He Talks, She Listens (Kamijiro)

Chapter 8: Team 4

Kaminari and Jiro walked into Gym Gamma, breathing in the heavy air. The air felt extra weighted as they had their hands tied behind their back, which was their setback for the exam.

"Damn, they made these things tight" Jiro scoffed, testing the grip the ropes had on her wrists.

Outside the gym, the rest of Class 1-A gathered around the monitors, their eyes glued to the screens, watching every move their classmates made.

"Do you think they can pull this off?" Mina asked, her voice a mix of worry and excitement.

"They're a good team," Kirishima replied, his fists clenched. "But with their hands tied... it's gonna be rough."

Inside the gym, Midnight smiled at her two students, twirling her whip in one hand.

"Well, you two look cozy," she teased, her voice sultry as always. "But remember, this is an exam. I won't be holding back."

Kaminari exchanged a glance with Jiro, his usual confident grin tempered by the seriousness of the situation.

"We've got this, right?" he said, trying to sound more assured than he felt.

Jiro nodded, her heart pounding in her chest, thinking it was from the intensity of the exam.

"Right," she replied, her voice steady. "Just stay close and follow my lead."

Midnight cracked her whip against the ground, sending a shiver down both their spines.

"Let's see how well you can work together when you're tied up!" she declared, her tone playful yet menacing.

Without warning, Midnight lashed out with her whip, aiming directly at Kaminari. He barely had time to react, ducking just in time to avoid the strike. "This seemed so much easier when the other teams were doing it" Kaminari thought, his mind racing from the attack.

Jiro quickly stepped forward, using her quirk to send a burst of sound waves toward Midnight. The sonic blast was powerful, but with her hands bound, Jiro struggled to maintain her balance.

"Nice try!" Midnight called out, leaping gracefully to the side to dodge the attack. She landed lightly on her feet, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "But you'll have to do better than that."

Kaminari took a deep breath, his mind still racing. He could feel the pressure mounting, but he couldn't afford to lose his cool. Not when Jiro was counting on him.

"Okay, we need to get closer to her," he whispered to Jiro, still standing next to her. "Can you distract her?"

Jiro nodded, her eyes narrowing in focus. "Leave it to me."

With a determined look, Jiro lunged forward, pretending to stumble as if the ropes were making her lose her footing. Midnight, thinking she had the upper hand, moved in for a quick capture. But as she approached, Jiro smirked and unleashed a powerful sonic blast from her earphone jacks, directly at the ground beneath Midnight's feet. The shockwave sent the teacher stumbling, giving Kaminari the opening he needed.

"Now!" Jiro shouted.

Kaminari didn't hesitate. Summoning the right amount of energy he could muster, he sent a bolt of lightning crackling through the air. Midnight, still recovering from the shockwave, barely managed to avoid a direct hit, but the electricity crackled around her, disorienting her for a brief moment.

Jiro quickly moved to Kaminari's side, their backs pressed together as they faced Midnight. "Nice job," she whispered, as she started to take deep breaths from the intensity of the battle.

"Thanks," Kaminari replied, his heart pounding for a different reason now. "What was that?" He thinks, as his heart races. "You too. We make a pretty good team, huh?"

Jiro glanced over her shoulder at him, a small smile on her lips. "Yeah," she agreed softly. "I guess we do, Jamming-way."

But their moment of connection was cut short as Midnight recovered, her whip slashing through the air once more. This time, she aimed at both of them, forcing them to jump apart to avoid being caught.

Kaminari cursed under his breath. "We can't keep dodging her like this. We need to find a way to turn the tables."

Jiro nodded, her mind racing aswell. Then, an idea struck her. "What if we use the ropes to our advantage?"

Kaminari blinked, raising an eyebrow at her suggestion. "How?"

"If we can get close enough, we can tangle her up in the ropes. She won't expect it, and it'll give us the chance to subdue her." Jiro smirked.

Kaminari's eyes lit up. "That's... Not a bad idea, Jiro!"

"Just follow my lead," Jiro instructed, already moving toward Midnight, who was preparing another attack.

The two of them charged at Midnight, feinting as if they were going to try another direct assault. Midnight, confident in her ability to outmaneuver them, was about to use her quirk and attack, but at the last second, Jiro and Kaminari twisted in opposite directions, the ropes binding their hands looping around Midnight's wrists.

"Wh-what the hel-"

Midnight's eyes open wide of suprise, trying to pull away, but the ropes tightened, trapping her in their makeshift bind. Jiro quickly leaned in, using her earphone jacks to send a burst of sound waves directly at Midnight's chest, forcing her to stumble backward. Kaminari seized the opportunity and sent a low voltage shock through the ropes, just enough to stun Midnight without harming her. The combination of the sound waves and the electric shock was enough to bring Midnight to her knees, giving Kaminari the chance to grab the headband off her head, a defeated but proud smile on her lips.

"Well done," she said, breathless but impressed. "You two... make quite the pair."

Kaminari and Jiro exchanged a look, both of them panting but triumphant. "We did it," Kaminari whispered, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Jiro nodded, her own smile growing as she looked at him. "Yeah, good job peanut brain." she agreed, her voice soft.

Outside the gym, the rest of Class 1-A erupted into cheers, their excitement palpable through the monitors.

"That was awesome!" Kirishima shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"Did you see the way they worked together?" Uraraka added, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "They really complemented each other."

Back in the gym, Midnight stood up, the ropes still loosely hanging around her arm.

"You've passed," she declared, her voice warm despite her earlier intensity. "But remember, in a real battle, you won't always have time to catch your breath. Stay sharp, and keep relying on each other."

Jiro and Kaminari nodded in unison, their confidence bolstered by the victory. As they walked out of the gym, their hands still tied, Kaminari leaned close to Jiro and whispered, "Thanks for having my back."

"Always." Jiro felt her face turn a little red, as she started twirling her earphone jacks. "What was that?" She wondered.

They walked outside the gym, where their classmates were waiting, a wave of congratulations greeting them. But as they stood there, surrounded by their friends, all Kaminari could think about was how Jiro's presence had calmed him, even in the heat of battle. "Why do I keep having these feelings all the sudden?" He thought, trying to push the feelings down.

The same was happening with Jiro. She kept replaying the moment of him whispering into her ear inside her head. "He's such... A moron" She thinks, having a smile on her face.