Affinity

Chapter 49 - Everywhere, Everything

She hadn't known how difficult handling it together would be. Or at least, she'd underestimated how much work it would be to keep her newfound relationship with Shoto a secret from her friends and their classmates. She hated lying, hated the tight, uncomfortable feeling it left lingering in her chest. She hated how she knew that all of the girls knew she had a secret, how she could feel their confusion and curiosity every time she walked into a room.

Momo and Jirou had cornered her the very first day she was back in the dorms, demanding to know what had happened between her and Shoto. They'd all seen him come back a few days prior, dark bruise lingering on his chin from where her fist had caught him. He hadn't told anyone what happened between them, and she didn't intend on being the one to spill the beans on their conversation. Especially not when she wasn't even sure what it meant for herself. Sure, she'd told him she loved him and he'd said it back, but after that there hadn't been much discussion on where they each stood.

Even now, a week after she'd been discharged she lay on her bed, arms folded across her eyes to hide her face. Her stomach grumbled in hunger, but she ignored it because she could just feel her friends outside the door, could hear them chattering amongst themselves as they discussed whether or not to knock.

"You guys may as well come in instead of sitting in the hallway like a couple of stalkers," she hollered, trying to steady the anxiety she felt simmering in her gut. She knew that Momo and Jirou weren't going to let her get away from answering their questions as much as she tried to lie.

"I tried to tell Jirou we should let you rest, but she was adamant we came to visit. She seems to think you're keeping secrets from us, which is obviously stupid. I tried to tell her-"

Momo is rambling, her hands moving through the air as she talks. Sentiment reaches out, latching onto her anxiety and tamping it out quickly.

"Emiko, I'm gonna be upfront with you, okay?" Jirou interrupts, folding her slender arms over her chest. Her long fingers toy with her earjacks, an absentminded quirk of hers that Emiko finds endearing. "What happened between you and Todoroki? We heard that there was some drama during your training, and then he didn't come back to the dorms right away and you were in the hospital. And, on top of all of that, you've been actively avoiding us for the past week."

She wants to deny her friends this information, but the words spill from her mouth before she can even process the question.

"I told him I loved him."

Her friends' shocked faces nearly send her into a fit of panicked laughter, for fear they are going to call her an idiot.

"And he said it back."

Before she can process or take the words back, the two girls erupt into loud cheers. Their faces are alight with joy and a heavy flush traces their cheeks and their shoulders.

"You did it! You actually, really did it. Emiko-" Jirou laughs, shaking her head softly. "You actually got him to confess."

Laughing, Jirou turns to Momo with a bright grin. "Hagakure and Kami each owe me 2000 yen."

"You've been betting?!" She roars with laughter, her hands coming to rest on her stomach. "On when... wait, you guys knew?"

"Emiko, it's been clear to anyone with eyes that he's been pining for you for literal months now. Every single time you left a room he'd stare after you like a lost puppy. You and Izu are the only ones he actually seems to like talking to."

"And, beyond that, Emiko... the way he acted after you got taken away made it clear to us all. I would, however, like to make it known that Tenya and I didn't take part in the betting pool and actively discouraged it, so please don't be mad!" Momo cried, wringing her hands slowly. "We really did try, Emiko."