𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 | ᴍʜᴀ x ᴍᴄᴜ | 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤. 𝙏

24. 𝖢𝖺𝗏𝖺𝗅𝗋𝗒 𝖻𝖺𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒅 𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝒂𝒔 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑨𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅, 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂 𝒚𝒂𝒘𝒏. She'd just finished the first round of the Sports Festival and placed tenth. Not bad, considering she hadn't fully pushed herself. Her father's voice echoed in her mind, reminding her to be strategic, to conserve her energy for when it truly mattered.

Still, the excitement of the event didn't really get to her. Jules wasn't the type to feel exhilarated by competition, at least not in the way most of her classmates did. The next event was a cavalry battle, something that piqued no interest in her at all. She casually tuned out Midnight's announcements, stifling another yawn as she covered her mouth. Her eyes wandered over the bustling students, all of them gearing up for what was to come.

Beside her, Shinso stood quietly, his hands in his pockets, his usual unreadable expression in place. He leaned in slightly towards her, his voice low enough that only she could hear.

"You knew, didn't you?" he asked, a smirk playing at his lips.

Jules blinked, turning her head just enough to meet his gaze. "Knew what?" she whispered back, pretending to focus on Midnight.

"That Midoriya would take first place," he said, raising an eyebrow at her, almost as if he already knew the answer.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Jules's mouth. Her father had taught her to always keep an eye on the competition, and from the very first moment she had seen Midoriya, she'd known he had a fire in him, one that was hard to miss.

"Of course, I did," Jules replied with a quiet confidence. It was a trait she carried with her, inherited from her father. Tony Stark never doubted his instincts, and neither did she.

Shinso's eyes lingered on her for a moment, as if gauging her answer, but he didn't press further. Instead, he shrugged casually before turning to her with an offer. "So... would you like to be on my team for the next round?"

Jules looked up at him, her silver eyes flickering with amusement. Shinso was smart—he'd read the field well during the obstacle course, and she respected that. But she wasn't exactly a team player, at least not in a competition like this. Her father had always been a lone wolf when it came to these things, and Jules was much the same.

"As much as I'd love to, Shinso... I don't feel it," she said with a small smile. "I'm pretty sure you'll make it to the third round without me. You're sharp, and you know how to play your cards." She gave him an apologetic glance, shrugging lightly. "Sorry, but I don't really play nice in teams."

Shinso didn't seem surprised by her answer. Instead, he gave her a slight nod, his lips quirking into a small grin. "I figured as much. Like father, like daughter, huh?"

Jules chuckled softly at his remark, watching as he walked away. He'd be fine on his own, she was sure of it.

She was about to turn and leave when she caught sight of Todoroki across the field. Their eyes met briefly, but before she could even think of approaching him, he broke the gaze and walked toward Momo Yaoyorozu. Jules felt a flicker of something, though she wasn't sure what it was—disappointment? Annoyance? She shook her head slightly. It didn't matter.

Just then, she felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see Uraraka standing there, a friendly smile on her face. Izuku and Tokoyami were right behind her.

"Hey, Jules!" Uraraka greeted cheerfully. "We were wondering if you'd like to join our team for the cavalry battle. We could really use someone with your skills!"

Jules hesitated for a moment, glancing at the three of them. They were all solid competitors, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little curious about how they would work together. The Phoenix stirred in her mind, its voice echoing faintly. "Go with them. It's time to see where you stand."

She closed her eyes briefly, considering the offer. Working with others wasn't really her thing, but something about Uraraka's enthusiasm—and the Phoenix's insistence—made her reconsider.

"Alright," Jules said, finally nodding. "I'm in."

Uraraka beamed, clapping her hands together. "Great! We're gonna do awesome!"

Izuku smiled nervously, still getting used to being around someone like Jules, who carried herself with such quiet confidence. Tokoyami gave a polite nod, clearly pleased with her decision.

With her place on the team secured, Jules glanced back at the field, catching one last look at Todoroki with Momo before turning her attention back to her own team. She didn't know what the cavalry battle had in store, but she knew one thing for sure—this festival was far from over, and Jules had no intention of going unnoticed.

"This will be interesting," the Phoenix whispered in her mind, its presence humming with excitement.

Jules smirked. Yeah... interesting indeed.

:･ﾟ⋆｡° Behind the scenes!!⭒✩･:*:｡

🎀 Pietro once used Jules's debit card and brought $10,000 worth of robux. He was banned from playing Roblox ever again.

🎀 Pietro has his eye on someone other than Jules in the sports festival. He may even develop a crush.