A/N: This took a while, but I'm glad this is finally out! Thank you again to all the readers, whether you're silent or not. It definitely makes me happy knowing that Katsuyu's grown in popularity (to some degree, at least) since I had started shipping Katsuyu back in 2018.

On a side note, I put together a Katsuyu community on Pillowfort and began posting stuff a while back, including some Katsuyu comics I found in Japanese and did an English fan translation of, but it's definitely difficult to manage a community and try to spread the love. If you have a Pillowfort account, then definitely join! (The community name is Katsuyu.)

I know that things are difficult right now due to the pandemic, but I hope that this chapter helps you all in some way during this time. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and enjoy the chapter.

Change of Heart

Chapter 6: Reminiscence and Reflection

Dinner after the amusement park didn't happen. Katsuki had tried to "subtly" let Izuku and Ochaco have their alone time, and Tsuyu followed suit. He was thankful that she had gone along with it because he wasn't quite sure how to interact with her over dinner of all times, especially in front of Ochaco.

On one hand, he could continue to act as he normally would; on the other hand, he felt uneasy over the idea that Tsuyu had feelings for him and could've hidden that fact from him forever. He admitted that he had grown close enough with her to the point where he could go to her place whenever she had invited him over for dinner. That alone meant something to the both of them, considering that they saw each other as friends.

Before he knew it, it was already Friday, September 28, the last day of the first week back in school. He hadn't seen Tsuyu for a while, which made it easier for him to continue processing what had happened between them on the Ferris wheel. Sure, he didn't like her in that way at all, but nothing changed the fact that he enjoyed her company. He wondered if she was purposely avoiding him now, like she had done last time.

Katsuki was currently eating lunch with Izuku and Eijiro, who were eagerly chatting away as he tried to listen to their conversation, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Tsuyu and her past feelings for him.

"Bakugo?" he heard Eijiro call out.

Katsuki immediately snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

"You okay, man? You've been spacing out for a while."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you haven't taken a bite out of your sandwich for the past ten minutes," Izuku replied before he frowned. "Did something happen?"

Eijiro sighed. "It's not related to work again, is it?"

"No," Katsuki replied, but a part of him wondered if he responded too hastily. He knew Izuku was the type to catch onto these things faster than Eijiro, unless he hid it really well, like his feelings for Ochaco back in high school.

"What is it about?" Izuku asked.

Katsuki frowned, not wanting to spill the beans that Tsuyu used to have feelings for him. That was something she had entrusted and shared with him, and despite the awkward air between them, he still viewed her as a friend.

"Kacchan?"

Katsuki sighed, and just as he was going to reply that it was nothing and try to dismiss Izuku's concern and change the subject, he saw one of his classmates at the cafeteria entrance.

"Bakugo!" his classmate called out, waving.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow at this while Izuku and Eijiro turned to see who it was.

"Who's that?" Izuku asked.

"A classmate whose name I don't remember," Katsuki grumbled.

"Let's be real: do you ever try to remember anyone's name, man?" Eijiro joked.

"Shut it."

"He has a point," Izuku added.

"I said shut it."

"Hey, Bakugo, I've been looking all over for you," his classmate said as soon as he approached the table. "I wanted to catch you right after class ended, but you left pretty quickly."

"I was hungry," Katsuki replied as he held up his sandwich.

Katsuki's classmate laughed. "Nah, I get it, man. Anyway, the thing is, I was wondering if you were free this evening?"

"Why?" Katsuki asked as he frowned, his eyes narrowing in skepticism.

"You see, my buddies and I are going to a mixer this evening—"

"No."

Katsuki's classmate blinked. "Uh, what?"

"No, I'm not going."

His classmate's smile immediately dropped. "Ah, damn… I don't know what to do, then, if you're not going to come."

"Why does it have to be Kacchan?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah, can't you find someone to replace one of your buddies who bailed or something?" Katsuki then added.

"Uh, no, actually," Katsuki's classmate replied.

Katsuki blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

His classmate let out a small sigh. "So, uh, one of my buddies set up this mixer with these girls from Kaiyodai."

Katsuki stiffened. If he remembered correctly, that was Tsuyu's college. He immediately felt himself grip his sandwich a bit tighter.

"But, why Bakugo?" Eijiro asked.

Katsuki's classmate hesitated for a few seconds. "Uh, well, the thing is, we can't have the mixer unless Bakugo's with us…"

Katsuki furrowed his brow. "What?"

"Uh, look, man, when my buddy sent over a group photo of me and the others who are coming, you…were in that photo, too."

"What?" Katsuki repeated, his annoyance kicking in full blast.

"It was from last semester! You were in the background, and there was this girl who said she didn't want to attend unless you attended, too—"

"Then, she can just not go."

"Well, uh, if she doesn't go, then the others refuse to go, too."

"What the fuck?"

"I know, man, but we need you to come. My buddies know that I have class with you, so they've been asking me to try to get you to come." Katsuki's classmate licked his lips and sighed. "Look, I heard how you always turn down attending mixers, but can you at least make an exception this time? You're not obligated to even get together with one of them at the end of it, you know. Hell, one of my buddies is really interested in the girl who likes you, and he might be able to get her to like him by the end of it—"

"What's in it for you?" Katsuki interrupted his monologue, resisting the urge to glare.

"Nothing, really. My buddies have really been looking forward to this mixer, so…"

Katsuki pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at his sandwich as he wondered if Tsuyu could be one of those girls, before he sighed. "Do you know any of the girls' names?"

"Uh, no, actually, I don't."

Katsuki stayed silent in response, sensing the questioning gazes from Eijiro and Izuku.

"Bakugo, if you go to this mixer with us, you'd really save our butts—"

"There's nothing in it for me," Katsuki interrupted.

"Kacchan, maybe you should go," Izuku said.

Katsuki scowled, furrowing his brow as he looked at Izuku. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

"Yes, you don't go out much—"

"Because I got bigger things on my plate—"

"That doesn't mean you should neglect socializing with others—"

"For fuck's sake, I don't want to socialize with others—"

"Midoriya has a point, man," Eijiro interrupted, raising a knowing eyebrow at Katsuki.

Katsuki immediately closed his mouth before he looked down at his sandwich. He knew what Eijiro was referring to, especially when it came to mixers, unbeknownst to Izuku, but God damn it, why the hell should he go to this stupid mixer because of someone's screw-up? He had no obligation to do it for this person that he barely knew outside of class.

Just then, everyone heard the sound of a loud LINE notification from someone's phone.

Katsuki's classmate then pulled out his phone and blinked in surprise. "Oh, my buddy just shared a photo of the girls who'll be attending." He paused. "Oh, wow, one of them looks really short, compared to the others."

Within seconds, Katsuki stood up and snatched his classmate's phone.

"Whoa, hey! You could've just asked, dude!"

Katsuki ignored his classmate, and his eyes widened at the picture he saw on screen.

There were five girls, each looking attractive and flaunting their fashion style, which differed from sporty tomboy to feminine. His eyes, however, were drawn to the girl on the far left of the picture, who was none other than his neighbor, Tsuyu. Her long hair was let down, and there was something behind the way her eyes twinkled as she smiled in the picture with the rest of the girls in the picture. All she adorned that he could tell was a white shirt and a black denim jacket as she gave a casual peace sign, and all he could do was just stare.

"Uh, Bakugo?"

Katsuki blinked, snapping out of his thoughts upon hearing his classmate's voice. He tried to ignore how Izuku, Eijiro, and his classmate were staring at him, especially when he recognized Izuku's analytical gaze. Within seconds, Katsuki tried to regain his composure and cleared his voice.

"I'm going to add myself on LINE for you," Katsuki managed to say.

"Wait, so you're going?" his classmate asked, excitement in his tone. "You're serious, right?"

Instead of replying, Katsuki sent himself a friend request, still trying to ignore Izuku's gaze, and after handing his classmate's phone back, he accepted the friend request on his phone. "Done."

"Aw, man, thanks so much for doing this, Bakugo!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just message me the address and when it starts later."

"Oh, I will! I got to go now, so see you!" Katsuki's classmate then ran off and out of the cafeteria, throwing his arms up in victory.

"Kacchan, did someone in that picture pique your interest?" Izuku asked.

Katsuki pursed his lips. "Uh, I guess you could say that?"

Eijiro then raised an eyebrow with a skeptical look on his face.

Katsuki sighed. "Tsuyu was in the photo."

"Wait, that's why you agreed?"

"Yeah," Katsuki grumbled, ignoring how Eijiro's skepticism began to grow.

"Are things still okay with you two?" Izuku asked. "Uraraka told me that Tsuyu said you've both been distant with each other lately, so I was wondering what happened since we last hung out."

"We're…fine," Katsuki replied flatly, feeling that even he wasn't confident in the tone he used.

"That doesn't sound like it…"

"We're fine," Katsuki repeated, but this time, it was to comfort himself on the whole matter than confirming it with Izuku. "Tsuyu and I have just been pretty busy now that school started again, so we haven't had the chance to talk."

"You know, we should schedule another one after midterms or something," Eijiro said. "Mina and I couldn't go hang out with you guys last time."

"Then, we would've ended up as four third-wheels to you two," Katsuki deadpanned.

"Hey, Mina and I wouldn't do that to you guys—"

"Need I remind you the last time I tried to hang out with you and she happened to be around?" Katsuki interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "You two have this lovey-dovey atmosphere going on that I felt awkward just being there."

"What? Wait, how are we lovey-dovey?"

"The way you both touch each other, for God's sake." Katsuki resisted the urge to add that it reminded him of the chemistry he'd always see between Izuku and Uraraka, and his gaze unconsciously fell onto Izuku.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?" Izuku then asked, stopping midway into his lunch.

"Ask Uraraka out already, you idiot."

Izuku's face then flared up. "W-What are you—"

"I'll grab your damn phone and do it myself if I have to."

Izuku then grabbed his phone on the table and quickly held it against his chest. "K-Kacchan, that's taking it too far!"

Katsuki snorted in response, ignoring the aching feeling he had in his chest and Eijiro's knowing gaze. He had to move on from Uraraka, one way or another, and avoiding it since they had graduated obviously did him no good. He had to confront his feelings and, if needed, get Izuku and Ochaco together while supporting them.

Honestly, there was a part of him that felt some comfort and ease with the idea of moving on—and just then, for some reason, Tsuyu popped into his mind.

If the mixer could help him clear the air after what happened between them on that Ferris wheel, then he'd be damned to not attend.

Katsuki didn't know how many times he resisted the urge to groan throughout this mixer. The group was at a skating rink, paired off and hanging out with their partner for the night after they spent some time eating and introducing themselves. Throughout this entire time, Katsuki kept looking at Tsuyu from a distance and wondering if she wanted to bail like him.

Katsuki had hoped that he would get paired with Tsuyu. If he did, it would've been easier for them both to bail, head home, and maybe just watch a movie or talk and laugh about this weird mixer, but no. Instead, his classmate's friend—who Katsuki's classmate had pointed out was interested in the girl who liked Katsuki—had shown interest in Tsuyu, so they had paired up. Now, they were finishing up their snacks while chatting, and Tsuyu was laughing at whatever the hell was spilling out of his damn mouth with a smile. Meanwhile, Katsuki was stuck with the pony-tailed brown-haired girl who apparently liked him and was the damn reason his classmate even asked him to come to this stupid mixer.

"Bakugo, what's the matter?" she asked, gaining Katsuki's attention from Tsuyu once she skated in front of him in her rollerblades.

"Nothing," Katsuki lied, leaning against the skating rink wall and feeling the railing against his back. The wall was tall enough for those who were beginners at skating, regardless of their height, or needed the extra assistance to hold onto the railing at the very top.

"You haven't been that talkative this entire night, you know."

Bakugo furrowed his brow. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well…" She then skated closer to Katsuki, who very much resisted the urge to skate away and instead narrowed his gaze at her. "I'd like to get to know you, you know? That's all."

Katsuki frowned. "I'm not interested."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I said that I'm not interested in you," Katsuki replied, his frown undeterred from her shocked look.

"But—"

"I'm not into you," Katsuki interrupted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes when he saw that she was still baffled. "And I have no interest in getting together with anyone from this mixer."

Finally, she managed to mumble something in response, but Katsuki couldn't hear.

"What was that?"

"I said that you're lying."

Katsuki frowned again, this time furrowing his brow. "What are you talking about?"

She then scoffed. "You're kidding me, right? You're telling me that you're not interested in at least one of the girls here? Because I've clearly been seeing you eye up Tsuyu."

Katsuki pursed his lips in response.

"I saw you every time you thought I wasn't looking, Bakugo. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"I never implied you were."

"Regardless, I thought you'd be into me if we hung out a bit more," she said as she pouted. "Tsuyu said she wasn't even interested in you…"

Katsuki blinked a few times, processing that tidbit in his head as he recalled what happened between them on that Ferris wheel, and he resisted the urge to cringe and scowl. His gaze unconsciously darted to Tsuyu, who was now heading to the arcade with the guy she was paired up with, and at that point, he couldn't resist scowling anymore.

"You're totally into her."

"What?"

"You're into her. You know, Tsuyu?" She then sighed. "Why didn't you speak up to hang out with her instead of your buddy over there when we were pairing up?"

"He's not my buddy," Katsuki retorted. "I don't even know him. I only know one of the guys here, who happens to be my classmate."

"So, why not hang out with Tsuyu?"

"Why are you asking?" Katsuki snapped, and he realized that he was glaring at her when she flinched from the look on his face. "It's none of your business."

"Maybe, but you're obviously not into me despite how many times I tried to get you to talk this entire evening," she snapped as she frowned. "If you're into her—"

"I'm not into Tsuyu," Katsuki retorted immediately before pausing. "We're just friends."

She blinked before furrowing her brow. "Then…why didn't either of you say anything when we were introducing each other?"

Katsuki pursed his lips. "We're just not on speaking terms right now."

She stayed silent for a few seconds before skating away.

At first, Katsuki wasn't sure what the hell was going on from that response. It finally clicked in his head once he saw her skate out of the rink and to the arcade, and his eyes widened when he saw her talking to Tsuyu and his classmate's friend. He tried to nonchalantly look away, but instead, his gaze lingered on Tsuyu as soon as she finally looked at him for the first time that entire evening.

Soon enough, the pony-tailed brown-haired girl started hanging out with his classmate's friend, and Tsuyu left them to head over to Katsuki, walking around the skating rink and finally standing at the wall that Katsuki had been leaning on the entire time.

Katsuki turned around to face her, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything, not even when she looked at him directly into his eyes with such a calm gaze.

"Hey," Tsuyu greeted with a slight smile.

Katsuki inaudibly gulped. "Hey."

"I heard that you wanted to talk?"

"Huh?"

Tsuyu blinked, her smile dropping before she sent him a puzzled look. "Did you not want to talk?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant. I, uh…" Katsuki glanced back at the pony-tailed brown-haired girl, who was happily chatting away with the boy Tsuyu was just with as they both began gaming at the arcade, and he frowned. "Well, damn, Tsuyu, I don't know. We haven't talked in a while. What do you expect me to say or do?"

"I thought you were uncomfortable again."

Katsuki brought his gaze back up to Tsuyu, who still looked calm. "So?"

"I was giving you space, just like last time." Tsuyu paused. "Was that not the right choice?"

Katsuki sighed in exasperation. "Is that your solution every time something's going to occur between the two of us? Just distancing yourself?" He paused, realizing his words, and then frowned. "Or is that your solution to everything?"

"No, it's not. I was just considerate of how you were feeling." Tsuyu paused before grabbing onto the railing and getting closer to the wall than earlier. "I just thought that maybe you needed space because of what happened between us on the Ferris wheel."

Katsuki resisted the urge to flinch. Suddenly, he was thankful for the loud, pounding music and that the others were so far away.

"Do you still feel awkward about what happened?"

"I don't know," Katsuki replied, his honesty coming out before he could even shut his mouth, and then he pursed his lips. "What do you expect me to feel, Tsuyu? Especially after telling me all that when I was at your place and then at the Ferris wheel."

Tsuyu hummed. "I imagine you're feeling conflicted and confused." She paused. "I'm not sure what else you could be feeling, really." She then looked at Katsuki, her doe-like gaze burning into him.

Katsuki resisted the urge to shudder and retort that yes, he did feel something about it—maybe conflict, confusion, and all the above that she could be thinking of—but there was something not sitting right in his gut with any of those words and the ones he kept trying to think of to explain what he was feeling. All in all, it felt like a weird, jumbled mess. Finally, Katsuki sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I just don't understand why you confessed to me."

"Because it was only right for you to know."

"But I didn't need to know. You could've just kept it hidden. You never once thought about it becoming awkward between us by bringing that up?"

"I did."

"Then, why?"

"Well, if we're to become even better friends, it's only right that I'm honest with you about how I used to feel about you." Tsuyu paused. "I value our friendship, Bakugo. A lot more than you think."

Katsuki's breathing hitched, and a part of him wondered what the hell was going on with her and her damn words, even in public. "Because of your old feelings for me?"

"No, Blondie."

Katsuki glared at her.

Tsuyu let out an amused smile. "Because you inspired me. Remember?"

Katsuki didn't know how to respond, so he stayed silent.

"Your friendship means a lot more to me than you think." Tsuyu paused. "Same with your happiness. I'm surprised, but also glad that you decided to show up at a mixer. I didn't think you ever would."

"Because of you," Katsuki unconsciously muttered, and he resisted the urge to try to cover his mouth and act like he said something he shouldn't have. He knew how perceptive she was, and he didn't want to appear all the more guilty.

"What do you mean by that?"

Katsuki pursed his lips, hating her keen sense of hearing. "I…joined this mixer because of you."

Tsuyu frowned, furrowing her brow this time, and it was a strange look that Katsuki rarely saw, given how she had almost always appeared so calm. "How did you know I'd even be here?"

"My classmate." Katsuki paused, hesitating to continue, but he sighed in defeat. "He had gotten a picture of you and the other girls attending from one of his friends, and I saw you were in the photo. That's it, really."

"You couldn't have just waited to try to talk to me until we were both home?"

"We haven't exactly met each other again at the same time," Katsuki replied dryly. "It's hard to talk to you when you're distancing yourself from me, too."

"True." Tsuyu paused. "But why not talk to her?"

"Huh?"

"The girl you were just talking to. Why not talk to her? She's pretty interested in you."

Katsuki snorted. "Yeah, well, I'm not interested."

"So, you only joined this mixer to talk to me?"

"Yeah. Is that so bad?"

"No, but it's strange."

"How?"

"Like I said, you could've just waited until I was home and then knocked on my door, like last time."

Katsuki pursed his lips, realizing that yeah, she was right, but a part of him felt…compelled that he had to join this mixer. That feeling got only confirmed when he saw how she was nicely dressed in a pair of skinny jeans that accentuated her legs despite her short stature, a form-fitting sleeveless shirt, and white trainer shoes. "Why did you join this mixer?"

"To meet people, I guess. It seemed like fun."

"Are you having fun?"

"I was—until you decided to butt in."

"You're a smartass, you know that?"

"Yes, but that doesn't stop you from talking to me now, does it?"

Katsuki scoffed, but he could feel the corner of his lips go up in a slight smile. After a few seconds, a solemn look overcoming his demeanor, and he grabbed onto the railing, pulling himself closer to the wall, but their proximity staying the same. "Hey, Tsuyu?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you confess to me back in high school?"

Tsuyu's eyes widened. "I thought the answer to that was obvious."

"What do you mean?"

"You were into Ochaco," Tsuyu muttered softly as if someone could overhear them before sighing. "Why should I have confessed to you if I knew that you wouldn't ever feel the same way toward me?"

Katsuki stared at her, his gaze lingering on her for a few seconds, even when she made direct eye contact with him. He wanted to reply to her that yeah, maybe he would've rejected her back then, but when he kept thinking about how much time they had spent together since she had first moved in, how much they had confided in each other, and how she viewed him as a friend since the beginning, there was a part of him that felt that probably wouldn't have been the case. The what if's kept swirling in Katsuki's head as he stared at her, trying to contemplate on how to formulate his answer to her. Finally, he pursed his lips and managed to let out a small sigh as he heard the loud pounding music in the background changing to something that sounded like dubstep. "I just think things would've been different."

"Between us?" Tsuyu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Tsuyu hummed for a few seconds, this time leaning closer to Katsuki. "I don't know about that."

"Why?"

"Your eyes were never on me—not even once." Tsuyu paused. "I don't think you would've given me the time of day. If anything, I think if I had confessed to you back then, you probably would've been the one avoiding me."

"I don't think so."

"You believe otherwise?"

"Yeah, I do."

There was a long pause as they stared at each other, and as every second passed, Katsuki felt this sense of uneasiness begin to stir. He wondered what she was thinking and feeling as she laid her gaze on him. Was she feeling the same way he was? The same feelings of confusion, pain, heartbreak, jealousy—everything he had experienced with Ochaco—and now, his guilt for breaking her heart. They were in the same position before, yet she had the courage to move on, to see him as though he didn't affect her, and felt nothing for him other than respect, admiration, and friendship. His head swirled with so many thoughts—so many what if's—whenever he thought of her and how much their relationship had grown and changed since he met her again. It was a different kind of intimacy that he felt from Eijiro and Izuku, both of whom he felt like was family, especially Izuku due to their backgrounds and upbringing together—given how long Izuku was by his side and likewise, despite all the adversity they both faced.

Finally, Katsuki felt his heart calm, the dubstep music still pounding in the background, but his gaze lingered on Tsuyu's face, eyes, and questioning look, and he pursed his lips again. "I think if you had started talking to me back then—and really pushed for it, even if I had pushed you away—we could've been different."

"Different how so?"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Katsuki replied, pausing again as he watched her facial expression stay the same, despite that strange sinking feeling starting to occur in his chest. "That we could've been friends sooner." He paused again, sucking in a deep breath and muttering, "That we could've been closer sooner, like the way we started becoming when we met again."

"You forget that you were pretty temperamental back then. I still don't think you would've given me the time of day—"

"No, I would've." Katsuki paused, thinking about so many missed opportunities that they both had for three years together at the same high school and how he never once knew the effect he had on her that entire time. "I had my issues then. I acknowledge those. But if you had the courage to talk to me back then, much less confessed, I would've remembered you."

"As the girl who dared to confess to Katsuki Bakugo?" Tsuyu said with a slightly amused smile.

Katsuki wondered if that was her way to try deflecting the subject—to essentially run away again—but he didn't want to run away, not from the possibility that there could've been something behind what they could've had. "No, as someone who could've been another friend I could depend on."

"Bakugo—"

"I mean it. Maybe we could've…" Katsuki hesitated to continue, skating a bit to get closer to Tsuyu. There was a comfort knowing in their proximity and that she'd never move away and stay in one place.

"Could've what?"

"Could've been different." Katsuki paused, inaudibly gulping as he dared to ask, "Don't you think?"

Tsuyu blinked in surprise before averting her gaze downward and frowning.

"Tsuyu?"

"I don't think things would've been different, Bakugo," Tsuyu said, the tone of her voice so matter-of-fact that it pierced Katsuki's core. "Think about it. Forget about how we are right now. We're the way we are right now because of the way things turned out—your feelings for Ochaco"—Katsuki resisted the urge to flinch, but he grimaced at this—"and my feelings for you. That all accumulated to where we are right now. I don't think me confessing to you or making an effort to get to know you back then would've changed anything because, to put it bluntly, you weren't going to open your heart to me."

Katsuki's eyes widened at that statement. "Hang on, what the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean what I meant," Tsuyu replied calmly before she looked at him, and a part of Katsuki wondered if she was affected by her words just as much as he was. "You weren't going to open your heart to me. Maybe I would've opened my heart to you, but you wouldn't have felt the same."

"You don't know that—"

"No, I do know that," Tsuyu interrupted, but it was that calmness in her voice that chilled Katsuki to his core again. "There were only three people you would've opened up to at our high school."

Katsuki frowned, immediately knowing that Izuku and Eijiro were two of the three people she mentioned. "Who's the third?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsuyu asked, raising an eyebrow, and after a pause, she answered, "Ochaco. You would've opened up to her, but not me."

"Tsuyu, I wouldn't have done that—"

"No, but you liked her. You were infatuated with who she was and her personality, meaning that you would've been more likely to open up to her if she tried even once to reach out to you." Tsuyu paused. "Compared to me, you wouldn't have done the same, but I expected as much."

"Why would you expect as much?" Katsuki furrowed his brow.

Tsuyu shrugged before looking away, her gaze directed at the arcade, but it seemed like she was elsewhere. "A lot of boys liked Ochaco, remember? And Momo, too. With the way I was back in high school, I think it was more expected that you'd like Ochaco over me. We didn't interact with each other, I was pretty quiet and observant while staying on the sidelines, and Ochaco was close with Midoriya, so you would obviously encounter her more. I think you were bound to maybe fall for Ochaco at some point with the way her personality is." Tsuyu paused before turning her head to him. "That said, if you did open up to me back then, I think I would've reached back just the same."

"Because you liked me?"

"No, because I viewed you as a friend first and admired you. My feelings for you would not come above those things." Tsuyu paused. "Yeah, you broke my heart, but I wasn't expecting you to feel the same way back. If anything, I wanted you to one day be happy. You breaking my heart reaffirmed my admiration in you and why you inspired me to change and be different." Tsuyu paused again, this time turning her head to face him. "Does that make sense? I might've been a different person, regretting my decision to not apply to Kaiyodai, for example."

"Well, what if I told you that I had a change of heart?"

Tsuyu pondered for a few seconds. "I mean, you're not as temperamental as you used to be, if that's what you mean. Not from what I've seen, at least."

"There's that, but in terms of us befriending each other, I guess." Katsuki paused. "I'm not exactly someone who hangs out with a lot of people."

"And goes to these types of events?"

"No, I meant, us becoming friends is good." Katsuki paused. "I know you think that I wouldn't have looked at you back then, and hell, maybe teenage me might've dismissed you for all I know, but it takes guts to confess. I would've remembered you as more than just someone who I called Froggy." Katsuki paused before lowering his voice, just enough for them to only hear, despite the constant pounding dubstep music, to say, "I think if that happened, I would've finally looked at you and in a different light. That's all."

"Well, do you see me in a different light right now?"

Katsuki blinked, his gaze stuck on her for the umpteenth time that evening. "Compared to how we first met? Yeah, I do, especially after getting to know you and hang out with you."

Tsuyu let out a small laugh.

Katsuki stared in response, a part of him feeling at ease upon hearing her laughter.

"Are we all right as friends now?"

Katsuki felt that sinking feeling again appear as soon as he heard those words, but he dismissed it before he let out a small smirk. "I don't know. You tell me, Tsuyu."

"Well, I think we are, but that depends on your comfort level here."

"Then, yeah, we're cool again as friends."