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❟❛❟ CHAPTER THIRTY ❟❛❟
BAKUGOU COULD FEEL THE SUBTLE SHIFT IN THEIR DYNAMIC. Their relationship was... better. It wasn't a drastic change, but noticeable enough for him to acknowledge. He knew their approach to Akame was ... a little unusual. But it had drawn them closer in ways he hadn't expected—going home together, grabbing meals, shopping, doing homework side by side, even cooking together. Things had become a strange sort of routine.
Lately, though, he noticed something different. Akame had started to open up, if only a little. She wasn't as guarded and didn't pull away when they were close. In fact, just yesterday at the hospital, she had been the first to give him a little affection.
A flicker of warmth had bloomed in his chest before he could suppress it.
Wasn't that progress?
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What's on your mind?"
Bakugou blinked, startled to see Akame standing right in front of him, her dark eyes watching him intently. The rumble of the approaching train momentarily distracted him, but his gaze quickly returned to her.
He didn't notice.
"Nothing," he mumbled.
Without warning, Akame's hand darted out, pinching his cheek. He growled, ready to bite at her fingers, but she pulled away with a sly smirk, too fast for him.
"Stop pinching my cheek," he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot.
"Hmm," Akame hummed in response, offering no apology.
They continued walking, the winter air crisp as they made their way through the streets of Tokyo. Their footsteps fell in sync as they settled into the warmth of a small hotpot restaurant. The comforting scent of broth and spices filled the air, a perfect contrast to the chill outside.
Bakugou's eyes lit up when the red soup arrived. "If Todoroki was here, he'd probably pass out from just looking at this," he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Akame chuckled. "Yeah, he's hopeless with spicy food."
Bakugou leaned back in his seat, smirking. "Can't believe he turned us down just to have dinner with his old man. That guy follows Endeavor around everywhere now. Even on his parents' dates. It's weird."
Akame nodded thoughtfully. "He used to hate him so much... it's kind of strange seeing him like this now."
Bakugou grinned. "Remember his first hero costume? He covered half his body in ice because he didn't even want to use his fire. Hated his dad so much, he looked like a half-frozen robot," then he laughed. "That was the ugliest costume I've ever seen. Even worse than Deku's. No, Deku's was just as ugly."
