The three girls were at the entrance of the Yuuei, watching Mineta and Ibara walking side by side toward the train station.

"So they have been dating for quite a while?" Yanagi asked Kodai and Kendo.

While the three talked, Mineta and Ibara had gone back together. He planned to visit her apartment, and she agreed.

"Mn." Kodai nodded.

"They have been dating since middle school," Kendo said with a wry smile.

"...so lucky..." Yanagi murmured.

"Hmm?" 2x

Kodai and Kendo looked at Yanagi at the same time, wondering whether she had fallen for him.

Yanagi noticed their gazes and felt slightly embarrassed. "I don't mean anything. It's not like I fell in love with him at first sight, even if I am his fan, but his face is my type."

"......." 2x

Yanagi wasn't wrong. It might be a shallow reason and quite hard to admit, but his face was their type. Yet they wouldn't say that since they believed his personality was more interesting and charming than his appearance.

This was what they believed.

Still, Kendo wondered what he planned to talk about with Ibara, and it made her restless somehow since he didn't know what might happen between them.

'Will he ask me to break up?'

Such a thought appeared on her mind, and it frightened her.

However, before they parted, they happened to meet Midoriya, who had just talked with Bakugou, bulging his eyes out when he saw how Mineta was surrounded by many girls.

Mineta stood in silence and wasn't sure how to describe his emotion.

---

After he invited them to become his helpers in sculpting Nezu's statue, they didn't intend to stay at the school too long and returned.

However, he didn't expect to meet Midoriya, who happened to stand at the entrance of the Yuuei. Still, when he asked what was wrong with him, Midoriya seemed to dodge his question, so he didn't press further and only told him to be careful since Midoriya's way of fighting was too reckless.

The word recklessness might not be suitable since this word was too tame to describe Midoriya's way of fighting.

He felt that Midoriya planned to commit suicide because of how he fought.

Was it worth it to hurt so much like that to win the Battle Trial?

If it wasn't for the Recovery Lady, what would he do?

Knowing this, he felt reluctant to know Midoriya since this guy wasn't right in his head. However, when he noticed All-Might seemed to peek at them, and his eyes seemed to focus on Midoriya, he knew that Midoriya still had worth.

Even if he invested in him, he wouldn't lose much, so he didn't use money, only a few words, telling him to take care before he left with the rest.

"Is the Hero Course in your class that dangerous?" Kendo asked curiously since she didn't expect to see someone so beaten up like that.

"No, he's the only one. The rest is normal."

What could he say?

Besides Midoriya, all of them were "quite" normal.

Still, if he had come earlier, he might have seen the drama between Midoriya and Bakugou.

However, even if he saw, he didn't care much about that drama since he was going to visit Ibara's apartment.

It wasn't his first time to come, and he even had come several times. The distance between her apartment and the school was slightly far, and she needed to use either the train or bus to go to the school.

However, the rent of her apartment was relatively cheap, so she chose this apartment.

She might have some money after working with him, but her parents were the ones who told her that they were going to take care of her expenses. However, her parents weren't rich, so this was the best.

Still, she didn't complain since the apartment was good and comfortable.

Similar to Kendo, her apartment was a 1LDK apartment with a single bedroom, small kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. If there was a difference, it would be the interior since her room was quite feminine.

Maybe it was his influence, but the only religious items in his room were the cross and bible on the table.

Being devoted to religion was good, but too far definitely wasn't good. It was like sugar. It was sweet and nice, but if one consumed too much, they would have diabetes.

He felt that religion was like that since if one became fanatical, they might be blind to their surroundings and subconsciously hurt or trouble the people in their surroundings.

Still, the most recognizable thing about her room was the picture frame, which she placed carefully and lovingly at the side of her cross and bible.

He stared at this photo in silence without saying anything.

They had taken many photos together, and this was one of them.

This photo was taken last autumn last year on Kamakura beach before winter. They trained as usual, but he just happened, brought a camera, and hugged her casually so they could take photos together.

In this photo, they were so happy.

Their faces were full of smiles and their cheeks pressed against each other.

It might be the most natural smile that he showed.

When he saw this photo, he felt something choke his throat, trying to kill him, and made him unable to say anything, especially when he recalled what he had done last night.

"That photo is good, right?"

"...yes."

"I like that one the most."

When they took that photo, nothing special happened. It was only an ordinary day like every day, but she loved this photo this much since it reminded her that her every day with him was the best thing in her life.

The words he wanted to say stuck in his throat like phlegm. It was uncomfortable, but he decided to swallow it.

"So what's wrong?"

Ibara only took off her blazer and was still in uniform, but she tied her hair in a ponytail since she wanted to cook dinner, showing her slender neck, which glistened from her sweat. They had promised to do "it" on the weekend, and during the weekdays, they had decided to focus on school.

While she was reluctant to do so, she was afraid that she would get exhausted, which might lower her performance at school.

Yuuei was a famous school, and if they weren't serious, they would be demoted to the general department.

This was a free tuition school, and everyone wanted to take their place, so if they wanted to maintain their position, they had to work harder, so they wouldn't be demoted to the general department.

In other words, a Plus Ultra!

Yet...

"Nothing."

She felt his arms wrapped around her waist, and his face rubbed against her neck closely and intimately.

"But it's the first time we have parted like this, so I miss you."

Hearing those words, something broke inside, and the limit she had placed on her snapped.

"Wait, wait! Why did you wrap me with your vines? Ah, don't be too rough! Your vines hurt me! Also, don't tear my uniform!"

However, it was his fault.

He had provoked her, and she, who was in love with him, so much. He wasn't the only one who missed her since she missed him even more. The constraint on her mind broke apart, and her desire to be with him flooded in.

Still, he wasn't a masochist!

She moved her lips closer to his ear and whispered, "I won't let you home tonight."

"...."

He was in silence and stared at this bold girl. He might be able to forgive what her vines had done to him, but those words... it was impossible for him to pretend that he didn't hear it.

Suddenly, their position reversed, and she was at the bottom, facing him while lying on the bed.

"That's my line, girl."

She smiled brightly and hugged him tightly before reaffirming how her love grew stronger and stronger as the days passed.

"I love you, Minoru-kun!"

She said as she gasped as she kept whispering those words to him until her sound became sweet, unintelligible words came from her mouth as she arched towards him.

Her words were no longer understood by human languages, but he understood her completely. Yet unfortunately, he was unable to say the same thing. The only thing he could do was to call her name on each of her movements, making her completely enraptured.

If there was something he was glad about today, he was glad that he got "Calm Manipulation" from Jiro, or he was afraid she might receive a complaint from her neighbor.

By then, they were no longer thinking straight. Their emotions, physical, and everything became one, inseparable.

This was what Ibara thought, but it was different for him.

He didn't stay in her apartment and returned home, but he returned quite late.

It should have been around ten or nine, so the night was silent and calm.

It was so quiet that he could hear the sound of his heartbeat. With each of his heartbeats, he felt suffocated and realized he regretted his decision last night. He betrayed her and did something unforgivable.

Yet could he admit that?

Could he admit that he regretted his decision?

Especially...

"Welcome back," Kendo said with a gentle smile.

He stopped his steps and stood in front of the entrance of his house, completely covered by pitch-dark night, watching Kendo greet him with a smile under the rays of the light. Yet what made him blinded by her was that her eyes were filled with gentleness and love, something that someone as worthless as him completely undeserved.

The words from his mouth stuck, and he didn't say anything, only wrapped her in his arms, trying to transmit his warmth to her and take her cold away from her.

"You're cold."

"But I am warm now."

She basked in his scent, inhaling deeply, glad she didn't smell Ibara's scent on his body.

Was he being careful?

She smiled and hugged him tightly. "I love you."

He could not say this to Ibara, but he could say this to Kendo. "I love you too."

Was this his true feeling?

But was his true feeling necessary?

He regretted his decision, but it was impossible for him to tell the truth, so since this was the case, he should just continue to act as if nothing had happened.