who's afraid of little old me? | mha x oc

chapter fifteen

The next day was the day in which Mina had invited me to the movies. She said that someone she knew from school had also gotten in, and he had invited her to a little get together. There was two other guys that were also coming along. Whenever I asked who, Mina couldn't give an answer.

Of course, I had let Fuyumi pick out my outfit. She had decided on a low rise denim skirt and square neck royal blue top. I had to admit, I loved the way that the neckline looked on me, and once I paired it with a H necklace and hoop earrings, I was in love.

Mina told me that she would meet me there. The movie theater wasn't far from my house, so despite Fuyumi's protests, I decided to walk. The part of me that had become more feeling was nervous, but another part of me didn't care. I remember Akina's words, "Being nervous means that you care," so I tried to focus on the nervousness. I cared about making friends at my new school.

The movie I was seeing was some American movie. It had taken them a few years to translate it to Japanese, but I had to admit I was excited. The movie was Scream. 

As I approached the theater, I spotted Mina waving energetically. Her pink hair was unmistakable, and her smile instantly put me at ease. "Hey, Himari! You look great!" she called out.

"Thanks, Mina," I replied, my nerves momentarily forgotten. "I'm really looking forward to this."

We walked inside together, and as we reached the lobby, I saw the three guys Mina had mentioned. One had spiky red hair and a broad, friendly grin. Another had wild blonde hair and a fierce expression, while the third had blond hair with a black streak and a laid-back demeanor.

"Hey, guys! This is Himari," Mina introduced me enthusiastically. "Himari, this is Eijiro Kirishima, Katsuki Bakugo, and Denki Kaminari."

My eyes widened in recognition. Bakugo, the guy I had tied with in the entrance exam, was standing right in front of me. He looked as intense as ever, while Kirishima gave me a friendly smile and Kaminari flashed a casual grin.

"Not him again," I said at the same time as Bakugo said, "If I would've known she was coming I would've stayed home."

There was an awkward moment of silence before Mina and the two guys burst out laughter. "I guess y'all have met before?"

I nodded, "Unfortunately."

There was a brief moment of pausing before I added, "Things got a little heated at the entrance exam."

Kirishima nodded, "Oh? I bet that will be a good story. Nice to meet you, Himari," Kirishima he said, extending his hand. I shook it, appreciating his firm grip.

"Yo, what's up?" Kaminari added, looking relaxed.

It felt rude to just upright ignore Bakugo, so I shook his hand. However, as I held out my hand to him, he refused to take it. He just grunted, crossing his arms. "You're the one who tied with me, huh? Let's see if you can keep up."

A ghost of a smile appeared on my lips, "I think you are the one who should be worrying."

We stared each other down, daring the other to break the eye contact. Finally, Mina clapped her hands, breaking the tension. "Alright, let's get our tickets and snacks. The movie's about to start!"

As we settled into our seats, the lights dimmed, and the movie began. Throughout the film, I found myself glancing over at my new companions. Kirishima was engrossed, occasionally whispering comments to Bakugo, who responded with grunts or smirks. Kaminari, meanwhile, was making goofy faces at the scary parts, which made Mina giggle.

When the credits rolled, we all filed out of the theater, still buzzing with excitement from the film.

"That was awesome!" Mina exclaimed. "We should do this again sometime."

"Yeah, it was fun," I agreed, feeling more comfortable with the group now.

"You two didn't seem to be having much fun whenever y'all were screaming hysterically and hiding your faces," Kaminari joked.

Mina and I looked away pointedly, "I have no idea what you are talking about," I said as Mina flipped him off.

As we walked out of the theater, Mina suggested we grab something to eat at a nearby café. Everyone agreed, and soon we were seated around a table, the conversation flowing easily. Bakugo, however, still wore a scowl, and I couldn't help but feel a bit of tension between us.

Mina noticed too and decided to address it. "Hey, Bakugo, Himari, you two seem to have a bit of history. What's up with that?"

Bakugo snorted, crossing his arms. "History? This one's just another wannabe trying to ride my coattails."

I rolled my eyes. "Excuse me? I got into U.A. on my own merit, just like you."

Kirishima leaned in, looking curious. "Come on, spill. What's the story?"

Bakugo rolled his eyes but started first. "Fine. During the entrance exam, I was racking up points, smashing those robots left and right. Then I noticed this girl—" he pointed at me with a jerk of his chin "—trying to show off with her fire. She was taking down robots, but she wasn't paying attention to anyone else. Didn't save a single person."

I felt my face heat up. "And you did? All you did was scream at people and blow stuff up! You didn't save anyone either!"

Bakugo's eyes narrowed. "Because I didn't need to. I was there to win, not play rescue hero."

Kaminari leaned back, a grin on his face. "Sounds like a real clash of egos. What about you, Himari? Why don't you like Bakugo?"

I narrowed my eyes at Bakugo, "He was just acting like himself- an idiot." Bakugo's face was a face of pure rage as I said that, but I ignored him, continuing what I was saying. "He was yelling at everyone, telling them to get out of his way or die. It was distracting and made it hard for everyone else. He acted like he was the only one who mattered."

Bakugo scoffed. "Tch. Because I was the only one who mattered. You were just too slow to keep up."

I clenched my fists under the table. "It's not just about speed, Bakugo. Being a hero is more than that. It's about saving people, too. And you didn't show any of that."

Mina looked between us, a thoughtful expression on her face. "So, it sounds like you both have different ideas about what being a hero means."

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. You both have strengths. Maybe you can learn from each other."

Bakugo rolled his eyes again. "I don't need to learn anything from her."

I shot back, "And I'm not interested in learning anything from you, either."

The conversation shifted to other topics, but the underlying tension remained. As we finished our meals and prepared to leave, Mina gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Himari. You're gonna beat his ass."

I grinned, "Of course I will. See you Bakugo."

Bakugo smirked at me. "Don't think this hangout means we're friends or anything. I'm still gonna be the best and I'll take you down."

I laughed, surprising myself. "Wouldn't expect anything less from you, Bakugo."

Kirishima nudged Bakugo playfully. "Come on, man, lighten up. Himari's cool."

Kaminari nodded. "Yeah, this was a blast. We should definitely hang out more."

As we parted ways, Mina gave me a quick hug. "See you at school, Himari! This was great."

"Yeah, it was," I replied, smiling. Walking home, I realized that despite the nerves and the uncertainty, I had taken a big step towards making friends and finding my place in this new chapter of my life.