(Kata POV – Karaoke Box)
'Now there’s a crowd.' I groan internally as nearly the entire class piles into what’s now officially a full-blown group hug.
So of them are smiling. Too many are crying. And then there are the wise few, like Bakugo and Tokoyami, who kept their distance, watching from the sidelines, unwilling to join the mass of bodies.
If not for my enhanced physique, I’d probably be flattened right now. Still, I make sure Eri isn’t getting smothered, shielding her with one arm to ensure she can still breathe.
I should be irritated. The logical part of knows I should’ve stepped aside before this hug beca inevitable. Just one word from and they would’ve stopped.
'But I didn’t. And… I don’t mind.'
Sure, Eri wanting this hug, whatever her reasons were for beckoning them all in, would’ve been enough on its own. I would’ve endured it for her.
But the strange thing is… even without that…
'I still don’t mind.'
I glance around at the classmates surrounding —eyes puffy, tears flowing freely, faces touched with real concern, and I can feel it. Their sincerity. Their warmth. They’re not just reacting to the performance. They’re reacting to the pain Eri and I showed through our song.
And instead of doubting their feelings… I find myself accepting them.
'Am I happy, grateful, or just at peace?'
I can’t quite put my finger on it. Nurous emotions mix together that it's hard to identify them, but it's a good feeling.
I hold Eri a little tighter, tucking her closer. She grins up at like the hug was planned right from the start.
'She looks so proud of herself.' I smirk.
I definitely got carried away. The song hit deeper than I expected, and I bled a little too much truth into my singing. For a few minutes, I let myself be vulnerable. And this massive wall of classmates crying all over, is the consequence.
'It could’ve been worse.'
Eri’s happy. I’m… also kind of happy. And if that’s the result, then I can live with the fallout.
Well… most of it.
My gaze drifts calmly, and carefully, to Aoyama.
He’s part of the group hug too. Crying like everyone else. His tears look genuine, and maybe they are, but that ans very little to . His acting is good enough to deceive everyone and I can't help but wonder…
'What is he really thinking, and what will he do now?'
AFO’s already tried to manipulate public perception against . Which ans he’d be keeping tabs on . Which ans Aoyama—willingly or not—will probably divulge everything that's happened today.
Up to this point, I haven’t cared. I've kept my distance from Aoyama, and he's Nezu’s problem to resolve.
But now he knows about Eri. He knows what she ans to . And if he says the wrong thing to the wrong person...
'Would that count as him targetting Eri and I?' I wonder. 'Should I treat it as such?'
The old wouldn’t have wasted so much ti thinking about if I should act, and more on how. I’d have eliminated him quietly.
But now…
'I'm hesitating.'
Not because I’m afraid. It's because whatever I choose to do affects those I care about too.
If I made Aoyama disappear, most of my classmates would grieve and worry about him. Even Eri might be sad too.
If I sohow got caught, I could always just leave Japan, or strong arm their compliance, but…
'That wouldn't be good for anyone else. Especially Eri.'
And truthfully, I also don't want to waste energy engineering sothing like that when Nezu's already making plans of his own.
'I'm sure he's taking my warning to heart, and is already monitoring Aoyama and his family.'
I'll let him finish it.
I exhale quietly. 'When did I get so soft?'
I guess it isn't softness exactly. I'm still just as willing to do it if it becos necessary… I just have more reasons not to. It's a kind of growth.
I glance back at Eri—her eyes closed now, her arms clinging around lovingly.
'I guess the change is a good thing.'
Eventually, the crying dies down and the hug loosens, but the warmth doesn’t vanish…
“It feels nice, right, Kata?” Eri chis in with a beaming grin, her voice gentle and bright, seemingly innocent.
My lip twitches. 'Does she do this on purpose?'
Hopeful eyes turn toward from every direction, their expressions expectant as they await my answer. I’m surrounded, not just physically, but emotionally. It would be easier to brush it off. I could deflect or dodge the question.
But I don’t.
I sigh lightly, then nod once. “Yes… it feels nice.”
The words barely leave my mouth before the entire group erupts.
“Awww!”
“I knew it!”
“That’s a win for Team Hug!”
“So you do like hugs. Good to know.” Mina teases with a victorious grin, elbowing playfully.
“We were worried we’d make you uncomfortable.” Momo adds more gently, her gaze drifting to Eri with a fond smile. “But then...”
“I told them!” Eri giggles proudly from my arms, puffing out her chest.
I roll my eyes. “I’m not that stuck-up.”
They exchange glances so synchronized it almost looks rehearsed.
“I don’t know, man.” Kirishima says with a grin. “You’ve got kind of a ‘don’t touch ’ vibe.”
“Not with the amount of force you use.” I reply flatly.
Kirishima blinks, montarily stunned, then chuckles. “Haha, my bad! Didn’t know I was squeezing that hard.”
I look at him deadpan. “That was a joke.”
A beat of silence passes. They blink. Then—
“Wait—you make jokes now?” Kaminari gasps, as if I’ve just revealed a second quirk.
“Who would’ve thought, ribbit.” Tsuyu adds in her calm, observant way, head tilted.
“It’s definitely… a rare occurrence.” Momo notes, still clearly processing it.
“He’s evolving!” Sero declares dramatically, and Mina cackles.
I glance between them, unimpressed. “Are you all just trying to annoy ?”
“Nooo…” Mina singsongs, clearly lying.
“I vote we encourage it.” Jiro adds quietly from the side, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.
“Fine.” I sigh heavily. “I won’t joke again.”
“Don’t sulk, Kata.” Eri says sweetly, resting her head against my chest. “I like your jokes.”
Even without looking, I can tell she doesn’t actually find them funny—she just wants to feel better. It’s painfully obvious… and adorable.
'Eri's always got my back.'
And predictably, the rest of the class rallies behind her.
“Yeah, man, keep it up!”
“Deadpan jokes are top-tier humor!”
“You’re funnier than you think!”
I shake my head slowly, staring blankly into the void. 'You’re just making it worse.'
The karaoke winds down after that. A few people go up for encore songs—so trying to outdo their earlier performances, so just riding the high of the mont. I avoid the mic like the plague, despite multiple people beckoning towards it.
Just because I can sing, much to my own amazent, doesn’t an I have to.
Instead, I sit back and watch. Eri sings again—more than once, actually. She joins Momo and Mina, then Toru, and even Jiro in a surprisingly heartfelt duet. Her voice, small but clear, rings out happily each ti.
She glances back at often. Judging silently for not singing with her again.
'I'll make it up to her by singing her lullabies.'
The room is filled with laughter, music, and the occasional off-key shout from Kaminari. After a few hours everyone’s relaxed, and a little sleepy as the final song fades out. Drinks are ordered, snacks passed around, and small conversations bubble up between the tables.
The night feels full as it draws to an end.
And then, as we begin to gather our things, Jiro approaches carefully, her body language reserved, like she’s unsure whether she should retreat or not.
One hand is in her pocket. Her head is tilted slightly down as she twirls one of her earphone jacks between the fingers of her free hand.
I watch her curiously.
“…Hey.” She says softly. “Um. Do you have a minute?”
(Jiro POV – Karaoke Box)
'What do I do now?' My feet feel glued to the floor.
I had the courage to approach him—finally—but now that I’m actually standing here, alone, without the support of the class, my brain is doing that fun thing where it just… stops working.
I glance up at Kata.
He raises an eyebrow, not suspiciously, just confused. “Hi?” He says in an even voice. “I’ve got ti. What’s up?”
'Right. He’s not chasing away. That’s sothing.' Still, he’s not exactly… easy to read. His tone is calm, and there’s a subtle undercurrent of curiosity—like he’s trying to figure out why I’m here at all. Nothing suggesting I'm a bother.
I take a breath. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
“Neither did I, till today.” He replies simply, as if the revelation carries no significance.
'Okay. Cool. One line down. Now what?' I wait for him to offer sothing else. A question. A comnt. Anything I can latch onto and build the conversation from.
But no. He just stands there, as quiet and composed as ever.
'This is why people think he’s hard to talk to.' I think. 'Still, he isn't unfriendly.'
Then, almost like he’s reading my mind…
“There’s no need to be so nervous.” He says.
My stomach drops. 'Crap. Was it that obvious?'
“…Am I that scary?” He adds after a mont, his expression still neutral, maybe even faintly curious.
I wince. That one actually makes pause. 'Was he hurt by that? Or is he genuinely asking?'
“...Not scary.” I say finally. “You're kind of intimidating, though.”
I decide to just be honest. If he’s really offended, well… that’ll say more about him than .
But instead of brushing off or getting upset—
He nods thoughtfully. “Yeah. There’s not much I can do about that.”
I blink. 'That’s it?'
“You don’t look offended,” I say slowly, watching him carefully.
“Did you an to offend ?” He asks.
“…No?”
“Then I’ve got no reason to be offended.” He replies like it's obvious logic, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
'Wow. That was… unexpectedly mature.'
“You’re really different from the vibe you give off.” I mutter.
He tilts his head. “You’re wrong.” He says bluntly.
My eyebrow rises. 'Okay, that’s new.'
“I’m not really a social person to begin with.” He continues. “You guys are the exception. This is probably the most social I’ve been in my life.”
“This is you being social?” I ask, raising an eyebrow again. “Seriously?”
“Yep. My social battery is practically overflowing right now.” He deadpans.
I stare at him, genuinely unsure whether he’s joking or not.
“Wait—was that sarcasm, or… were you trying to make a joke again?”
He pauses, then raises an eyebrow. “Would you believe if I said I was serious?”
“No.”
“Then you’d be right. That was my attempt at humor.”
A laugh bubbles out of before I can stop it, a small giggle escaping. “You really shouldn’t joke, Class Pres.”
He lets out a mock sigh. “You say that, but all of you said my last one was decent.”
“Well, the bar was pretty low.” I tease, grinning. “So technically, that’s not a complint.”
His eyes narrow faintly. “Noted.”
And… sohow, I feel at ease now.
He’s not nearly as cold as I expected. He's pretty honest, and surprisingly easy to talk to. There's no expectation or hidden anings, and even if there were, he makes it quite obvious.
'Actually, he's kind of refreshing.'
I fiddle with the hem of my sleeve and finally bring myself to ask what I ca here for.
“I wanted to ask you about the song.” I say, quieter now. “If you don’t mind… I want to understand what you ant.”
***********
A/N: Hello Everyone. If you've enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving so comnts, reviews, or likes.
But on to the chapter. Honestly, it's 20 words short of my 2k words goal, but that's fine. I wanted to continue, but it'd have made the chapter too long. The talk with Jiro is to be deep, and probably lingz so I think it deserves its own chapter.
And, as soone advocated for... Making Jiro the 8th mber of the harem. Ngl, I'm against it. I kinda want to keep it at 7. But it's easy to do. And I'm kinda satisfied with her being a really close friend. But you guys are the people. I do what the majority likes, unless I disagree, lol.
Kata also had so more emotional growth! They grow up so quick🥹. Even the way he interacts with the class has subtly changed. Eri... Even I, the author, feel like I'm falling into her plans. She makes and executes plans I didn't even know about. Talk about scary... Adorable!
Kata's not gonna go around making people disappear so easily anymore (he would of they cross any lines, but he's more chill), and he finally opposed Eri🤣 by refusing to sing so more. He'll make it up to her.
And Aoyama's days are numbered. He was gonna die (maybe not actually die) that night if Kata hasn't evolved emotionally, so he's lucky. But his ti is limited now.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support on /AMV_WEAKLY
Anyway, that's all from . Hope you all had a wonderful day, and enjoy the rest of your nights 😁
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