Hagakure's POV:
I woke up fairly early to get ready for my meet with Y/n and the others. I kept checking the time to see how long it would be until we were meant to meet up. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get ready.
"Toru?" I heard my mom call out to me. "Are you okay? You've been pacing around the house all day, mumbling to yourself"
"Sorry, Mom," I replied "I'm probably just overthinking things."
I can tell she was giving me a suspicious look. "What 'things'?"
Should I tell her? If I do, there's a chance she'll take things the wrong way. But at the same time, I want to be straight with her.
"I'm just going to go hang out with some friends from school" I answered haphazardly.
"You mean that 'Y/n' boy you keep talking about?"
It's a good thing I'm invisible, otherwise you'd see me turning a bit red. "I don't talk about him THAT much..."
"Toru, last night, you couldn't stop mentioning how cool he was during that whole incident at school."
"A-anyway, I feel like I'm just nervous because I've never had the type of friends who would spend their Saturday hanging out with me. I don't want to mess anything up."
My mom suddenly reached over and clasped my face in her palms. "If your friends like you for who you are, then you shouldn't have to act like you're planning for the end of the world. It's just a nice, simple outing with friends."
"...You're right, I should stop worrying so much. Thanks Mom."
"You're welcome. But still, make sure you wash up really good. Your hair feels like it's a mess."
"Okay, I will."
A few hours had passed and it was about thirty minutes to 1:00. I was about ready to head out. I made sure to grab all my things, and headed out the door. My mom caught me before I left and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Have fun, okay?" She said to me.
"Alright, I will."
I had ended up making it to the train station a bit early. Maybe thirty minutes before is a bit early to leave at.
Well, what now? No one else is here. I guess I'll just kill some time by walking around.
I was just wandering around while looking at all the shops when I ended up bumping into someone while I wasn't looking.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized quickly.
"Nah, it's my bad." That voice sounded really familiar; it almost sounded like...
"...Wait, L/n?!"
"Hagakure?!" He said, flabbergasted.
"What are you doing here?" I questioned. "I thought I was the early one."
"Well, I wasn't tryna end up late or anythin', and you know how busy the trains get, so..."
"So..." I repeated, slightly embarrassed.
"I guess while we're waiting for Midoriya and the others, you want to just walk around and see what they got around here?"
"Sure! That sounds good. I've heard that there's a good ramen place in the mall connected to this train station."
"Ooh, I'm intrigued. They always have sweet shops around these places, so we could also get dessert afterwards. Maybe cakes or sweet bread; I'd be willing to bet they got an ice cream place too."
"Decisions, and more decisions..." I commented.
We walked around the mall, looking for things we could go do with the others when they got here. There were five floors in the mall, so we were bound to find something interesting if we wandered around enough.
We were making small talk while we were walking, pointing out things we could check out with the others. I was having fun just talking to him. It was nice just listening to him ramble on about things he was interested in. It made me feel really connected to him just hearing about his music tastes and hobbies.
While we were talking, we got a text from the group chat for our friend group.
Midoriya
<[I'm here now]
L/n
<[cool, I'm on the second floor of the mall right now with Hagakure]
Midoriya
<[I'm also here with Uraraka]
<[We're waiting outside the toll gates]
L/n
<[we're heading down now]
"Alright then, let's get going." He said.
We made our way down to where Midoriya and Uraraka were waiting, pushing past the crowds of people on their way in and out of their lunch breaks. I saw the two of them standing and talking with each other as the crowds thinned out.
"Hey, you two!" I called out to them.
Midoriya looked around for a few seconds before catching sight of me. "Oh hey, Hagakure! Hey L/n!" He called back to us as he walked over.
"What's up? Glad y'all could make it." Said Y/n. "Now all we're waiting on is Iida."
"I didn't see him when we got off the train here." Uraraka said.
"I guess it is the lunch rush right now, so the trains could be packed on Iida's end." Midoriya speculated.
The volume of the crowds started to pick back up again, probably because we were still standing near the toll gates. It was getting a bit hard to hear over the large bustling groups of people.
"Hey, what do you say we just head over to the food court for now?" Said Y/n. "That way we can sit down and prolly avoid blocking some other people."
"I guess that'll be fine." Said Uraraka.
"Okay then, food court it is!" I said cheerily. "I'll make sure Iida knows."
I took out my phone and sent a text to Iida.
[Hey, just want to let you know,]>
[We'll be waiting over at the food court]>
We made our way over to the court as a group and found a quick place to sit down as we discussed the food joints we found while we were looking around.
"So we found a bunch of sweet shops up on the second floor we could check out." Y/n said.
"Ooh, like what?" Uraraka questioned.
"Well, there were scones, cakes, ice cream, froyo." I listed off the top of my head. "Pretty sure you could find whatever you wanted if you looked around long enough."
"Naturally, there were also cafés around," Y/n followed up. "So if we end up deciding we're not that hungry, we have that option."
We continued to mull over our options. Eventually we just settled on ramen, because there's a wide variety in the menu, plus there are also side dishes we could order like dumplings or fried rice.
I checked my phone to see if there had been any reply from Iida. The message was still only marked as "delivered".
"Hmm. It doesn't seem like Iida to just not read texts." Midoriya said after I brought it up.
"He could just be in a rush." Said Uraraka. "But then again, it's only 1:02, so he wouldn't have much reason to hurry."
While we were talking, I heard rapid footsteps approaching our table. When I looked over to see who it was coming from, I saw none other than Iida sprinting at full speed towards our table.
"Forgive my lateness everyone!" He said, exasperated.
"Dude, it's only been two minutes. You're good." Said Y/n.
"I intended to arrive promptly on time at 1:00, but I was held up by some crowds."
That's Iida for you. Always trying to be extra punctual.
After we cleared up the slight confusion, we made our way up to the the ramen place. It was one of those places where at the entrance, there was some contraption similar to a vending machine. We would put some money inside and pick an option, and the machine would spit out a ticket with the order printed on it.
There was a fairly wide variety of choices. Y/n and I both ordered Tonkotsu ramen. Iida and Midoriya both ordered Shio ramen, and Uraraka had ordered Shoyu ramen. We also ordered a bowl of fried rice to share between all of us.
When our orders came, Y/n wasted no time cleansing his bowl of ramen. I ended up giving him the bamboo shoots that were in mine, since I didn't like them as much. We were making some small talk while we were eating, and the topic had eventually shifted over to school stuff.
"So, what are all of you guys' plans for the Sports Festival?" Midoriya asked.
"Our school has a sports festival?" I asked. It was the first I had ever heard of it.
"For real? You've never heard of it?" Y/n asked, surprised. "The U.A. Sports Festival is probably one of the biggest events to go up on Japanese TV along with the World Baseball Classic, or The Olympics."
"Really!?"
"Yeah. Every year, students compete against each other in a series of events. The thing that makes it the most interesting is that the some of the events are different each year, so neither the viewers or the competitors know what to expect."
"It's going to go down soon so I was just wondering." Said Midoriya. "Mr. Aizawa will probably explain more in class."
"Wait, Deku. Would Mr. Aizawa even be in class?" Uraraka asked. "His injuries were pretty bad."
"Oh, snap. I forgot about that."
"At any rate, people are definitely going to be trying their hardest to win," Y/n continued. "And I for one, do not particularly feel like being blown up, frozen, or shot at. So I'll be thinking over strategy for that."
"Wouldn't physical training be better to focus on?" Uraraka questioned.
"Well, I feel like I'm plenty strong already, but my 'pick up rock and chuck it' strategy hardly seems to work on anyone competent. You can carry around the biggest sword all you want, but if you have no idea how to use it, you'll just get swept up and down."
"I agree." Said Iida. "Having a more even spread of strengths is the best way to ensure victory at any trial."
"Hey, Midoriya," Y/n called out. "You're the analyst here. What's your take?"
"Well... I'd say it depends on both the quirk and the user, along with their opponent's overall ability" He started.
And... he's started. There's no off switch when it comes to Midoriya's rambles. They really make my head spin because he goes so in depth
"Some quirks have glaring weaknesses to be exploited, like mine, so some people choose to try and dampen those with a more level pool of skills. Others with more one-note quirks like Hagakure's should play more to their strengths, since they might not have to worry about weaknesses so much. I guess it just varies. The best thing overall would be to plan against those you're more likely to fight."
"Q.E.D." Y/n said with an exaggerated smug look on his face.
"Q.E.D?" I asked. "What point were you trying to make?"
"I'm aiming for the top. And to get to the top, I've got to be able to surpass those that are currently already there. Namely: Bakugo, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu."
After that discussion, we got got our things together and left the restaurant. We walked around the mall for a little bit looking at what else we could do the next time we went on an outing like this.
It was fun seeing these sides of my friends. Midoriya cuts loose a bit more outside of school; he looks more relaxed and way less awkward. Same thing for Uraraka. Iida behaves pretty much the same, but he did throw out a joke here and there. Y/n doesn't act that much different either, but I guess he always just messes around a lot anyway, in or out of school.
We stopped by for some ice cream after a bit of walking. I got myself strawberry flavor, and took care not to give myself brain freeze. I looked over to Y/n enthusiastically digging into his favorite flavor. I couldn't help but giggle at him. This was the most fun I'd had in a while.
A few hours had passed since we met up. The sky was starting to turn orange. We decided it would be a good time to start heading home, since none of us actually had enough cash on us to cover dinner as well. As relatively safe as this city is, staying out after dark sounds like a recipe for a villain attack.
We walked over to station and waited for our train to get here. We had picked a good time to get on the train, because it was really crowded. Probably from all the people coming back from trips or nights out. The amount of drunks I saw was absurd.
Tokyo must be horrible if these trains are crowded. I can't even see above this crowd. The only one of our group I could see was Y/n. It seems like he's trying to make an effort to stick close to me. I wonder if it's because he's worried about me getting lost, like during that false alarm at school.
I could feel one person in particular pushing up against me a lot. They were standing behind me, so I couldn't tell who it was, but I could just feel a looming presence. I didn't know if it was just me, but I could feel their breath on me. It made me feel uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure if turning around would've been smart.
Y/n grabbed me by the hand and pulled me close to him, which caught me off guard. He whispered something in my ear, but I couldn't hear because we passed through a tunnel just then.
"What was that, L/n?" I whispered back.
"Stick close to me, Hagakure. Whatever you do, don't turn around." He was trying to play it cool and keep a normal expression, but I could tell he was a bit tense. I complied with him and grasped onto his clothes to be sure.
When the doors to the train opened, the crowd started to thin out a bit. He looked around like he was scanning the crowd. Then his eyes focused on one spot, and he gave a sort of side-eye in that direction. I didn't turn around to see what he was looking at, but it felt like someone was staring daggers into the back of my head.
I got a text from the group chat. Midoriya was just letting us know that he, Uraraka, and Iida had all gotten off the train by then. So it was just us two.
The next time the train doors opened, even more people had gotten off. As soon as the doors closed, Y/n breathed a sigh of relief.
"L/n... excuse my language, but what the hell?" I said quietly.
"We'll talk when we get off at your stop." He said anxiously.
After a few more stations passed, we got to my stop and he rushed both of us off the train.
"What was going in there, L/n? I've never seen you like this before." I questioned.
"Look, I... I didn't like the way that guy was looking at you. Dude was an 'effin creep." He said, still looking a bit shaken.
"What? What guy? Is that who I felt behind me?"
"Yeah. Some old looking dude. The type that looks like he doesn't know what a woman is. He was staring with, like, some intent. I don't know how to describe it. Then he started reaching his hand out to you, which is why I pulled you over like that."
"That's... " I trailed off. I wasn't sure what to say.
"I really wanted to hit him but... I could sense something so... abnormal about him. It felt so off. And I guess I just got scared for you."
There was silence after that. The sun had just set over the skyline of the city.
"I... guess I should start heading home now..." I said, unsure. I took a few steps, but stopped in my tracks. I couldn't find the courage. I knew whoever that person was had been gone by now, but I still felt so insecure.
"Hey, Hagakure..." Y/n called out. He paused for a moment. "If you need me to, I can walk you home."
I turned to look at him before speaking. "...Please do." I answered.
I was silent during the walk back. The silence would've been deafening if Y/n wasn't cracking jokes on the way back. We walked the most populated routes back to my home.
"Yeah... you see, this is why I always say 'wait for the express train; the local is hell', but nooo. Of course I had to be raised with good principles to always wait for friends." Y/n said rather blankly.
I looked up at him after that one. He must have sensed my movement because his expression shifted to one of concern.
"Sorry, I have a habit of wisecracking in tense situations." He explained. "The uhh... only problem is that my ability to make good jokes is cut in, like, about half if I'm stressed as well."
"No. That's not it." I explained. "I appreciate the effort. And you coming with me. It means a lot."
"Nah, don't worry about it."
We finally made it to my house. I was about to walk in my gate when I felt a drop of rain land on my face.
"We... really should have planned this trip better." Y/n commented.
"Will you be fine? Walking out in the rain like that?" I asked.
"What's the alternative, then? I'll just book it back. A little rain never hurt anyone. Or at least, not directly..."
I almost considered inviting him in, but it'd be way too hard to explain the whole story to my parents without freaking them out.
I ran up to him and gave him a quick hug before he left.
"Be safe, okay?" I said. "And... thanks. I had fun today."
"For real? Today was fun? Even after all the train stuff." He joked.
"Heh. I guess it was because I had you."
"Ha, don't make me blush. It was no big deal." He said, brushing off my rather blunt statement. "Alright then, take care. And give me a call if you need anything."
"I will. Bye, L/n!"
I waved at him as he walked off into the night, covering his head from the rain. I turned and opened the gate to my house and walked in the front door.
"I'm home!" I called out.
"Welcome home, dear. You're a bit late." My mom said from the kitchen. "Did you have fun with your friends?"
"Yeah, I did."
I ate a light batch of the dinner my mom made and went right to my room. I flopped down on my bed and just stared at the ceiling. The sound of rain pattering against the window of my unlit room and the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen were the only things keeping me from laying in utter silence.
I... don't know what to think. I never thought something like that could happen to me. I'm so thankful for Y/n being there. He made me feel so... safe. I wish I didn't have to rely on him so much. I'm sure if I talked to him about it, he could come up with some smart solution.
I'm glad he's the kind of guy I can trust with that sort of stuff.
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↓Special Note↓
First of all, I would like to thank you all for 1K reads. It really means a lot. I originally started this out because I thought to myself "Why not?" in the middle of a discord call at 1AM. Thank you to everyone that's supported the story thus far.
I know the gaps between updates are starting to get bigger, but I haven't found much time to write because of school. At the same time, I also don't want to just upload a half-assed chapter for the sake of updating regularly. Just know that I'm not planning on quitting this story anytime soon. In the end, I want to make sure you guys have a good, high quality read. I hope you'll understand.
With that being said, thanks again for sticking around and reading this through. I'll catch y'all in the next update.
2862 words. finished and published on 4-8-23.
*made edits on 4-9-23