Mineta's Redemption

Chapter Five: A Date For Mineta!?

It had been a while since the last time Minoru felt a slew of emotions like this. First he felt happy of course. Second, he felt dumbfounded. It had been a long while since the last time he'd received news this good in regards to a girl! Third, his lustful desires suddenly started creeping back up inside of him with his hopes being raised. Wait! Wait! Stop Mineta! Don't do this! I better not mess this up again! He thought as Yanagi conversed with him.

"Uh, are you ok? You look like you have a deer in the headlights look." Said Yanagi. Mineta then shook his head to snap out of it. "Uh, sorry. I just spaced out for a minute. Look, I need you to do me a favor and be brutally honest. Did someone put you up to this? Do you have an ulterior motive for writing that note? If you're just trying to play some prank on me then come clean about it now. It's my own fault, but I've had a lot of bad experiences with the ladies since coming here and the last thing I need is more false hope."

"It's not that at all. Look, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not madly in love with you or anything. I don't even know you that well other than word of mouth. The first time I ever noticed you at all was when I was carrying you to safety back when my class and a bunch of pros arrived at Nabu Island when we got the news about the villain Nine. At the time you looked so exhausted from fighting so hard and I admired you for that yet didn't know much else about you. But then word around campus had been going on for a while now that you've been an aggressive and lecherous pervert. I started to believe those rumors during the 1A vs. 1B matchup when you bounced all over my body so I decided to keep my distance for a while. But now I've noticed that you're working hard in the gym and haven't been as pervy lately in your day to day activities. In other words, you've done a lot to overcome your personal weaknesses and I can't help but respect you for that."

Mineta almost felt like crying. He'd wanted to be noticed and liked by so many girls and was only getting the opposite. He never thought things would turn around so quickly after striving to abandon the pervy act.

"Thanks. It really helps to hear a compliment for once! It's been tough for me for a long time, not just because of the pervert stuff but I'm not exactly the most attractive looking guy out there either."

"Yeah, I have it rough with guys too. I'm usually introverted in general and I weird guys out with my poltergeist quirk. My hands naturally dangle like I'm a zombie as a side effect and I also weird a lot of people out with being into horror movies and stuff, yet I can't seem to help myself. I guess we have something in common."

The two of them suddenly look one another in the eye for a moment and Mineta works up his courage.

"Um, I plan to go to the gym again tomorrow after class. Would you be interested in joining me this time? Perhaps we could do something else in the commons after." They both suddenly blush.

"Uh...sure. "

"Great! I guess I'll see you then!"

She turns around and waves goodbye. Mineta looks as if he was on cloud nine!

**********

The next evening Mineta and Yanagi meet up for their workout together and turn a few heads in the gym while there. Rumors were inevitably going to start spreading in speculation about the two of them but neither cared. As they finished up Reiko expressed a desire to shower and Mineta couldn't help but salivate. She looks weirded out when suddenly he realized what was happening. "Sorry! Sorry! Old habits die hard I guess!" She sighs and rolls her eyes as she walks into the ladies portion of the showers and mineta goes to the guy's end.

Great, and just when I was about to hang out in the commons with her too! Maybe I should play it safe and give her some space. He thought.