Cool Down! (Todoroki Sister¡Reader)

Chapter 53: Re-Evaluation

Letting your feet roam on autopilot and your brain in a hazy daze. You soon found yourself before the same humble Ramen-ya that is usually filled with the regular customers. The same ones who would come back again and again, ordering a dish and almost staying there for hours on end.

It surprised you that Minato-san didn't mind them holding up their seats for long periods a day.

With a droopy sigh and slumped shoulders, you walked in. Greeted by the ever-so-bright smile of Arata the orange-haired assistant. The same orange-haired pupil of the stingy chef, Minato.

"(Y/N)! How're the extra classes going?" he asked with the same caring smile he had given you. Just like the one he gave on the first day you met.

The first person to actually see through you and notice your discomfort. He is also one of the first few people outside your family to openly worry about you.

'Oh.. yeah, I also told him about me transferring to the hero course the other day...' you sadly thought 'I didn't have anywhere else to go though...'

Already quick to read your eyes, Arata quirked his brow worriedly. "What's wrong? Did something bad happened?"

His attempts to call you forward while looking back and forth whether to risk jumping over the counter and get scolded or passing through the long way and may unintentionally have you run away made a small smile grace your lips.

Though older than you, he was very quirky like the students in U.A. His childish acts usually had him beaten with a ladle by his mentor.

Deciding to save him from the trouble, you waddled to your favorite seat, where you noticed that it had been decorated with a different colored cushion than the store's usual aesthetic.

"You like the pattern?" the man shyly asked as he scratched his cheek. "I don't know what kind of pattern you'd like, so I just picked ones with Sakura branches with a crane in the background. Since in the festival you were literally flying through the matches as if it were nothing!"

"But Cranes also mean good-fortune and longevity, as well as happiness and eternal youth..." you remarked looking teasingly at the man saying.

"Are you calling me old?"

"H-Hey! Cranes aren't just for elder people. You know that! D-Don't go mocking it around." Arata lightly huffed with his own version of puffed cheeks. It in turn made you laugh when some of the regulars playfully battered Arata for calling them 'elder' when they clearly still had some spunk in them.

"Moving on..!" he yelped out calming his red face to see you getting comfy on your new, personalized seat.

"Are you sure you're okay? You really had me worried when you didn't come bursting in through the flaps with your usual bouncy self."

You sighed softly knowing well Arata isn't one to beat around the bush when it comes to you. His concern is always something you expected whenever he sees a frown on your pink lips.

"I..." your voice cracked with anxiety.

'How is he gonna react?' you wondered, 'He was so happy when he found out that I was gonna become a proper hero in training.'

"You can take your time, you know" Arata pat your pink head with a grin, "Why not order something first then tell me."

"Awe! But eating is supposed to be a happy thing! Not something I want to cry away with!" you pout earning a tut from him.

"You may not understand, but good food can bring out the true emotions of people!" He said as he waved his hands in a 'mystifying' way that only made you tilt your head unconvinced.