Joking with Kyoka and meeting Mina

Some time passed.

Chris, Eijiro, and Mina were walking through the mall among a crowd of other classmates, including Kyoka, who was moving at the edge of the group, absorbed in her phone screen but keeping up with the group. They all moved from floor to floor, and with each step, the sun's rays gradually turned yellow and orange, penetrating the corridors and filling them with a soft, warm light. The atmosphere in the air became more and more cozy and relaxed, and the day began to slowly turn into evening.

Chris thought, carefully watching what was happening. The "event" is close, he thought, realizing that the first stage was already nearing its end. He had met Kyoka, leaving a good impression on her, and she seemed to remember him. It was a good start, now he had to bring her closer to his group before she managed to get close to someone else, otherwise he was destined not to reach the second stage. And just as he was about to say something to Mina, things didn't go quite as planned.

— Hey, Chris! — Mina turned to him, her usual bright smile lighting up her face. — Eijiro-kun and I just saw a cute dress boutique, and we decided to stop by for a while... alone, if you know what I mean~. But, don't you dare think anything dirty! — She shook her finger slightly in front of his face, with such a funny seriousness that Chris couldn't help but giggle. — Anyway, I said that so you wouldn't lose us. We'll be there! — She pointed her finger in the direction of the dress boutique, which she had also pointed her finger at just a while ago, but only for Eijiro. — Ciao! — With these words, she turned on the small heel of her sandals and, with a perky and springy gait, walked towards the "manly rock", leaving Chris alone.

Chris was a little confused by this turn of events. He hadn't expected his plans to change so suddenly, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it, which meant he had to make the most of the time he had left.

He decided that it would be best to get a little closer to Kyoka, and then introduce her to Mina and Eijiro. Chris began looking around, searching for the purple top of hair. After glancing around the crowd a few times, he noticed Kyoka walking a little further away from Izuku, Ochako, and Tenya's group. Although Kyoka was still keeping her distance, her posture no longer showed any desire to become invisible. She walked calmly next to the group, although her gaze was still almost entirely absorbed in the screen of her phone. Her thumb moved lazily across the screen, while her index finger of her other hand twisted the cord of her quirk around her finger, like the cord of an old telephone. Kyoka noticed Chris approaching her, looking straight at her, and shook herself a little. Her phone had disappeared safely into the pocket of her cropped black punk jacket. Her gaze met his again, and she smiled slightly and waved, to which Chris happily returned the gestures.

When he came closer, he didn't waste any time and immediately started a conversation:

— Hey, Kyoka, what's up? Still trying to pretend to be part of the interior, huh~? — He smiled slightly, seeing how her gaze sharpened slightly, and a smile appeared on her lips, ready to say something equally sharp and funny.

— Hello~. Well, yeah, something like that, — she answered slowly, with a little laziness in her voice and movements, although her eyes said that she was clearly in the mood to "bombard" with barbs and teasing in response to his joke. — Didn't mean to disturb your "love trinity" ~. — Her voice became more sarcastic, there were hints of mischief in her words, and she said the last words with an accent, deliberately emphasizing them. — I had no desire to get into another vanilla love triangle — her eyes rolled back, and her smile became somewhat mocking, which clearly showed her intention to embarrass Chris. There was clearly a lot of irony in her words, but also a relative softness, as if she was mocking, but without rudeness, just in a friendly way. — Ah! And by the way. Why are there so many couples here? Not even a day has passed, and everyone is already talking so that I can already tell who will be with whom... — Her voice became normal-clear, but now with a questioning intonation.

Chris grinned, realizing that she was generally right. Indeed, he had already managed to notice that some classmates were already breaking up into canonical groups, in which love interests from anime were visible. Although he could not help but agree that all communication between classmates of the opposite sexes was simply buzzing with something vanilla anime romantic. Although this can be justified by the fact that this world and these people are versions of characters from anime for teenagers about superheroes, so nothing unusual if you look at it from this angle.

— Hah, yeah, looks like everyone has already found their partner for the altar, — Chris shook his head humorously. — Yeah, by the way, that's why I'm alone now. Mina dragged Eijiro away to look at dresses in one of the stores. So to speak, they quickly excluded him from the "love trinity" — he verbally emphasized the last words, parodying her intonation and tease, which caused Kyoka to smile even wider. — In any case, they are kissing somewhere in the fitting room... — Chris said this dramatically quietly, but loudly enough for her to hear.

Kyoka chuckled, and her smile became mischievous:

— Oh. You mean Ashido and that red-haired guy? — She narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking. Her right hand's fingers took a "pistol" gesture, leaning against her chin, and her other hand supported her, resting on her flat chest. Then she smiled playfully and, as if telling a secret, leaned towards Chris, saying, — Although it’s more likely that she kisses him than he kisses her. Have you ever seen how shy he is even when he’s near her? Even I noticed it, — her lips stretched into a Cheshire grin. — He just goes into a stupor if she starts kissing this... cobblestone, he-he-he. — Her laughter was a little caustic, but at the same time playful, as if she was just having fun and there was nothing evil behind her words.

Chris couldn’t hold back his laughter, he knew she was right, because he himself had seen something similar happen. Their laughter continued for a few more seconds until they both calmed down. Chris decided to continue the topic:

— Yeah, it's hard not to notice, he-he. By the way, I was walking with them to the mall, and when she took his hand, he started walking like a robot. He was probably thinking, "No way... is this really not a dream?" — He thought for a second or two, and then added, — Although... it probably suits Midoriya's, the freckled broccoli, better. I saw him become TOMATOriya when Uraraka just said "Hi" to him, ha-ha-ha! You should have seen it! — He laughed again, his laughter slightly muffled by the hum of people in the mall. Kyoka, understanding the pun, burst into laughter as well. The laughter of two hyenas seemed to be heard within a couple of meters of them.

— Ah-hah-hah-ah, heh, yeah! — Chris sighed along with Jiro as he tried to wipe away the tears that had appeared. — But, by the way, there are also more unobvious "romances"... — He smiled, wiping the last of the laughter from his eyes, knowing that Kyoka would be intrigued.

— Yeah~? And who is it? — Kyoka looked around the group until she saw two classmates chatting sweetly — Kaminari and Asui? Although, I don't know… They look more like friends with interests than a couple of young loves. — Kyoka said the last sentence overdramatically, and then thoughtfully looked around the crowd once more. Her gaze lingered on Denki and Tsuyu, who were loudly discussing something in the distance, then returned to Chris, who looked at her searching gaze with mischief and anticipation.

Chris nodded to the side, and Kyoka looked over. She noticed a couple, Momo Yaoyorozu and Shoto Todoroki, standing in front of a tech store window. They were having a heated discussion that seemed to be going on for a long time, and their expressions were of people who were ready to defend their family, although if you listened closely, which is what Miller and Jiro did, their argument was about which brand of smartwatch to buy.

—Yep, it's a couple, — Chris said with confidence and ease in his voice, and then continued to watch the unfolding scene. He stood with an absolutely emotionless face and watched as rather calm and well-mannered people would very soon switch to something abusive and obscene, arguing about which watches have the best marketing and straps. But this is possible if they know what swearing is, of course. "Rich elite kids," after all. Although Chris wasn't sure about Shoto, being aware of his family problems.

— Surely— added Kyoka, standing with the same emotionless face as Chris in an absolutely static pose.

They stood like that for a couple more seconds, watching as the rich couple calmed down, admitting that analog watches were still more reliable and aesthetically pleasing. And then they walked towards the expensive ateliers, marking the end of the show. And now there was silence between Miller and Jiro, but their gazes were still following the backs of their classmates who were walking away into the distance.

After a couple more minutes of idleness and silence, Mina Ashido suddenly came running, accompanied by Eijiro Kirishima, who was catching up with her. In the hands of the "pink bomb of happiness" was a bag with something inside. "A dress," - Chris guessed - "After all, she shook some money out of poor Eijiro. Although he seems happy."

— Hiii~! — Mina interrupted the silence with a very happy and bright voice — Chri-i-is!! Look at my new dress!! Aaaah! Eiji-kun is simply wonderful! He picked out the color, shape, and everything right away! — the pink-haired student quickly began to chatter, violating Chris's personal boundaries, remaining just a few inches from his face. Although she violated Chris's personal space, he did not mind her smell of mint-strawberry gum and weak perfume with a caramel aroma, which perfectly complemented her image of "fizzy joy in sugar."

— Oh! And you are our classmate! — Mina's gaze and finger rushed to Kyoka's slightly embarrassed face. They both recognized each other, but only Jiro knew the name of the new interlocutor - I am Mina Ashido! Glad to meet a new friend - she quickly and lively extended her wide open palm for a handshake. Kyoka was chattering a little on the spot, not knowing what to do in such an unexpected situation. But she still extended her hand in response, which was immediately, firmly but gently clasped, and they began to shake very actively.

— Uh, yeah. I'm Kyoka Jiro... and I already know you. Like, you invited everyone here... And yeah, hi. — Her hand was finally released, and the pink hurricane continued its small rampage.

— Ooo~, so you know me?! — Mina's eyes shone like stars, and her body seemed ready to explode from excitement like a supernova. — This is so great! Am I SO memorable?! Although, maybe it's because of the hair color? Or because I'm too loud?

Kyoka slightly recoiled when Mina moved closer, almost dancing with delight, but she didn't take a step back. Yes, this pink storm was a little scary - but there was something enticing and cozy about it. Boundless energy. Incredible warmth. Impossible sincerity. Something that Kyoka herself always lacked.

— Uh... — she drawled, looking away slightly. — Well... everything at once. And a lot. But most of all - your sincerity... and the way you glow when you're happy. It's mesmerizing and memorable. — Kyoka, for some unknown reason, decided to honestly express her opinion. And only after a minute she realized that her words could be taken as a very sweet compliment, and if you look at it from the other side, even as flirting, which caused Jiro's cheeks to become covered with a slight blush that no one noticed. "And thank God," she thought, trying to calm her excitement.

— Seriously?! Thank you! — Mina nodded happily, as if it was the best compliment she had ever received in her life. Then her gaze darted from Kyoka to Chris, and then a few more times from him to her, and a sly smile of the greatest shipper began to bloom on her lips: — Wait~... What are you two doing here, huuuh? Miller-kun and Jiro-san together~... alone~, how romantic! You two are so... calmly sweet. Is this... a shadow crush blooming? When are the children?

Kyoka froze, as if she had quietly said something wrong, but every person heard it, froze and fell silent, staring at her. Her cheeks traitorously burned red, and her shoulders rose in the hope of hiding her head from the embarrassed expression on her own face. She quickly turned her shocked and embarrassed eyes several times from Mina, hoping for mercy, to Chris, hoping for salvation. But Mina didn't want to spare, and Chris seemed only happy to see her suffering face full of the desire to disappear.

— W-what? N-n-no! W-we just... s-st-ood! W_atc_h-Watched! B-breathe th-the air! — she said too quickly and loudly. Then she added abruptly, obviously trying to change the focus of embarrassment from herself to them — A-and you and Kiris-shima-kun are more like a v-vanilla couple. S-so c-cute that even sugar seems cloying...

The jab came out crumpled. Her usual sarcasm was in her voice, but not polished, and very blurry. Mina's eyes widened, not believing that this quiet and calm girl could be so loud and excited, and then burst out laughing, hiding her mouth with her hand.

— Eiji-kun, we've been exposed! — She laughed and slyly poked Kirishima in the side with her elbow, leaning her head slightly towards his shoulder, looking up at him. — You heard that, didn't you? "Vanilla couple", pfft. So we need to QUICKLY add salt to our relationship, Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! — she laughed out loud, already straightening up and rolling out her beautiful medium sized breasts in a wheelie.

Mina's ringing laughter ended when her sharp gaze fell on Jiro's cropped punk-style jacket: — Wow! What kind of beauty is this? Are you a punk? Or a rocker? So you play the guitar?! And did you play in a band?! How cool! — She did not slow down her speech, asking, and sometimes answering herself, an endless stream of questions. Her eyes lit up like stars again, and one could go blind from the charm of her newly appeared smile.

Kyoka straightened her shoulders slightly, as if someone had suddenly switched the mode from "be shy and hide" to "be proud and shine."

— A-Yeah, punk... W-well, more precisely, the style of clothing. I play the bass guitar. — Her voice became a little more confident and calmer, but the small stutters from her recent embarrassment remained, although their number was decreasing. Even the corners of her thin lips lifted in a small smile. — I-I wasn't in a band, but I can play.

"And sing" - immediately popped into her thoughts, which she was no longer in such a hurry to voice. She would not have been able to stand such a disgrace and would most likely have tried to run home if "that pink bimbo" had asked her to sing. And she would have asked. And in front of everyone.

— So you're a "heavy rocker"! Cool! And I love pop! — Mina said happily, as if she had just announced her victory at a talent show. — It's so cheerful and bright! Especially in the videos - I can watch them for hours!

— Oh, yeah... — Kyoka responded briefly, fading a little in a moment from a slight disappointment due to the answer that was basically expected. The smile remained, but now it was politer than real. — Welp... to each his own.

Now Kyoka had more or less calmed down, and a drop of laziness returned to her voice, but Mina did not notice it.

— By the way! Chris-kun, Jiro-san! Look! — she suddenly exclaimed happily, starting to take the dress out of the bag. — It's a masterpiece! The color is the bomb! And the tailoring is just a fairy tale! Just imagine how it will sit on me! — she was already spinning in place, pressing the fabric to her body and posing theatrically. — Eiji-kun is a genius of taste!

Kyoka rolled her eyes with a slight half-smile. Somewhere deep inside, she even found it funny. At least just standing next to this pink whirlwind. Although she didn't quite understand how it was that Ashido was able to switch topics so easily, and it didn't look so terrible. But apparently there shouldn't be an answer. But it didn't matter.

—Well, now you definitely won’t get lost in the crowd, — Kyoka nodded, standing in a more relaxed pose, placing her hand on her hip.

This is the longest and actually not very necessary chapter that I suffered over

"And remember! The Empire cares about you!"