A Life Worth Living (Aizawa x OC)

60 - OId Friends and New Friends

"I didn't know that this stadium has an integrated labyrinth", Himari sighed as she stopped in her tracks in an attempt to figure out their current whereabouts or, even better, to spot a sign that would help them to locate Recovery Girl's makeshift infirmary.

Channelling all of his willpower to suppress the dangerous urge to laugh his ass off, that had been building up for the last ten minutes he'd silently followed Himari through the stadium's hallways, Tadashi decided that by now he'd probably let his friend suffer long enough for the mere purpose of gleeful entertainment.

The redhead cleared his throat to catch Himari's attention, who was quite literally standing at a crossroads, resembling a contemporary version of Rodin's The Thinker as she was pondering on the probability of her randomly choosing the right direction, "We need to go left. The infirmary should be at the end of that hallway."

"Sure. It's not like if it was that easy to find Chiyo's goddamn office, we'd have already found it by now", Himari muttered under her breath before she turned left and headed down that hallway, which looked exactly like the previous ten.

As the two of them arrived in front of a big, colourful poster with "U.A. Infirmary" written on it, which seemed to be the result of some students' creatively used boredom, the brunette turned around to face Tadashi, her freckled face plastered with bewilderment, "How the fuck did you know that it was here?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that I knew it. I just had a feeling that this was the right way", Tadashi said mischievously, biting the insides of his cheeks.

Himari narrowed her eyes, "A feeling, my ass. What is it that you're not telling me?"

"Well, maybe this feeling was induced by several signs we encountered on our way here. Unmissable signs with huge arrows pointing in this direction...or at least, I thought that they were unmissable. Turned out they're not", he chuckled.

"So, we wasted ten minutes of the break straying around for nothing?"

"I mean, it was not for nothing. It's always entertaining to see you fail at something as pivotal as finding the right direction, my orientationally challenged friend."

Her right eye twitching in annoyance, Himari hauled off for a punch on Tadashi's arm, a punch that never hit its target because he intervened early enough to stop it mid-air.

"I told you to keep these tiny fists under control. They can cause way too much damage for my liking."

"Are we-, uh, interrupting something, my dear?"

Himari and Tadashi both turned their head to the voice that chimed in from the side, slightly embarrassed as they noticed Recovery Girl standing there, her raised eyebrow radiating the annihilating power of maternal judgement, with Nemuri by her side, who was trying her best not to snicker behind Chiyo's back.

"Uh-"

Chiyo nonchalantly cleared her throat and silenced her fledgeling before she focused on Tadashi, who was basically four times her height. She reached out her hand with a warm smile, "You must be the famous Tadashi Kaji, right? It feels like I have already known you for years by now. I'm Chiyo."

"I feel honoured to finally get to know you, Miss Chiyo", he shook her hand and added a polite bow.

Pushed to the background, Himari exchanged a confused glance with Nemuri, whose reaction remained limited to an evenly confused shrug.

"Now, now, look at that gentleman", Chiyo cooed, "I do know two certain ladies who could learn one or two things from you when it comes to proper etiquette and respecting your elders."