It being her third time attending, Momo had grown quite fond and comfortable with the once foreign scenery. Now, it was one of her favorite places to silently protect and scan for evil-doers. Seeing as he had asked her to attend the event with him like the year before, Momo smiled inwardly at the thought that Todoroki had grown attached to the Ennichi festival as well. It seemed to be a sort of tradition between the two now, and she wondered optimistically if this would continue post graduation as well.

"Todoroki-san," she smiled genuinely as she came up to her classmate, giving him a small wave as she greeted him. She wore an intricately decorated red yukata, donning a simple flower ornament in her tied back hair.

"Yaoyorozu."

She looks beautiful.

"It looks good on you," he commented. His expression was unphased, as if he had casually stated something as objective as the sky being blue.

"Ah.. Thank you," she answered, blushing slightly. Without fail, he complimented her every year during the festival without the slightest degree of embarrassment.

The two made their way into the festival once more, entering the bustling crowd. An hour flew by as they were swept away by the flow of the crowd, curiously stopping at various vendors.

Yaoyorozu watched as the half-cold half-hot hero walked slightly ahead of her, eyes scanning up his broad shoulders to his signature hair. Since the first meeting at the beginning of their hero academia, Shouto had grown a few more inches taller than her. Three years had passed since then, and their rigorous training was evident in his muscular, lean figure. She wondered if being at UA had changed her as much as it seemed to change the young man in front of her.

Despite being surrounded by the wonderful sight of delicate lanterns and lively stalls, she couldn't help but feel slightly distracted. By now she had grown accustomed to people, especially girls, noticing Todoroki. She had her fair share of fans murmuring about her as she walked by, however his easily identifiable red-white hair and boast-worthy skills made him a hot topic anywhere he went. Not to mention the pure fact he was undeniably handsome despite his scar. It came as no surprise that his female fanbase would explode as the years passed (exponentially during UA tournaments), and excited murmurs would surround him. None of the flirtatious comments ever seemed to reach his ears, though. Momo usually did the same by only half-listening to unnecessary background murmur.

That night, one conversation in particular caught her attention more than others.

"Hey- aren't those two from UA?"

"Yeah! Wait, that's Shouto and Creati! No way, are they dating?"

Continuing to walk as if she hadn't heard any of it, Momo tried and failed to fight away a blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. That certainly wasn't the first time she heard that, but the incident immediately triggered her thoughts back to a phone conversation with her mother a few nights ago.

"Momo, are you coming home this weekend to visit?"

"Ah, yes, but I will be busy on Friday evening."

"I see, are you meeting with your friends?"

"Yes," Momo paused before confessing, "I will be going to the Ennichi Festival with Todoroki-san. I-I-I'll be patrolling for evil." She waited nervously for her mother's reply, knowing she did not particularly care for festivals.

"Ah, is it just you two?"

"Yes, mother."

"...Oh my, are you two are going on a date?"

"Eh?" The thought hadn't even crossed her mind till her mother mentioned it. "N-no, it's nothing like that…"

"Really?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that when he asked," Momo explained, smiling through the awkwardness.

Momo peeked up at Shouto, wondering if he had heard the gossiping fans as well. She returned her gaze to the floor, immersing herself in her thoughts once more. No, I'm certain he didn't mean it in that context, anyway. Todoroki simply knows I am a reliable partner to attend the festival with, since I've gone with him before.

As pro heroes in the making, romance was never a prominent thought. Momo herself was extremely committed to her goal. But, then again… That didn't mean she didn't see herself raising a loving family in the future though.

Sensing her slow gait, Shouto turned his head to glance at her.

"What is it?" He asked in his usual cooled voice, "Yaoyorozu." No matter how unrecognizably strong he may grow to become in his journey to becoming a top hero, Todoroki never showed any signs of conceit or cockyness. His unwavering calm demeanor never changed, he was still the same Todoroki Shouto class 1-A came to know and love. By default he seemed quiet and passive, but Yaoyorozu learned he was actually quite observant and picked up on the smallest things. For example, her slight uneasiness.

"I'm sorry, Todoroki-san," she replied in her usually polite tone, "It's nothing." Part of her was flattered he cared to notice something was out of place, but part of her preferred not to discuss the issue at hand.

He paused momentarily, gaze lingering over her slightly blushing expression before turning to look ahead of him as he continued walking. "Alright."

Is she too hot? It's relatively cool outside though, he pondered innocently.

Towards the middle of the festival was the famous best-selling takoyaki stand. Yaoyorozu easily remembered it from the previous year, seeing how the pathway grew more and more saturated with people as they neared it.

"Must be that takoyaki stand," Todoroki wondered aloud.

Yaoyorozu could barely hear him through the noise. "Yes.." she replied weakly. It was getting difficult to even follow her dual-quirked friend, requiring her concentration to find openings between the crowded figures. Yaoyorozu attempted to stick close to his back, using his larger stature as a shield. Her tactic failed when a couple of kids ran in between them, easily weaving through adults with their small bodies. She gasped slightly, seeing how quickly a stranger had filled the space between them in the short opening created by the children. Her eyes stayed glued on his white-red hair as she waited patiently for an opportunity to catch up to him.

A shoulder brushing by her roughly pulled her away from her concentration, causing her to lock eyes with the culprit.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized despite her innocence.

"Oh no, it was my fault," the young man said quickly, blinking down at her, "I didn't see you."

Yaoyorozu smiled, about to turn back to look for her classmate but was stopped by his continuation of speech.

"You look absolutely stunning. I feel bad for bumping into such a pretty girl like you. Let me buy you a treat."

"Huh? O-Oh," she stammered, "Thank you, but…"

"Don't worry, I insist," he grinned, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. He froze when his eyes met a pair of blue and black eyes piercing into him.

"Sorry, she's with me."

Yaoyorozu recognized his calm, cold voice behind his shoulder. She looked up to see that Shouto had returned to her, staring icily at the stranger.

"S-sorry," he blurted immediately, "Enjoy your evening." The stranger left promptly, rubbing his neck nervously.

"Todoroki-san," she greeted him once more, turning to face him. Her eyes landed on his outstretched arm, palm open and waiting for her.

"You keep getting swept away."

Yaoyorozu blushed slightly, looking up to meet his calm gaze. He watched her patiently as the gears turned in her head.

When it comes to sticking together, linking up to each other is the best strategy against separation.

"Ah," she replied softly, placing her slender hand in his. Yaoyorozu gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, Todoroki-san."

His fingers closed around her hand as he brought it to his side, urging Momo near him. As they started making their way through the crowd, more thoughts began to dawn on her. She peered down at their joined hands, feeling heat creeping up to her cheeks slowly as the voices of gossip replayed in her mind. Momo started to feel self conscious, scanning around for judgmental eyes as she walked.

He's trying to protect me, but this might give off the wrong impression. I better separate from him once the crowd thins. I don't want to burden Todoroki-san with any fuel for gossip.

She stole a glance at him, observing the side of his face and feeling her heart sink in her chest. Momo placed a hand over the ache, thrown off by the unfamiliar sensation.

Oh, my. Did I eat something weird? Momo started to recount all the foods she had sampled during their evening, attempting to figure out the cause of her symptoms.

"You okay?" He glanced back at her.

He really did not let anything go unnoticed. "Yes, I'm alright. I was feeling a little odd earlier but it seems to have gone away," she explained. "Oh, it seems like the area is more spacious here."

Todoroki broke eye contact to observe the truth in her sentence. He looked at her once more as he felt her grip on his hand loosen.

"Thank you, we made it," she grinned up at him.

"Ah," he replied softly, taking the hint to let go of her hand now. For some reason, he couldn't reciprocate her apparent feelings of happiness.

… He must be relieved now, she thought to herself as she continued their walk. Todoroki paused for a moment before following next to her. His hand twitched slightly.

As the conclusion of the festival neared, the two grabbed food and sat on a stone bench in anticipation of the ending fireworks. Todoroki paid for her as thanks for attending the festival with him, smoothly telling the vendor he was paying for both meals before Yaoyorozu could even say anything. They ate in a peaceful silence, watching people playing mini-games at nearby stalls and spending their paychecks on copious amounts of food. Momo was slightly less talkative, poking at her noodles absentmindedly.

Todoroki was her dear comrade and friend, and she would trust him with her life if she needed to. Knowing this, she couldn't help feeling guilty for concealing her worries. She sighed slightly.

"Todoroki-san," she started, hesitating as she felt him peering over at her curiously. "Do you ever think that… coming to the Ennichi festival with me might be a bad thing?"

"Hm? Why," he asked, genuinely confused by her question, "You mean you don't enjoy it?"

"No, no-" she quickly replied, "I enjoy it every year. But… sometimes…"

Todoroki set his chopsticks down in his paper bowl, listening respectfully to her concerns.

"I would never misinterpret your intentions of inviting me to the festival, but I've been beginning to worry that some people will," she explained, "You've amassed quite a large reputation now, and many agencies have their eyes on you. Especially it being our last year at UA, it might not be a good thing if rumors were to spread."

"It wouldn't be a bad thing," he said simply.

"Hm?" she blinked at him.

"A rumor like that wouldn't be a bad thing," he clarified, "You've grown a lot, Yaoyorozu. You're probably one of the best heroes to be associated with."

She didn't question whether or not he had interpreted her question correctly, she was too overwhelmed by the burst of happiness washing over her. Her respect for Todoroki had only grown stronger and stronger, and hearing those words coming from him was a monumental complement. Yaoyorozu was immediately reminded of their final exam with Aizawa sensei, realizing just how important this person was to her. He never failed to boost her confidence.

"Thank you," she said, meeting his gaze with heartfelt eyes. She was smiling up at him brightly, purely admiring her teammate and thanking the stars he was put in her path. "For everything."

Shouto was completely captured by her expression, brushing away the urge to reach out and touch her lightly blushing cheeks. He reciprocated his thanks with one of his rare smiles, and Yaoyorozu felt the familiar ache in her chest returning.