Another short chapter, sorry lol. And no song cuz I'm lazy.
Akiara's POV
"Akiara!!!!" My little sister announced the next day, barging into the house through the front door. "I'm home!"
I was sitting on the couch, with a new layer of bandages on my burns, reading the daily newspaper. The USJ attack had been on the front page of every news article. Midoriya and I had been taken into the police station to give the detectives our information, and I provided the names of Shigaraki and Kurogiri. School was closed today, and I assumed the administration wanted us to have a day off, and contemplate what had just happened the day before.
I straightened my back when Haruka closed the door and kicked off her shoes, walking further into the small house. "Oh, Haruka! How was school today?"
Haruka bounded over and plopped on the couch next to me, curling up and leaning against my shoulder. "It was good, I guess."
I raised an eyebrow. "You guess?"
"Yeah... My new best friend Jin Kaiyo was getting bullied everyday. She didn't tell me, and then I saw the older kids making fun of her because of how her quirk makes her look." She explained.
I frowned. "What's her quirk?"
"She's the one that I said could turn into a dragon." Haruka said, smiling this time. "She's so funny! She's really shy, though. Only talks around me and her sister Madoka, who's a year older than us. The older boys were making fun of her because she has horns and wings, and really long fingernails."
"Did you stand up for her?" I asked, wrapping an arm around her.
Haruka beamed up at me with pride. "Yep! I ran right in front of her and told all the kids to back off. They said a puny little bird like me couldn't do anything to them, and then I punched the leader right in the jaw."
A parent might have been mad at her for punching a peer, but I was dang straight proud of her. "Great job, Haruka!" I gave her a high-five and she grinned uncontrollably.
That's when we heard a knock at the door.
"I'll go get it." I said, and I tried not to limp as I strode over to the oak door. I turned the knob to open it, and saw a kind old lady standing on the porch. She was wearing a pale blue shirt, with a multicolored scarf draping over both her shoulders. A black wide-brimmed hat was placed on her head, with a pink flower attached to it. A dark brown skirt and boots completed the look.
"Hello, Akiara." She said with a warm smile which reminded me a lot of Recovery Girl.
"Mrs Chizu!" I exclaimed. "Come in, come in. What can I do for you?" I asked, opening the door wider and indicating for her to step inside.
Eiko Chizu was our kind neighbor, an old lady who took care of foster children around Haruka's age. Her quirk was Sweet Tooth, and she could make any type of candy appear from the pockets of whatever she was wearing, pants, a skirt, jacket, etc. It was definitely the quirk of an old lady. She had been acting as our grandmother ever since we moved here, inviting us over for dinner, and even having us stay at her house for christmas. She had once met our mother, and they became good friends. It was a wonderful coincidence we ended up being neighbors.
Chizu waved away my offer. "No, no, I'm only here for a moment."
"Oh, alright then." I smiled at her. I heard Haruka running over to stand beside me, and she waved at Chizu, who winked at her.
"Hey there, Haru."
Haruka grinned. "Hi Mrs Chizu!!"
Chizu turned back to me. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. The children have really been wondering what happened to you." She indicated to all of my bandages, which covered both of my arms, legs, and my forehead.
I nodded. "Of course! We'd love to come over. Thank you, Mrs Chizu."
"And invite that boy, too."
I raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, what boy?"
Chizu grinned at me. "That one boy who walked you home today. I saw him with you at the grocery store, too. You two seem close. Is he your boyfriend?"
My face turned bright pink, and I put my hands out in front of me. "What?! Todoroki?! No, no, no, no! He's not my boyfriend! We're just best friends, I guess. We only met a few days ago."
Haruka snickered from beside me. "Oh they totally like each other." I whacked the back of her head and she yelped, scowling at me with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Right..." Chizu commented with a smirk. "Well, invite him to come to dinner tonight, too. I want to meet the boy who's been taking care of Maiko's little girl."
I blushed again, and Haruka was the one who answered. "Oh he's definitely taking care of her! He carried her when she was unconscious, AND whenever she sees him she's basically hugging the life out of him! ALL THE TIME!"
I glared down at her. "Shut up, Haruka!"
Chizu chuckled. "Don't tease her too much, Haru."
"Fineeee." The six year-old complained.
I turned back to Chizu and asked, "So what time should we come over?"
Chizu shrugged. "How about around five o'clock?"
"Sounds good for us. I'll text Todoroki." I answered, pulling my phone out of my pocket. "We'll see you then, Mrs Chizu." The old lady nodded and began walking down the steps, and I closed the door.
"Akiara and Todoroki, sitting in a tree!" Haruka sang while I opened the messaging app on my phone. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First come love, then come marriage, then--"
"HARUKA!" I squealed, punching her in the shoulder. "Shut up! Go change out of your school uniform and get into some play clothes. You'll probably go and play outside with the other kids." I mumbled, directing her into the room. She closed the door after giving me a raspberry, and I sighed, going over to sit on the couch.
I plopped down and opened my conversation with Todoroki.
Me:
Hey Todo!
~CandyCane~
Hello, Akiara.
Me:
Hey, my neighbor invited us to dinner tonight, and told me to ask if you wanted to join us.
Sooooooo? What do ya say?
~CandyCane~
I'll ask my father.
I grinned at my phone screen, and Haruka picked that time to come into the main room. She was wearing a pink shirt and denim overalls, with brown sandals to complete the look.
"Texting with your boyfriend~?" She said in a sing-song voice.
I scowled at her. "You be quiet, you little idiot! He's not my boyfriend, okay?"
She shrugged and walked over, sitting next to me on the couch. "Is he coming?'
"He's asking his dad."
And just then, Todoroki replied.
~CandyCane~
He said I can come, as long as I'm home before 9.
I grinned uncontrollably. "He's coming!"
Haruka snickered. "CandyCane is your profile name for him?"
"Yeah, so what? It's one of his nicknames." I stuck my tongue out at her.
"One of his nicknames? You mean there's others?"
I shrugged. "Yeah... CandyCane and Todo are the main ones..." I trailed off. Haruka was smirking at me with raised eyebrows. "Whatever!" I turned back to my phone and quickly typed in a reply.
Me:
Great! Meet me at my house around five, yeah?
~CandyCane~
Okay.
I laughed out loud, "He's not very good at texting. Very bland answers."
Haruka poked my side, and I cringed. "Or maybe he just doesn't know what to say because you're the first girl he's ever texted. Maybe he's just nervous to talk to you."
I raised an eyebrow at her. Was that really the case? I don't want him to be nervous around me. Best friends are supposed to be able to talk to each other and laugh, even if something awkward happened.
Again, I didn't proofread before posting, because I'm really tired today.
If y'all haven't noticed, I kind of post chapters whenever I have them ready, so yeah.
~Dream