I thought that was the end of it.
The kiss.
The teasing.
The absolute destruction of my dignity in broad daylight.
It wasn't.
Gym… Kind Of
We did make it to the gym.
Eventually.
But focus?
Gone.
Completely gone.
"Alright, let's warm up!" Kirishima clapped his hands.
I walked to the mat.
Stood there.
Blank.
"…Ren?" Mina called.
"…Yeah?"
"…You've been staring at the wall for like two minutes."
"…I'm thinking."
Kaito leaned against the wall.
"…About?"
I paused.
"…Nothing."
Everyone stared.
"…You're thinking about it," Mina said instantly.
"I am NOT—"
"You are," she grinned.
"I'm literally not—"
"You got kissed and your brain hasn't recovered."
I pointed at her.
"…You are one sentence away from being teleported into a wall."
She just laughed.
Training Starts (Sort Of)
Midoriya stepped forward, trying to bring things back to normal.
"Okay! Let's refocus—Ren, maybe practice spatial layering again—"
"Yeah," I said, exhaling. "Yeah, I got it."
I raised my hand.
Space warped.
A portal opened—
Clean.
Stable.
Then another.
And another.
Layered.
Stacked.
I stepped through—
Reappeared behind Kirishima—
Then above—
Then back in front—
"THAT'S SO MANLY!" Kirishima yelled.
I kept going.
Faster.
Sharper.
But something felt off.
The Feeling
I stopped mid-motion.
"…Wait."
Midoriya blinked.
"…What is it?"
I looked around slowly.
"…She's here."
Silence.
"…Ren, don't joke like that," Mina said.
"I'm not."
The air shifted.
Slightly.
Barely noticeable.
But I felt it.
She Kept Her Word
A slow clap echoed from above.
"Wow~"
We all looked up.
There she was.
Sitting casually on one of the beams near the ceiling.
Swinging her legs.
Smiling.
Himiko Toga tilted her head.
"…You got better."
My eyes narrowed.
"…You said you'd stay longer."
She grinned wider.
"…I meant it."
Tension Returns
Kirishima stepped forward.
"…Back off."
Mina moved beside him.
Midoriya tensed.
But Toga didn't look at any of them.
Not even once.
Just me.
"…Can I stay?" she asked softly.
"…No."
She pouted slightly.
"…You're no fun."
The Game Changes
She dropped down lightly from the beam.
Landing without a sound.
"…Then let's play instead."
Before anyone could react—
She moved.
Fast.
Straight toward me.
I reacted instantly—
Portal—
Step—
Turn—
She followed.
Closer than before.
"…You're not running," she said, almost excited.
"…I told you," I replied, dodging her swing. "I'm done running."
Close Range Again
She laughed.
Spinning.
Attacking.
I countered.
Redirected.
Controlled the space between us.
But this wasn't like before.
She wasn't trying to stab me immediately.
She was… testing.
Watching.
Learning.
"…You changed again," she said, stepping back.
"…Yeah."
She smiled softly.
"…I like this version."
The Moment
We both stopped.
Just for a second.
Everyone else frozen around us.
Tense.
Ready.
"…Why do you keep coming back?" I asked.
She blinked.
Like it was obvious.
"…Because it's you."
Silence.
"…That's not an answer."
She stepped closer.
Just one step.
"…It is to me."
Almost Calm… Almost
No attack.
No sudden movement.
Just…
Space.
Between us.
Then—
Mina whispered loudly:
"…This is SO weird…"
The moment shattered instantly.
"…Okay yeah, now it's weird again," I muttered.
Toga giggled.
She stepped back.
Slowly.
"…I'll go for now."
Everyone stayed ready.
Watching.
She looked at me one last time.
"…But I meant it."
A small smile.
"…Next time, I'm staying even longer."
She flipped back—
Vanishing through the open gym window.
Gone.
Aftermath
Silence.
Again.
Then—
"…Ren," Mina said slowly.
"…Yeah?"
"…She's definitely in love with you."
"…No she's not."
Everyone stared.
Kaito sighed.
"…You're in denial."
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face.
"…I'm going back to training."
But even as I stepped forward—
Even as I opened another portal—
I couldn't ignore it anymore.
She wasn't just chasing me.
Not just fighting me.
She was choosing to come back.
And next time…
She wouldn't leave so easily.