He didnât need much force at all to free himself from hergrasp.
Maedaâs admittance of his attraction to her made her gripslacken, lips dropping apart as she stared incredulously at him, Ochacoâs mindreeling and replaying the words over and over again. Even as he moved away fromher to procure the mochi she had been so excited for this night, she remainedstill, her arm outstretched, reaching for something that wasnât there anymore.
Or, simply for now, as his heart seemed to settle besideher, a mix of appreciation and affection rolled into one scenario that shedidnât have any idea of how to deal with.
Togaâs words run in her head: Thereâs someone you like, isnât there?
The villain had assumed it was Izuku, which most might have.But now it was shoved in her face the truth she had been shoving further andfurther down inside of her, encapsulating it so it did not weigh her down onher climb to the top. Love was something that could wait until she establishedherself. Love was something that wouldnât give her a boost in power and theability to protect the smiles of her friends.
Lowering her hand and sitting quietly upon the bench, herfingers came to rest on her cheeks as she let her head hang slightly. âItâsâŚnota problem.â Ochaco muttered softly to no one, awaiting for the boy to return.
If Maeda had to put words to the maelstrom of thoughts - interconnected yet all disparate - that was swirling through him; he would only be able to give a single word:
His initial attempt of a nice evening out - with Ochaco, no less, to have sweet delicious mochi - had been thoroughly derailed by his need to follow his morals. Why couldnât I have just lied, or said literally anything else.)
He - in full autopilot - handed over his card, and received a note and polite instructions to sit back down and wait; he instead meandered to the drink cabinet. Not to purchase, but to buy him a moment.Â
Seeing the kindly woman at the counter cast a very knowing look to him was a sharp reminder that he was face was still aflame with a warm blush. He really did like Ochaco, after all, and he had no way of denying that fact. What may be a long, mental journey of self reflection and understanding for some was in fact an accident in the shower for Maeda.
(It turns out accidentally nulling out your own gravity while in the shower can make a mess. No points for guessing why Maeda was ruminating on this while in the shower.)
His issue was by far the opposite; all the emotion, none of the knowledge. Which explained his mismanagement of the situation. He had no doubt a certain grape-haired boy will be waiting for him to return (mostly as of all the people he knew, Mineta was the absolute hardest to shake; it seems that where Maeda went, cute girls tended to congregate. He didnât know, either) and prodding him for details on his evening.
He was low on options, so he pulled his phone out and sent a text-
[Maeda Hasimoto -> (redacted)] Help. Iâm in a situation I accidentally turned into a sort-of-date. I have no idea what to do here.
-before shaking his head, and finally forcing his blush back down. A deep sigh, and a spin on his heel, and-
âThey said they would bring the mochi over.â A nod. â...Iâm sorry, by the way.â His face was controlled; but it was clear he was... agitated. Worried. Mostly about upsetting Ochaco.