Midoriya started jotting down notes furiously as soon as the match ended.

  He started mumbling.

  “I thought Robinn was experienced in combat, but not to this degree, that wasn’t martial arts at all, just pure unhesitating combat. And she combined it with her Quirk well, mixed with the fact that she was really strong.”

  “I thought Robinn would lose. Ibara’s vines looked like the superior Quirk, yet Robinn’s technique was better. I don’t think I could beat her without using my Quirk.”

  “You just finished and you’re already thinking countermeasures, huh?” Uraraka spoke up from beside him, snapping him out of his tunnel vision.

  He turned to face her, startled. “Oh, no! It’s just... I mean this is pretty much my hobby...”

  “It’s not every day I get a chance to see amazing Quirks outside of those in our class...”

  He grabbed his notebook and opened it up. “Oh yeah, I’ve also been putting these notes together for everyone in our class.”

  He turned to the page about Uraraka. “Even for your Zero Gravi...”

  Robinn sat in between them, interrupting Midoriya without even trying.

  “Oh Robinn! You were so cool down there, I didn’t know you had those moves!” Uraraka said, smiling and fake punching the air.

  Midoriya lowered his notebook, staring at the back of Robinn’s head. She probably didn’t interrupt me on purpose. Then another thought nagged at him.

  “Hey Robinn... if you don’t mind... can I ask you some things about your Quirk?” he blurted out without really thinking it through.

  She turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. “My Quirk? You curious or something?” she said without missing a beat.

  Midoriya got a bit flustered at her reply. “I mean... yeah I have some questions...”

  She looked at him blankly for a bit before replying. “Sure, I’ll play, but I need to go get some water.”

  She stood up and looked down at him. “Wanna go with me?”

  Midoriya got even more flustered at that, but stood up without even thinking about it. “Y-Yeah sure... we can talk while we walk.”

  The first twenty seconds were excruciating.

  The hallway echoed with every footstep, each tap against the floor sounding louder than it should have. Robinn didn’t speak. She walked ahead at an even pace, shoulders relaxed. Midoriya followed beside her, not quite behind, not quite keeping up... awkwardly hovering in a side-lane of silence.

  Present Mic’s voice carried faintly from the stadium behind them, announcing the next match with his usual energy, but even that felt like background static. Midoriya risked a few glances her way. Robinn didn’t look annoyed, but she also didn’t seem interested in small talk. Or maybe she just didn’t realize silence could feel this heavy.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  He swallowed. The words were stuck. Every possible question felt too weird to ask now, even though she had invited him.

  By the time they reached the fountain, it felt like they’d walked a mile.

  Robinn started filling up her thermos. Midoriya hesitated a second longer before finally speaking.

  “So um... your Quirk. You use it really well in combat, you must train a lot, right? And I’ve only seen you transform into water, air, rock, and metal. Didn’t you say that you could do any material?”

  She stared at him as the thermos filled, still silent. The sound of water rushing into metal felt like the only thing in the hallway. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting. When it finally brimmed, she took a casual sip, then turned and stepped closer. Her gaze had changed... unreadable.

  “That’s a lot of questions for someone who avoids talking about his Quirk a lot.”

  His eyes widened a bit, and he stepped back, bumping slightly into the wall. “W-well it’s not really that complicated... just super strength.”

  She took another step forward, towering a little over him. “Mhm... Anyways, sure, I’ll answer your questions. You just have to do me a little favor first.”

  Midoriya’s back was now fully against the wall. He nodded, nervous. “Sure... What’s the f-favor?”

  “Just two questions. That notebook of yours, it has information about Quirks. But does it also have information about the person and personality of said Quirk user?” Her tone was casual, but her body language wasn’t. She was focused.

  He blinked. That wasn’t what he expected, but the question made him ease slightly. “Uh, yeah. I write as much notes as I can about the person and their Quirk. But that was just... one question?”

  She extended her hand, smiling a bit more intensely now. “Could I have a peek at your notes about Bakugo?”

  It wasn’t really a question.

  He frowned slightly but handed it over. A promise was a promise. He flipped the pages until he reached Bakugo’s section, one of the most thorough ones... and gave it to her.

  She scanned it fast. He watched her expression shift, barely, but enough to make him notice. Her smile deepened in tiny ways.

  Why Bakugo? he thought. She already knows how his Quirk works... so why is she asking about personality? But before he could finish the thought, she handed it back.

  “Hey thanks for that! Now, about your questions concerning my Quirk. Normally I wouldn’t tell you anything because we could be competing against each other in less than two rounds, but I did promise you, so I’ll answer those two.”

  She tapped her chin, thoughtful.

  “Well yeah, I am very well trained in using my Quirk in combat situations, that’s what I focused on the most in my time abroad in America.”

  “As for the materials? Well yeah I can do a few more. In theory I could transform into diamond right now, but I would only be able to hold it for a millisecond at most.”

  She stepped back and extended her hand. It shifted into sand, tightly packed and smooth, like something molded and compressed by force.

  “I can also do sand, and a few more things. But I don’t really do transformations that aren’t useful, to be honest.”

  Midoriya’s eyes widened. He immediately reached for his pen.

  “So you do have more materials, but you only use the useful ones. And you could do anything, but your body can’t hold it...”

  He paused. The way she described it... it reminded him of One For All. That same feeling of potential, trapped behind a physical limit. It made something inside him click. He pushed that thought away and kept writing.

  “So your limit right now is steel, right? How does it feel to be completely water? How hard is your body when you shift into rock?” he asked, eyes already scanning the page.

  “I said I’d only answer the first two.” She capped the thermos and turned. “Anyways, let’s head back. The match is probably over.”

  Midoriya followed, still scribbling. He felt a bit more relaxed around her now. But he couldn’t shake the curiosity about Bakugo... why him, specifically?

  When they returned to the stands... the match wasn’t over.

  It looked more like an Ad read than a fight.