Class had only just started, and Izuku could already feel it — the tension in the air. It wasn't coming from the boys. No, it was the way several girls in the room kept shooting him quick, sharp glances before pretending to look elsewhere.

'This is exactly why I hated high school,' he thought, leaning back in his chair. 'Not because I wasn't attractive… but because high school girls are really emotional. And annoying.'

The hours dragged by in the slow crawl of morning lessons. When the bell finally rang for break, Izuku stretched and decided he needed something sweet to survive the rest of the day.

Out in the hall, he spotted Jirō heading his way, her hands in her pockets, earphone jacks swaying with each step.

"Where you headed?" he asked casually.

"I need some water. Wanna go together?" she replied with a small shrug.

"Sure."

They walked side-by-side toward the vending area. Izuku punched in his selection, a chocolate bar dropping into the tray, while Jirō went straight to the tap and filled a paper cup.

After a quick sip, she glanced at him. "Feel like walking around?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

They wandered through the quieter parts of the school, the halls mostly empty, their footsteps echoing faintly. At first, the conversation was light — music, classes, little bits of gossip about other students. But after a while, Jirō's expression shifted. She seemed to hesitate before finally asking:

"So… are you and Mina a thing or something?"

"Nah, we aren't," Izuku replied without missing a beat.

"Oh. Nice, nice." She nodded, looking ahead. "I'm just asking, by the way. You know… in case I happen to know someone who might be interested in you or whatever."

"Why me?" he asked, glancing at her with a faint smile.

"You… really don't know, do you?" she said, quirking a brow.

"Know what?"

"Well…" she rubbed the back of her neck, clearly debating whether to say it. "Almost every girl in this school knows who you are. I've even heard rumors about you having a fan club or something."

"Oh?" His smirk deepened. "And how would you know that?"

Her cheeks turned faintly pink. "I don't. It's not like I'm… a co-owner or anything."

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Co-owner, huh? That's oddly specific for something you don't know about."

She scoffed, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets. "Shut up."

Izuku just kept smiling, his chocolate bar half-eaten in his hand. Without thinking too much about it, he held it out to Jirō.

"Here," he said.

She blinked, clearly surprised. "You… sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Her fingers brushed against his as she took it, a faint blush rising to her cheeks

' Is this an indirect kiss? Does it count?' She thought. She slowly brought it up to her mouth and took a small bite, closing her eyes for just a second as if savoring more than just the taste.

' Does this mean he likes me? ' she thought as she looked at her own chest.

Izuku watched her with a raised brow, a little weirded out, but he let it slide.

"Uhh… I need to go to the toilet. I'll see you in class," he said, already walking off.

By the time he returned, the rest of the break had passed in quiet normalcy. Classes resumed, the hours slipping by until the final bell rang.

When school ended, Momo was already waiting near the door. Without a word, the two fell into step together, heading toward the school library on the second floor.

Inside, the scent of paper and faint polish filled the air. Sunlight streamed in from tall windows, dust motes floating lazily through the beams. The space was almost deserted — just a couple of students scattered in distant corners.

They claimed a table near the back.

"Alright," Momo said, taking a seat. "It's not half bad in here. A bit like my kitchen, now that I think about it."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a sleek tablet, unlocking it with a swipe. "So, this is all the material for the first term. Honestly, it's not necessarily hard — in fact, I've already learned all of it." Her tone carried a subtle note of pride.

Izuku gave her a small smile. "Umm… good job."

Her blush came instantly. "Thank you…" she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, now we just need to make everything simple so everyone can understand."

"Nah," Izuku said, leaning back in his chair. "That'd be too easy for them. We've got two months before exams — that's plenty of time to get everyone up to speed the right way."

"You think so?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well… alright. Where will we be studying, then?"

"Either here or your house," he said with a shrug. "The library's pretty empty. Only business students really use it."

"Alright then," she said, nodding. "Let's start writing everything down."

They set to work, their voices low as they went over each subject — everything except the hero course material, of course. That was one thing that no amount of planning could fully prepare for.

Momo tapped the tablet with her stylus. "If we split the subjects evenly, we can prepare summaries for everyone. That way, nobody falls behind."

Izuku leaned in, glancing at the screen. "You know, you're making this way too efficient. You might actually scare people into thinking studying is fun."

She gave him a flat look. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not bad at all." he said, smirking.

Her hand paused mid-scroll, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

" Okay"

"I'm just saying," he continued casually,

A faint pink dusted her cheeks, but she kept her expression composed. "Flattery won't make me do your share of the work."

"Wasn't trying to," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I actually like working with you. You make even boring stuff feel… less boring."

She clicked her tongue softly. "Is that your way of saying I'm entertaining?"

"More like distracting," he replied with a grin.

Momo tried to focus on the screen again, but her lips betrayed a tiny smile. "If you keep talking like that, we'll be here all night."

"Then I better start talking more," he said, earning an exasperated look that didn't quite hide her amusement.

They kept working, the quiet rhythm of typing and scribbling occasionally broken by a sarcastic remark from him or a dry comeback from her. Every time their hands brushed when passing a pen or paper, neither of them commented — but neither of them pulled away too quickly, either.

By the time they finished, the stack of organized notes was impressive… and so was the unspoken tension between them.

By the time they wrapped things up, the table was littered with neat stacks of papers, printed summaries, and Momo's perfectly labeled folders.

Izuku stretched his arms over his head with a yawn. "Well… that was more productive than I expected."

Momo gathered the last of the notes, slipping them into her bag. "See? Studying isn't so bad when you do it properly."

He grinned. "Or maybe it's just not bad when you do it with the right person."

She gave him a sideways look. "Do you talk like this to every girl you work with?"

"Only the ones who make me forget we're working," he said, holding the library door open for her.

Her lips curled into a faint smile, but she didn't respond as they made their way outside. The late afternoon sun cast warm light across the courtyard, and the faint hum of traffic could be heard in the distance.

At the front gates, a sleek black sedan was parked. Momo's family driver stepped out and opened the rear door for her.

"Well… I guess this is where we part ways," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Guess so," Izuku replied, slipping his hands into his pockets.

There was a brief pause, the kind where neither wanted to end the moment just yet. Then, on impulse, Momo stepped forward and hugged him.

It was quick, almost formal — but there was a lingering warmth as she pulled back. "Thanks for today. And… for not making it boring."

He smirked. "You're welcome. And thanks for not making me do all the work."

She rolled her eyes, but there was a faint blush on her cheeks as she slipped into the car. The door shut, and the sedan pulled away, leaving Izuku standing by the gate with a small grin.

'Huh… not bad,' he thought, turning to head home. ' I should fly, since I am a bit late ' he thought.

TO BE CONTINUED