My Hero Academia: Next Gen

Chapter 23: Obligatory Beach Episode

The girls were almost at the beach when Matsumoto took Eri's new scarf and wrapped it around her head, blindfolding her. 

"Agh, hey, what are you doing?" Eri laughed. 

"I just think that maybe, uh, seeing the beach should be a surprise for you!" Matsumoto chirped. "Not that there's anything out of the ordinary at the beach." 

At that, Eri heard a deft whap, then a yelp from Matsumoto and she could only assume Torredo had swatted her on the arm or something. She smiled. They were definitely planning something at the beach. "Okay," she said, relenting. "Lead the way, I suppose." 

They pulled her by the hands, stopping a couple of times to, Eri assumed, cross the street without killing her. She felt the breeze across her exposed face and smelled the salt of the ocean. They were close. They led her down a set of stairs that led to the beach, and then they landed on the sand.

The uneven dips in the sand nearly made Eri trip, but they righted her before she could face plant.  

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Eri asked nervously. "What if I step on something?"

Torredo hummed. "Maybe you should keep your shoes on until we get there," she offered. "You can always knock the sand out of them later."

Eri nodded and let them slowly walk her down the beach, the soft sand slowly but surely sneaking its way into her shoes. The sound of the ocean was so close, but it felt strange not to be able to see it herself. Like she was listening to ocean noises while walking on a sandy path. The salty sea air, however, did the trick to tell her that her friends had in fact brought her to the beach. The cries and laughter of children and families met Eri's ears as they walked, and she smiled. As it was a Saturday, now all of the families were out on the beach enjoying the sunshine. She wondered how busy it actually was compared to how busy it sounded.

They walked for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few hundred feet at most before Torredo and Matsumoto brought Eri to a stop. The beach had gotten quieter over the last few minutes of walking, and she wondered where everyone had gone. The children's screeches and giggles had dulled down to a quiet echo in the background, and the only thing she could hear was the waves crashing on shore and Matsumoto trying to contain her giggles beside her.

"Are you ready?" Matsumoto asked giddily, starting to untie the scarf from around Eri's eyes.

"I don't know, am I?" Eri joked. "I'm a little scared."

"Don't be," Torredo encouraged. "Just open your eyes!"

The scarf was pulled away from her eyes, and Eri blinked against the bright sunlight. When her eyes had adjusted, she gasped. In front of her was the entirety of Class 1-B, four tables covered in apple-red table cloths and plates upon plates of food, ten colourful umbrellas and enough beach chairs and towels for everyone to get one.

The students all grinned and cried, "Surprise!"  They were all decked out in tank tops, shorts, or even their bathing suits.

Eri's hand trembled as she pressed it to her lips, unable to say anything. Her eyes prickled as they filled with tears. Her head swivelled between her two friends, who only grinned widely. So this is what they had been planning all along. They were distracting her so she wouldn't find out about this--

"A surprise party!" Matsumoto cheered, running up to the class. "Just for you, Eri!"

"I-I don't understand," she whispered, meeting the gazes of her classmates. Amano winked at her and smiled widely, Tora smirked, Izumi had the slightest of smiles playing on his lips, Himei and Yoru were both smiling brightly at her. It was the strangest thing to have happened to her.