing the phone onto his bed.

'Yeah, this is fucken lame. I hate being liked by the whole class. I'll just text the girls back later. Give them late replies. Why? Because girls like it when you act like the prize,' he thought with a smirk.

Of course, before you can play the prize, you have to make sure they're still chasing it. And Izuku was very good at that game.

Wait.

Didn't he have an appointment with Mt. Lady?

---

On top of the Channel Six Radio building, Mt. Lady stood with her hands on her hips, scanning the skyline. The wind tugged at her hair as the minutes ticked by. She'd been early, as always. But now, she had been waiting. And waiting.

No sign of the Hoodie Hero.

'This is the very first time someone has ever stood me up,' she thought, irritation bubbling in her chest. But then, oddly enough, it faded into a smile.

'You know what… I think I like a guy who makes me chase.'

---

The next day came without fanfare. Izuku went to school like normal, no extra spring in his step, no rush to get there early. Hero Training was on the schedule, but he wasn't expecting anything particularly thrilling—not after yesterday's battle exercise.

In class, he leaned back in his chair, his phone buzzing nonstop in his pocket until he finally fished it out.

Fifty texts from Momo. Sixty-nine from Mina. One hundred ninety from Tsuyu for reasons beyond comprehension. And—once again—hundreds more from Ochaco, this time bombarding him with videos about "investing in side hustles" and "how to triple your income in one week," each one followed by the same question: "Is this real?"

'This is my life now…' he thought flatly.

Shaking his head, he asked himself the real question: 'Alright, who am I going on a date with today?'

After a moment's thought, he picked Mina. She replied instantly, suggesting the arcade. That made him smirk—simple, chaotic, and low-pressure. He could work with that.

But before he could pocket his phone, another message popped up from her.

[69, nice]

Izuku stared at the screen for a second, his smirk widening despite himself.

'Man, what is wrong with these girls…' he thought, already knowing the answer.

After School

The final bell rang, and students poured out of U.A.'s gates. Izuku was among the first, hands in his pockets, glancing around until he spotted a shock of pink hair bouncing toward him.

Mina waved wildly. "Yooo~! Ready to get absolutely destroyed at the arcade?"

Izuku smirked. "Oh? You think you can beat me?"

"Please," she said, flipping her hair back with a grin. "I'm the Queen of Games. By the time we leave, you'll be calling me 'Your Highness.'"

"Guess we'll see about that," he replied, walking alongside her toward the train station.

[At the Arcade]

The arcade's glass doors slid open, revealing a neon-lit paradise. The sound of clattering buttons, cheering kids, and thumping music filled the air. Rows of machines flashed in all colors—racing games, rhythm machines, claw games, and more.

Mina's eyes sparkled. "Alright, let's start with something easy. Racing game?"

Izuku followed her to a pair of bright red racing pods. As they slid in, she elbowed him lightly. "Don't hold back just because it's our first game. I wanna see the real deal."

"You asked for it," Izuku said.

The countdown began.

3… 2… 1—GO!

They both shot off down the virtual track. Mina drifted through corners like a pro, laughing every time she pulled ahead. But Izuku… Izuku was on another level. His reflexes were razor-sharp, eyes darting between the road and the mini-map.

"Wha—HEY! How are you—?!" Mina sputtered as he overtook her on a hairpin turn.

"Instinct," Izuku replied coolly.

By the end, his car drifted smoothly across the finish line several seconds before hers.

Mina leaned back, pretending to be in pain. "Okay, that was… pure luck. Rematch!"

"Nope. Next game," Izuku said with a smirk.

Shooting Game

They moved to a light-gun zombie shooter. Mina grinned as she picked up her plastic shotgun. "Now you're in my territory."

The game started, zombies rushing at them from all angles. Mina went wild, blasting anything that moved, laughing loudly every time she landed a headshot. Izuku, however, was unnervingly calm—steady aim, never missing, conserving ammo.

Halfway through, Mina's character was swarmed. "IZUKU! COVER ME!"

Without hesitation, he cleared her screen with a series of perfect shots.

When the game ended, their scores popped up: Izuku's was almost double hers.

Mina stared at the screen, jaw dropped. "…You're a menace."

"You're just bad," he teased.

Dance Machine Challenge

Mina dragged him toward a dance pad, grinning from ear to ear. "Alright. This is it. There's no way you're beating me here. I've got rhythm for days."

Izuku shrugged, stepping up beside her. "I've got good footwork."

The song started—fast, upbeat, full of flashing arrows. Mina killed it, hips swaying with the beat, landing step after step. She shot him a confident smirk mid-song… but then noticed he was keeping perfect score without even looking down.

"Wait—how are you—"

"Good reflexes," Izuku said simply.

When the final score appeared, Mina's jaw dropped again. He'd beaten her by a tiny margin.

"You… you cheated somehow. I don't know how, but you did."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you think," Izuku teased.

She narrowed her eyes, but couldn't help laughing. "Oh, it's on now."

Claw Machine Chaos

Next, Mina spotted a claw machine filled with plushies. "Alright, big guy—win me that one." She pointed at a pink octopus plush.

Izuku studied the machine, slid in his coin, and… won it first try.

"…Okay, I wasn't expecting that," Mina admitted, taking the plush and hugging it. "Guess you're good for something other than making me lose."

"Glad to be of service," Izuku said.

Air Hockey

They ended the night at the air hockey table. Mina leaned forward, eyes locked on him. "Winner gets bragging rights forever."

"Forever's a long time," Izuku replied.

The game began, and Mina went all in. She was aggressive, slamming the puck toward him with speed and force. Izuku, however, countered each shot with perfect precision.

Halfway through, Mina scored. She threw her hands up. "YES! Finally!"

But then… Izuku scored five points in a row.

When the match ended, Mina slumped against the table, laughing breathlessly. "I officially hate you. But like… in a fun way."

Izuku smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

They left the arcade with Mina holding her pink octopus plush and pouting just enough to be cute.

"Next time," she said, "I'm picking games you can't win at."

"Good luck finding one," Izuku replied.

She gave him a sideways glance. "…You're lucky you're kinda hot, or I'd be way more mad about this."

Izuku chuckled, hands in his pockets. "Let me walk you home" he said.

TO BE CONTINUED