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Yaoyorozu liked patterns. Patterns could be found everywhere: in nature, in math, and ultimately, in life.
Rhythms were like musical patterns. However, the frantic knocking on the door could barely be described as enjoyable.
“Did you invite someone?” Todoroki asked from the couch.
Yaoyorozu shook her head and stood. “I have no idea who that might be. Maybe a solicitor?” She unlocked the door and blinked at the person it revealed.
“Yeesh, I thought you’d never open the door. Can I come in?” Yaoyorozu could hardly say no, so she stepped aside to let Kaminari dance past.
“Hey, Todoroki. Woah, nice couch! Actually, nice everything. Guess you can really do a lot on your own with some money.” Kaminari peeked into the kitchen and whistled.
Yaoyorozu fidgeted a little, and sent Todoroki a look. Help me with this.
Todoroki sent her a look of his own. I have no idea what is going on, and you’re the one who let him in.
Yaoyorozu sighed a little and walked over to where Kaminari was examining a painting on the wall as if he were in a museum. “Is something the matter…?” she said.
Kaminari smiled at her sheepishly. “Oh! Sorry, got distracted. There’s a Mike Krol concert tonight, and I don’t have anybody to go with. Do you guys want to come?”
“Um.” Yaoyorozu said brilliantly. “I would have thought that Kirishima…”
Kaminari cut her off with a shrug. “He’s busy. So is Sero, and Ashido, and literally everyone else! I just thought I might give you guys a try.”
What did she know about concerts? They were generally shown to be loud and crowded, and seemed to inevitably lead to bad decisions. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go with Kaminari, he was a good friend, but, well…
She glanced over at Todoroki, who was peering over the couch at them.
“Kaminari’s inviting us to a concert.” she told him. Maybe she could stall for time?
“Yes, I know.” Todoroki said. “I heard.” He looked at her expectantly. Ah. Clearly she wasn’t the only one stalling for time.
“Well… Kaminari, we’d love too, but we’re in the middle of a study session. Maybe next time…?” she tried.
Kaminari groaned and sagged a little. Momo clasped and unclasped her hands as she desperately tried to think of something comforting to say.
“Maaan, I knew it. Sorry for interrupting your study session thing. I’ll just have to miss it. See you around!” He gave a little flick of the hand and headed toward the door.
She opened her mouth to apologize, but her mind snagged on something he had said. “What do you mean, you ‘knew it?’” she blurted.
Kaminari paused and partially turned to face her. “I mean, you guys are always busy with school stuff, y’know? No offense, I mean. You guys just kind of… don’t go outside?”
“We go outside.” Todoroki said.
“That’s not what I meant.” Kaminari said. “Listen, it’s cool! Everybody’s gotta study sometimes, even though I can’t believe you-”
“We’re coming.” Yaoyorozu said.
Kaminari closed his mouth. An awkward silence hung in the air, and Yaoyorozu felt her face start to heat up.
Keep your cool, Momo.
“We’re coming?” Todoroki asked, giving her an incredulous look.
“Yes.” she said, feeling a little silly. “If… that’s alright?”
Todoroki shrugged. “Sure.”
Kaminari’s face split into a grin and he pumped the air with his fist. “Yeah! Okay, awesome. One thing, though, before we go.”
“Hm?” she said as she reached for her bag.
“Are you wearing that to the concert?”
She felt indignation rise in her throat, but managed to give Kaminari a diplomatic smile. “Of course not. Give me a little time to get ready.”
--
She took a deep breath, and then strode back into the living room.
“Wow, Yaomomo! Nice jacket! I didn’t take you for the leather jacket type.” Kaminari said.
“Thank you. And…” She popped the collar of the jacket with a flourish. “…There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
Kaminari’s face did something strange, but Yaoyorozu ignored him in favor of turning to Todoroki.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked, and Todoroki nodded and stood. He had not changed, nor had he even moved from his place on the couch. For a moment Yaoyorozu entertained the thought of Kaminari and Todoroki engaged in a staring contest while she changed, and allowed herself a little smile.
“Alright, so, this is Sero’s van.” Kaminari said, gesturing to said van as Todoroki locked the door. “I was wondering if maybe you could drive us there, Yaomomo…?”
“Why me?” she said.
“I’m really not the best driver, and I promised Sero nothing would happen to the car. I just thought you’d be a really responsible driver, y’know?”
No, I don’t know. she thought petulantly, and then mentally berated herself. She didn’t understand what she was getting so worked up about. Didn’t she like being known as the responsible one?
“It’s no problem.” she told him. He tossed her the keys, and mercifully she managed to not to fumble for them.
Todoroki slid into the back seat as Kaminari tugged on the seat belt next to Yaoyorozu. “Before we head to the concert, we need to stop for snacks. Can’t go to a concert without snacks. To the corner store!”
“To the corner store.” Yaoyorozu said grimly, and gripped the steering wheel.
--
“I don’t know how you manage to look intense even while eating chips.” Kaminari said uneasily as Todoroki popped another chip in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. “I don’t know what you mean.” he said, locking eyes with Kaminari.
“O-kay! Here, Yaomomo, want this?” Kaminari held out a can of what looked like juice. She plucked it from his hands and examined it. What would it mean if she drank this? Was this another expected quality of hers? Or would she be surprising him by actually drinking it?
You’re overthinking it, Momo! Beside her, Kaminari was saying something, but she had no idea what he was talking about. She managed to open the can and took a sip.
Bells jingled as the door to the shop opened. Yaoyorozu gracefully spat out the drink.
Stylishly cut purple hair. Earbuds nestled naturally in the ears. Minimalistic yet artful makeup.
A young woman no older than Yaoyorozu strolled into the shop. She glanced over to where the three of them were standing and then walked over to the soda dispenser.
This is it. Yaoyorozu thought dazedly. This is what it’s like to fall in love. Or be in shock. Maybe both.
“Yaoyorozu? Are you alright?” Todoroki said. He wasn’t fooling her. She could see his smile.
“Of… course! It’s just, um, her hair! It’s very nice and… purple.” she said. Todoroki quirked a delicate eyebrow. She wasn’t fooling him, either.
Kaminari dug an elbow into her side. “Hey! You should ask her how she did her hair!” She gave him a bewildered look. He grinned, winked, and gave her a thumbs-up.
“I…” she started.
Oh, screw it.
“Okay.” she said, and took a deep breath.
The woman was filling her paper cup with soda. Act casual, Momo! Pretend you’re just there to get soda, too.
She reached over to get a cup and opened her mouth to speak, but she miscalculated her distance from the cups and grabbed at air. As she tried to casually lunge for a cup, several things happened in quick succession:
- Instead of grabbing a cup, her hand only grazed the rim of its bottom, causing the whole stack to lean over,
- which caused the stack to topple over onto her, sending cups flying,
- so, desperately, she tried to fumble for at least one and ended up performing the world’s most pathetic juggling act.
She tried to compose herself, plastering a hopefully calm-looking smile on her face and turning to the girl who had seemingly edged away during this whole debacle. The girl silently walked away towards the door. The bells chimed again to signal her exit, and also possibly the end of Yaoyorozu’s life.
“Hey, uh, that went great!” Kaminari announced, and smiled in an apparently convincing manner.
“Don’t patronize me.” she grumbled. A part of her wished that he hadn’t been able to hear her, and a much louder, indignant part of her hoped that he had. “Let’s just… go.”
--
“I’m like a star, I’m burning out fast- I try to shine- but it’s never gonna last,”
With the music filling the car, Yaoyorozu managed to clear her thoughts and focus on the road, and only the road. Next to her, Kaminari was fervently drumming in the air. She considered telling him to maybe not swing his arms around so much, but decided against it. She glanced up at the mirror to see how Todoroki was doing. She had practically dragged him along, hadn’t she?
Focus on the road!
Right, the road. Just the nice empty expanse of grey, not the concert or how she acted or hot girls at soda dispensers-
“Listen, Yaoyorozu… I’ve got to say it, because this is becoming a bit of an issue. You’ve been crushing on that girl since you saw her in your class back in high school.” Todoroki said.
“Ohohoho!” Kaminari exclaimed gleefully. “No way.”
Why, oh why had she dragged Todoroki along?
“This isn’t – it’s not – what do you mean it’s an issue?” she said, and tightened her grip on the wheel.
Just look at the road, Momo!
“I don’t mean like it’s a bad thing that you have a crush, I just feel like it’s affecting you… negatively? I don’t really know.” Todoroki sounded like he was choosing his words very carefully, which unexpectedly flipped a switch in Yaoyorozu’s mind.
“Who’s affected? Not me! This is just Yaoyorozu Momo, going to a concert with other people, and not getting affected by some high school crush.” she exclaimed, her voice going a little shrill.
The music still filled the car, but it felt too quiet, suddenly. She could feel Kaminari’s gaze boring into her from the side.
“Momo.” Todoroki said suddenly with a note of urgency. “It’s her.”
“What?” she said, and glanced at her left side mirror. Oh. Oh. The girl from before was pulling up on the side… on a motorcycle.
“Oh god. It’s her.” she stammered. Her face was on fire. “What– what do I do?”
“Okay, listen.” Kaminari instructed. “Turn your head and look her in the eye. No, not yet!” Yaoyorozu snapped her head back forward. “Aaaand…. now.”
Yaoyorozu turned her head, and looked. The girl caught her eye, and smiled.
If her face had been on fire before, clearly her face had now reached its melting point.
In front of them, a traffic light turned red. Yaoyorozu stopped the car as the girl drove off ahead.
“Aw, man.” Kaminari said. “There she goes.”
“She might be going to the same concert we’re going to.” Todoroki said.
Kaminari shook his head. “Or not. Girls like that probably have a ton of concerts to go to right now. Better give it up.”
Yaoyorozu gritted her teeth. “No.”
Kaminari blinked at her. “Wha?”
She turned the knob on the radio to blast the music, set her eyes on the retreating figure in the distance, and slammed her foot on the gas.
“Yaomomo what the fuck!” screamed Kaminari, and then whooped for added measure.
Todoroki’s “What are you doing?” was almost drowned out by the music.
Yaoyorozu grinned.
Didn’t expect that, did you?
They were steadily catching up to the girl when a telltale siren sound started blaring behind them.
“Momo, it’s the police.” She glanced up at the mirror to meet Todoroki’s wide-eyed expression.
“Oh, damn. Are you going to pull over?” Kaminari said.
“Um.” she said. “No.” She had a perfect record, she couldn’t mess it up for something like this. Plus, she was a little too emotionally compromised to be talking to a police officer right now.
“No?” Kaminari and Todoroki said simultaneously, Kaminari sounding a little bit too excited, Todoroki sounding mildly alarmed.
“Hold on!” she shouted, and gunned the gas again.
With the police car following loudly and closely behind, they sped past the girl’s motorcycle. Disappointment bitterly stung in Yaoyorozu, but there were clearly more pressing matters now.
Ahead of them was a sign for the city ahead. She spun the wheel and threw the gear shift, and the car whirled as Kaminari shouted with glee. She heard a small “ah” from Todoroki.
She neatly backed the car behind the sign and the three of them sighed in relief as the police car sped past.
“Well.” Yaoyorozu said by way of explanation, and changed gears. She pressed on the gas.
Nothing.
She tried again.
Nothing.
“I… think we ran out of gas.”
Kaminari pulled out his phone and looked for nearby gas stations. “There’s one close by! It’s… oh. Twenty miles away. Nevermind.”
“I think the concert’s close enough to walk to.” Todoroki said. Kaminari confirmed this and hopped out of the van. Yaoyorozu sighed and followed suit.
--
The concert may have been close by, but for Yaoyorozu every second felt like another soul-crushing hour, every step sending dread shuddering through her stomach.
She stopped walking. “I can’t do this.”
“What?” Kaminari said, stopping as well. Todoroki gave her a quiet look of concern.
“I just, I’m sorry.” she said. “Everything’s just awful now, and it’s my fault.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t… don’t act like you don’t know, Kaminari. Sorry. That was a little mean.” she said, and looked down at her boots, scuffing the ground slightly. “I thought I would just, I don’t know, go out, and hang out with people, and go to a concert and have fun doing things I’m not used to, and then you’d think ‘Wow, Yaoyorozu is really cool and interesting and not boring and predictable!’ Instead I went and blasted music as I broke the law to chase after some girl… And now we’re just walking on the side of the road to the concert because I did all that stuff with the van – which is Sero’s van, the one you had to be careful with!” Somewhere in the middle of her rant Yaoyorozu had just sat down on the grass.
“Are you hearing yourself right now? You just did a bunch of stuff you’ve never done before! You just gunned it from the cops!” Kaminari exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands.
“Yeah, I haven’t been that scared since years ago.” Todoroki said. “That was really unexpected of you.”
Yaoyorozu huffed a little laugh despite herself. “Well, I’ve got a ton of things up my sleeve that you don’t know about.” She took Todoroki’s hand and pulled herself up.
“Do you hear that?” he asked.
“Hear what?” Kaminari said. “Oh.”
Familiar music weakly reached their ears, getting louder as they approached the concert. Yaoyorozu recognized it as the music that had been playing in the car. There was also something else that she recognized. A someone…
“Wow. She’s actually here.” Todoroki said behind her. The girl was standing to the side, nodding along to the music.
“That’s one crazy coincidence.” Kaminari said, scrunching up his nose. “Or maybe it’s fate?”
Yaoyorozu took a deep breath. “I’m going to talk to her.”
Kaminari started. “Huh? Wait, no, forget that fate part. Listen, Yaomomo, I already think you’re cool, you don’t have to throw yourself into things – where are you going. Oh god, she’s gone. Todoroki, man, stop her!”
“Why?” she heard him ask. Kaminari’s reply was drowned out by the music, by her focus.
Music, rhythms, like her heart thumping anxiously, were all patterns in their own way. Laws of logic bound them to certain notes, certain tempos, like routine; familiar and comforting. But what’s a set of data without an outlier?
She reached the girl, looked at her straight in the eye, and held out a hand.
--
“Oh, wow, I forgot that Yaomomo’s a lot taller than her, damn. Shit, what is she doing? No, don’t hold out your hand! They’re talking. What are they talking about? I can’t look. I’m looking.” Kaminari fidgeted nervously. “She’s coming back! Okay, act cool.”
Todoroki attempted to act cool.
--
“So, how did it go?” Todoroki asked. Kaminari looked like he was going to explode.
“Well, I asked her how she did her hair, and she told me, and then she asked how I did mine, and I told her that I made my hair supplies using a special mixture of store-bought products and various extra chemicals and substances, to which she replied ‘Ha, same.’” Yaoyorozu momentarily adopted the girl’s cool stance to perform her impression. “So I suppose she has some interest in chemistry. Then I told her that I remembered her from high school and she laughed and gave me, well, this!”
She held out the slip of paper with a hand that only slightly trembled.
Kaminari practically squealed. “Oh my god. Oh my god. You walked up to her and said some genius Curie spiel about hair products and got her phone number like it was nothing!? Yaoyorozu, you’re a total rockstar!”
The music began to swell once more, causing the air to thrum around them. As she leaned on Todoroki’s shoulder, she decided to refrain from telling Kaminari that Curie had nothing to do with hair products. Instead, she glanced down fondly at the slip of paper in her hand.
Call me. –Jirou Kyouka
---
“What if I told you that the world was gonna end, and you had fifteen minutes to spend with me or your friends?”
STARRING:
YAOYOROZU MOMO as REPRESSED NERD
KAMINARI DENKI as ULTIMATE WINGMAN
TODOROKI SHOUTO as VOICE OF REASON
And introducing, JIROU KYOUKA as HERSELF