To escape the dull lull of summer, Jirō had arranged an outing to a karaoke bar, dragging along Ayaka, Momo, a few others, and a boy she'd been eyeing—Denki Kaminari.
Ayaka had seen the guy a couple of times before and found him oddly amusing. To her it was clear that he was into her best friend, and she was into him as well. The most entertaining part about that, was watching him trying to act cool in front of her, making for a hilarious scene.
Currently, Jirō was on stage, belting out Idol by Yoasobi. She wasn't bad at all—honestly pretty good—but Ayaka leaned back with her arms crossed, laughing visibly to get under her skin. She wasn't laughing because the performance was bad. But rather because she knew Jirō would eventually crash out. What could she say, there's no better feeling than ragebaiting your best friend.
Sure enough, halfway through the second song, Jirō stopped dead, glaring daggers.
"You gremlin! What the hell are you laughing at?!" she snapped, pointing her mic at Ayaka. "I'd like to see you get up here for once!"
Ayaka's smirk widened. "Sorry, but wouldn't it be embarrassing for you if I outshined your—"
A flying microphone hit her square in the forehead before she could finish. She staggered back into Momo, who caught her by the shoulders without hesitation.
"Are you alright?" Momo asked softly, concern flickering through her voice.
Ayaka rubbed the spot, grinning despite the red mark. " 'Tis but a scratch," She got up dramatically "But nevertheless, the public yearns for me, so I must sing!"
"Oh, for God's sake, just sing already!" Jirō barked. "Momo, you pick the song."
Momo thought for a moment, then said, "No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age."
The choice made everyone pause. It wasn't what they expected from Momo. Ayaka blinked too, though for a different reason.
"M-me? That song? My voice doesn't really—"
Her protest was drowned out by the booing of the crowd.
Ayaka was a very good singer, the only ones she couldn't perform, were songs with screaming, or making her voice "raspy", like the chorus from 'Man In The Box'.
Then, came the part of the song she thought was embarrassing to sing in front of her crush,
"Oh, what you do to me
No one knows
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I…"
The lyrics weren't romantic by design, but standing up there, heart hammering with Momo's eyes on her, Ayaka felt like every word was.
Applause filled the room when the song ended, and Ayaka hopped down with a dramatic bow. "You can save the applause for when I get back from the bathroom."
After Ayaka answered nature's call, she nearly jumped when she found Kaminari hovering nervously.
"Geez! Don't lurk outside the girls' bathroom like that. It's creepy!"
"No! No, it's not like that!" he panicked, waving his hands. "I just… wanted to ask you something."
She crossed her arms. "Make it quick."
"You're Jirō's best friend, right? So… you probably know what kind of guy she likes. And you've noticed that I'm interested in her,"
Ayaka leaned against the wall, smirking. "Kind of hard not to. But, here's the thing about Jirō, she acts tough, but inside she's soft. She likes people that don't try too hard, she thinks it makes their efforts "Fake in the long term". So just… don't be an ass, you know. Be yourself. Even if it's kind of meh."
"Meh?!"
"I'm just messing with you. Good luck, Pikachu"
Despite the jab, Kaminari looked a little more confident. She waved him off and wandered toward the vending machines, fishing coins from her pocket. But something she saw through the glass doors made her pause.
Outside, a spiky-haired blonde had a green-haired boy backed against the wall. Sparks crackled dangerously from the blonde's palm as two lackeys jeered.
Ayaka pushed the door open and stepped out, voice sharp. "Hey. Back off."
The blonde turned, glaring at her. "The hell do you want, hag?"
Ayaka's eyes narrowed. "I don't care what your deal is, but you're not going to jump some kid in the street while I'm standing here."
"Mind your own damn business!" He shoved Midoriya's shoulder, sparks popping louder.
Ayaka moved closer, dropping her change into her bag. "If you want a fight so badly, then fight me."
His lips curled in a snarl. "Don't think I'll hold back just 'cause you're a girl!"
"From the punches I saw you throw, so are you."
That was all it took. He lunged forward with an explosive swing. Ayaka ducked under his arm, hooked it, and yanked him forward before driving her knee into his ribs. The blow knocked the air from his lungs.
"You telegraph your punches like crazy," she muttered.
Bakugo stumbled but recovered fast, fury blazing in his eyes. He swung again, hand sparking violently. Ayaka sidestepped, caught his wrist, and twisted until he hissed through clenched teeth. Then she slapped him hard across the face.
The sound cracked through the air. His lackeys bolted immediately.
"You—!" He roared, trying to charge again, but she pivoted and drove her fist into his stomach, folding him over with a grunt.
"Go home," she said, releasing him. "I'm not a big fan of beating on a downed dog."
Bakugo staggered back, seething. His pride burned hotter than the pain.
Ayaka turned to the green-haired boy. "You alright?"
He nodded quickly. "Y-yeah. Thank you."
"Come on. Grab a drink, then head back in with me."
They returned inside, each holding a can from the vending machine.
"I'm Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya," he said after a moment.
"Hanabusa Ayaka," she replied with a small grin. "Let's get you something to drink,"
For a moment, they drank in silence until Midoriya spoke again. "I should probably… head home. Don't want to cause more trouble."
"Don't be shy. Stick with me and my friends for a while. Having some fun can't hurt."
He hesitated, then nodded gratefully. "Alright."
When they re-entered the room, Jirō immediately narrowed her eyes. "Finally! What took you so long?" She smirked. "Momo was worried."
Momo looked away, but the truth was obvious.
Ayaka dropped onto the couch beside her, shoulders brushing. "This is Midoriya. He was getting hassled outside. I stepped in."
Momo leaned closer, her voice quiet. "From what Midoriya said, you fought really well. I didn't know you were trained."
Ayaka grinned. "I've practiced martial arts my whole life. Kudō, specifically. My dad got me into it when I was little."
Momo's eyes widened. "That explains it. You were confident enough to face down someone like that… without even using a quirk."
Ayaka shrugged. "Quirks don't matter much if you can't handle yourself properly. Specially in situations like that, when you can't use it legally,"
The night rolled on. More songs, more laughter. At one point Kaminari slipped out after Jirō, and Ayaka didn't think much of it—until, later, her phone buzzed with a text.
'He asked me to the festival. I said yes!!!'
Ayaka smirked at the screen, amused by how much Jirō pretended not to care in front of everyone else.
Eventually, the night wound down. Outside, the air was heavy and warm. Midoriya thanked Ayaka one last time before hurrying off.
"Want me to give you a ride?" Ayaka asked Momo, straddling her bike.
"Yeah," Momo replied, slipping onto the back.
As Ayaka pedaled, the silence between them wasn't awkward. Momo broke it after a while.
"If you don't mind teaching me, I'd love to learn some moves from you. I'm really lacking in the physical strength department," she said with a soft laugh
Ayaka was incredibly happy to hear this, "Of course I can, people at the dojo say I'm a good teacher,"
"Wait, you teach martial arts?" Momo was surprised by this.
"Not always, a friend of my dad runs the place I've been going to since I was a kid, so sometimes I help her teach the students. Besides, I'm her best student by a long shot, so there's no one more qualified than me!"
Momo leaned more onto Ayaka, replying close to her ear "Then it's a deal…" This momentary distraction almost made her crash the bike.
Her thoughts drifted back to the spiky blonde, his fury and his pride. Something deep in her gut told her this wasn't the last time their paths would cross.
And strangely, she found herself looking forward to it.
Meanwhile, a few streets away, Bakugo sat hunched on a park bench. His cheek stung, his stomach ached, and his pride burned like wildfire.
Her movements replayed in his head—the calm way she read him, the precision of her strikes. She hadn't even used a quirk.
For the first time in a while, Katsuki Bakugo felt outclassed.
He clenched his fists until his nails bit into his palms.
That humiliation hardened into something sharper.
His quirk alone wouldn't cut it. He needed to train the rest of himself—body, mind, discipline—until no one could ever dismiss him again.
Tonight wasn't just a defeat. It was the beginning of something else.