#chapter thirty nine

Minori looked forward to the mall all day, and now that class had finally ended, seemingly after a lifetime, she hurriedly went to change out of her uniform. Out of the limited variety of clothing she owned, Minori decided on a basic pair of jeans and a brown sweater. She never did anything to her hair, sometimes adding water to revive the curls, but other than that, she leaves it in its unruly state.

Now that both girls are ready and dressed comfortably, they make their way out of the dorms. They chatter on their way, reminiscing and laughing how Kaminari continuously poked about Bakugo’s secret throughout lunch, then Bakugo forcing the blonde to use his Quirk and duncefy him, evidently shutting him up. As the two continued to walk, said male was leaning on a lamppost, arms crossed. 

Minori raises an eyebrow curiously and glances towards Mina, only to find her lips pulled upwards in a knowing smirk. As their footsteps got closer, his crimson orbs lazily glimpsed at them before pushing himself off and walks ahead. 

“I’m confused,” Minori drawls slowly, her face scrunching and footsteps coming to a stop. Forcing the other two to follow. 

Bakugo turns around, the tuft of his ash blonde hair shifting at the sudden breeze. “I’m going to the mall,” he grumbles matter of factly, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Oh, so you’re coming with us?” Mina asks, raising an eyebrow as she crosses her arms, a teasing smile kissing her lips. 

“Obviously, I’m not fucking going with you. You two are just stalking me,” he corrects, making Minori snort. “But since you two are here, you can follow me or whatever.”

“Ok–” 

“No,” Mina rebuttals, “I mean, if you’re going to the mall for a different purpose than to hang out with us, we’ll just split up when we get there.” She finishes, shrugging her shoulders, and takes a step forward. 

Like a lost puppy, Minori immediately follows close behind. From her distance, she could see the two staring one another down. The black sclera of Mina’s orbs shined against her yellow irises, clashing against red ones. The pinkette looked at the male as if daring him. On the other hand, though, Bakugo’s eyes shifted with hesitation, his lips quivering like he wanted to say something but too reluctant to speak up. 

“I mean, since we’re all here, we can all just go together,” Minori says, interrupting their staredown. “I think it’d be nice if all three of us hung out,” she proposes. 

“I agree, but I don’t want to intrude on his activities, you get me?” Minori’s lips fall slightly open, shaping an ‘o,’ realizing her friend is right. She never even thought about why Bakugo suddenly wanted to go to the mall. What if he was there to grab a couple of necessities. And be on his way. The last thing she wanted to do was waste his time. 

“Mina’s right,” she pouts, her full bottom lip juts out slightly as the corner of her lips fall. “We shouldn’t bother you if–”

“It’s fine,” Bakugo interrupts, rolling his eyes. “It’s not crazy important. Besides, now that I’m here, I’ll keep an eye on that big ass mouth of hers.” Suddenly, the pinkette laughs, smiling from ear to ear. Mina’s laugh embodies who she is– sweet and genuine, and the beautiful noise brings warmth to Minori’s skin. 

“I see,” Mina giggles, skipping a few feet ahead before swiveling to face the two. “You want to keep an eye on me.” Winking at Minori. Said girl mouths ‘what?’ toward her friend, confused as to why she would wink at her if she didn’t even know what the secret was.

“I don’t trust you,” Bakugo growls, snarling his teeth like a dog.”

“Yeah yeah,” waving her hand around dismissively, she continues. “Don’t be a Debbie Downer. Anyways this is going to be so much fun!” skipping closer to the two, Mina grabs Minori’s arm and interlocks their elbows, pulling the girl ahead. “Right, bestie?”

Minori lightly laughs under her breath. Turning her head back, she faces Bakugo. His demeanor no longer seems tense, and the curve of his eyebrows smoothened out. His crimson orbs peek into hers, and she observes how his eyes aren’t radiating any signs of discomfort. Instead, he seems to be more at peace, making her stand a little taller. Her lips stretch into a beaming smile, forcing the corner of her eyes to curve. She turns her head back to the front, but not before catching the light pink littering his cheeks. 

“Yeah, it is,” Minori answers, the tone of her voice content. 

***

Once the three arrived, Minori stood in awe at the vast array of stores within the building. She never imagined the first time she’d be in a mall, much less for it to be decked out the way it is. The ceiling is domed high with beautiful glass, and the walkways flow like tributaries to the main rivers of people. It smells like heaven, the sweet aroma of baked goods setting the atmosphere.

The trio walked around the building with no destination in mind. Their chatter was like a childish dance, beautifully chaotic, but makes you laugh out loud nonetheless. That’s what their friendship was, not only the three of them but also with Kaminari and Kirishima. Their banter was bonding, always seemingly bringing out some sort of playfulness with each other. 

As they’re walking, Minori’s silver-grey eyes stop on a specific store. It charmingly stood in a corner, shining with a combination of granite and daylight. The walls are painted black, and the lightbulbs shone with a warm ambiance. She could feel that there were good things within. Suddenly, Minori could feel a sudden weight on her shoulder. Glancing in that direction, she finds Mina with a comforting smile. “Let’s go check this store out,” she says, and Minori nods. 

Inside, Minori’s eyes lit up as she entered. There are various racks filled with clothes in the back, immediately drawing the group’s fashionista toward. On the right of the wall are shelves filled with books, figurines, and knick-knacks, and on the floor held accessories. 

Even in the dim lights, there was still a sparkle glinting, inexplicably drawing Minori closer. She let out an involuntary gasp at the item, never having seen something so beautiful. Minori held the jewel in her outstretched hand; the brilliant purple hue was so vivid it was how she imagined the purest gem would appear if it existed. 

The necklace was polished and cut to perfection with crystals held together by a shiny gold chain. The necklace is built in two layers. On top lay a beautifully carved butterfly, lepidolite engraved within, and right below is a pendant with the same stone embedded within it. Minori stood there, transfixed by the enchanting jewel. Its surface was impossibly smooth. Its colors, mesmerizingly bright, giving off an ethereal glow. 

“You like it?” 

“Yeah,” Minori whispers to Bakugo.

“If you like it, then buy it,” he stated as if it was the most simplistic and obvious thing to do. 

“No, it’s okay. I don’t need it.”

“I never asked if you needed it,” he grumbles. At that exact moment, Mina comes by with a bundle of clothes in her hand. Her amber irises catch the necklace Minori’s holding and squeals. 

“That is so cute!” She exclaims. “You should try it on and see how it looks. I’m going to try on these bad boys,” she raises her hand to show off the variety of options she’s chosen and makes her way to the dressing room. Minori looked down one last time at the necklace and decides to take Mina’s advice and try it on.  

Pulling the chain back to her neck, her eyebrows scrunch together as she struggles to lock it in. Feeling Bakugo’s piercing gaze, merely watching her struggle and fail to clip in a simple jewel, she frowns. “I can’t clip it,” she huffs.

“Give it to me,” he demands, jutting out his hand. 

“You have larger hands than I do. It’s not going to work.”

“Just give me the stupid thing,” he insists. Blowing a breath from her nose, Minori hands him the necklace. “And lift your hair.” Turning around, Minori bunches her hair in her hand, twisting it into a bun for her to hold. 

Bakugo gently puts the necklace over her, careful not to pull too hard since the chain wasn’t very long. Minori was slightly surprised by how delicate he was being, but immediately after she had that thought, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She could feel Bakugo’s steady breaths hit her, the feeling instantly electrocuting her, leaving her surprisingly hot. For a second, his fingers touched her neck, forcing her to shiver unintentionally and close her eyes.  

“Done,” he whispers, his voice coming out hoarse as he somewhat steps back. 

Minori looked down at the necklace, sitting flawlessly below her collarbone. “How does it look?” she asks, skin tingling as they lock eyes. 

“Nice,” he replies, glancing toward the jewel then back at her. Looking into his deep orbs, a crackle of air forms between them like static. Her heart beats erratically in her chest, feeling as though it may burst.

Minori’s breaths suddenly felt shallow as she peered into Bakugo’s hypnotizingly, intriguing, sharp cat-like eyes. There was something about how he was looking at her and had spoken so kindly that it made the air flicker with tension. It wasn’t negative, no– she couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly what it was– but it left her flustered. Rendering her a human butterfly. 

Minori couldn’t quite find her voice as she flickered her gaze away, clearing her throat.  

“So, are you going to get it?” Bakugo asks, disrupting the silence and shoving his hands in his pockets.  

“No.”

“But you like it.”

“Yeah, but it is what it is,” Minori shrugs, not wanting to get into the fact that she doesn’t have a penny to her name. Everything she owns was gifted to her by the kindness of Nezu’s heart, and it’s not like she can up and get a job. Not while she’s in school, training to become a hero. Much less than getting hired due to her name, especially now that Tatsumaki’s back, and she doesn’t know when her mother will make her re-debut. 

“That’s so pretty, Minori,” Mina announces as she approaches the duo. “It really suits you, especially the color. It’s perfect skin tone.”

“Thanks,” Minori mumbles, suddenly shy to the compliment, but knowing she can’t take the jewelry with her, she asks Mina to unclip it for her; too embarrassed to ask Bakugo for help for some unknown reason. 

As the trio makes their way out of the store, Mina points at a clothing boutique she wants to enter. The pinkette hauls a bunch of outfits to try and asks Bakugo and Minori’s opinions. Meanwhile, Minori gives sincere feedback and compliments; the ash-blonde male tiredly insults every item as he sits on the couch, saying things like: “nobody cares” and “burn it.” 

“I’ll be right back,” Bakugo announces, stretching his arms. Minori catches the slight rise of his shirt but quickly looking away, shaking her head at her unusual actions. “If Mina tries to tell you anything, punch her in the throat for me.”

Taken aback by his joke, she widens her eyes. “What the fuck? No,” she grins, giggling.

The left side of his pale red lips tugs upwards, creating a smirk. “Worth a try,” he says, strolling off. 

Getting up from her seat, Minori knocks on Mina’s dressing door. “Hey, Mina?” she calls out, “Bakugo went somewhere, and I really have to pee. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”

Mina cracks open the door, poking her head out. “Yeah, no problem. You have to step out of the store, and it’s down the hall on your left.”

“Okay, thanks.”

For some reason, as Minori walked alone, she feels unsettled, like a pair of eyes are following her every move. This is nothing new, by all means, but at this moment, something just feels off. 

Hurrying off into the bathroom and in a stall, she sits. The hairs on the base of her neck bristled, the room feeling eerily quiet. Quickly, she goes and washes her hands, but her eyes widen when she makes a move to open the door, only for it to be slammed back shut. 

A group of goosebumps runs through her frigid skin. Slowly and deliberately, she tried to turn the handle again, only for it not to budge. She opened her mouth to scream, but only a croak issued from her gape. 

The particles of air turned into a frenzy behind her before stilling. Immediately, she could sense another presence behind her. 

“Hi, baby.”

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