My Hero Academia: Stone Cold.

Clue.

Ejiro came back into the common area to see Mina and Jiro comforting a scared Ari, They looked up at their protector and he gave them a reassuring look that everything was going to be okay, "It didn't look like he followed us. The coast is clear."

"Ari, who was that guy?" Mina asked. 

"What happened?" Jiro inststed. 

Kirishima saw the look on Ari's face and he broke up the little questioning, "I think she just needs some space, she's been through enough." He told the two girls. They took their leave and left for their own rooms. Ari sat there, clenching her fists and blocking out the tears that wanted to spring forth from her eyes. He knelt down in front of her, "You don't have to tell them anything, you don't have to tell me anything."

Her head slowly rose so her eyes could meet his, "Thank you."

"I am your friend, Ari. I am here for you whenever you need me." he gave her an assuring smile. 

It touched her so that he was there to get her out of that situation, she knew that she could trust him but being in the same room with a boy...was too much for her. 

"I'm going to go to bed." She scrambled up and tripped over her own two feet, Kirishima caught her. The terror in her face alarmed him and he stood her up quickly and stepped away, "Sorry, I didn't want you to fall-"

"Goodnight." She ran from the room, leaving Ejiro with a heavy heart. He felt so bad for what happedned but the curiosity grew of what she experienced for her to grab his hand in desperation. He looked down at his hand and could still feel the warmth of her hand and a feeling burst deep in his chest, he needed to protect her. 

He sighed and left for his room, he heard muffled cries down the hallway behind him and the pain struck his heart upon hearing her. He fought everything in himself that told him to knock on her door and comfort her but alas...Ari recieved things in a different manner than other girls and he had to respect that. Even though it pained him to keep walking to his room and close the door, he did so for her. That night, he struggled to go to sleep with the woes of the girl he fancied still upon his mind. 

The next day, He woke up from his sleep exhausted and drained. He walked into the common area and made himself some tea as all of the others filtered in slowly. Shoto came to the counter and saw Kirishima's dark circles. "Rough night?"

"Yeah." He replied, heating up the water. "I don't know how I am going to get through class today." 

"Did Arinna like the movie?" He asked. 

"Yeah she did but then-" Ejiro stopped talking, this was a private matter. "Nevermind."

"What happened?" He asked. 

"Nothing, if she wants to tell you then she will. You two are close anyways."

"I'm sorry that I'm in the position that you'd like to be in."

"No, this has nothing to do with me. I know she's hurting and I-"

"Give her time. Its the manly thing to do as you like to say."

"Very funny." he poured the hot water in the pot and made his tea before he sat down across from the boy. 

"I mean it, Ejiro. Something has happened to her that she wont talk about because she is healing from it. Letting her heal is the best decision right now." He told him. 

"Do you know what happened?" He raised and eyebrow. Shoto shook his head. 

"Just like you, I respect Ari too mcuh to talk about her when she's not in the room."

"You're a good friend to her, Shoto." He gave his friend a weak smile and he retired back to his room to change for class. He didn't wait for anyone to join him in walking to school, he needed to be by himself to think. Hands in his pockets, eyes down on the pavement beneath his feet as he walked. She called him IT, just like the girl in the book they were reading for English. She was hurt by this blonde guy, he was the one that inflicted the trauma on her and made her not want to be touched, right? 

"Oh! Young Kirishima, are you alright?" He had bumped into All Might and he looked up to see the big guy. 

"Oh, sorry All Might." He dropped his head, still in thought. 

"Kirishima, you look troubled."  The hero spoke to him in a caring tone of voice. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, All Might. I'm just thinking."

"I know you, Kirishinma. You are always pumped for school and have a smile on your face. What's made you so forlorn?"

Ejiro sighed and shuffled his feet before answering him, "What if you have a friend whose gone through something so traumatic that they can't speak about it. You really want to help them but you also don't want to push them to talk to you or open up but you really want to be the one they open up to-"

"Whoa!" All Might had to stop him. "That's a lot to be thinking about. This friend, are they a female?" He asked, knowing full well thet he was talking about Ari. 

"Yeah. I just want to help her."

The hero chcukled, clearly seeing his dalliance for his neice. "Be there for her as much as you are able and maybe she will trust you enough in sharing her story."

"What if I'm not the one she talks to?" 

"Well, if she doesn't talk to you specifically about it...that doesn't mean you're not a good friend."

"Okay, thank you All Might."

"Any time. I'll see you later in class."

He laft the hero in the hallway and headed to his homeroom, walking inside and pulling out his book that he had to read for English. She used IT to refer to the guy she ran into the other day, did she leave him a clue?