With some extra time on her hands she wasn't sure what to do next. She had finished his sword, finished making a sword for herself as well. Study, perhaps? No... For some reason she couldn't focus, not when she was waiting for him to show up. Sure, she could read a line or two but her thoughts soon drifted to that morning where they first crossed swords, to that first time she saw him in the classroom. Funny. Usually when she thought of others it was either out of resentment, or someone she was dreading to see, like her roommate Ylva. Enma occupied a positive space in her mind. She never knew such a thing existed.

Maybe somewhere along the way, she had found the key to making a friend, and why people seemed so obsessed with relying on others.

When she saw his text she couldn't help but smile. How had his day been? Still training as always or was the constant stream of homework getting to him? Hopefully he was making sure to eat healthy every day. As she passed it, she paused in front of the mirror of her workshop and squinted at her own reflection. Was something off about her hair today? Maybe she would look better wearing it down instead of having it up in a ponytail.

When he arrived she turned to face him, smiling. ''Arashi-san, welcome. Please by all means let yourself in, I am not so busy that I cannot make time for you.'' She was never going to tell him that she had actually just been polishing clean tools just now to pretend like she was working while he came in here. ''And what wonderful timing! The most skilled swordsman in all of UAU stepping foot inside my workshop just as his new sword has been finished.'' She turned and picked up the display the sword had been placed on, still leaving it obscured by a white piece of cloth. ''Whenever you're ready,'' she indicated the piece of cloth with her hand. ''feel free to take a look.'' Her heart was beating faster. She really wanted him to like this. Normally when forging weapons she knew when to call it quits, but Enma had really brought out the perfectionist in her.

Once the katana was revealed, vibrant colors would take center stage in her ordinary workshop. A beautiful crimson blade, inspired by his fiery spirit, and own red eyes shone. The sea of crimson roses that she still thought about, whether she was in the middle of class or in the middle of training. Accompanying the blade which was begging to take the spotlight, a black handle contrasted it perfectly to put the emphasis where it needed to be. Finally, the finishing touches she had spent far too long on, the tsuba consisted of a swirl of stars, signifying the great heights he was reaching for, and would no doubt achieve in his career as a future hero. ''I hope it is to your liking.'' She bowed respectfully. When she closed her eyes she thought back to that first goodnight text she received from him. She had been looking up at the starry night sky. She replied in kind, wishing him a goodnight too, but had her text come in too quickly? Doubt flooded her mind. Did friends usually text each other right away, or was she supposed to wait a bit?

Meeting new people was so complicated... Hopefully Enma could forgive her lack of experience. The Ando family covered etiquette and mannerisms in a formal setting, but making friends, or hanging around her peers was hardly something she had been encouraged to do growing up.

enma

Failure was nothing short of unacceptable, it always had been. Ever since childhood she had never been good enough, it all started when she was born a girl, as the boys of the Ando family were expected to inherit the family business. That was why her father raised her as a boy, but she still wasn't good enough. Failure wasn't something she learned through, it was something she actively feared. If I'm not perfect, then what am I? What will people think when I fail? Am I going to grow old and die with regrets? Those thoughts haunted her, fueled her to become better, but they weren't productive or healthy, they were actively holding her back.

She fully expected him to give up on her. To lay down his sword and call it there. She could continue to create weapons for him, but as a fighter she was a nobody. She had learned as much from the Sports Festival arena too. She blinked her eyes when he changed his stance rather than put down his weapon. Somehow, she couldn't help but meet his smirk with her own, his energy was that infectious. ''If that is your wish then...'' She raised her sword again, once more assuming the only stance that she had learned. ''Thank you, Arashi-san.''

She was running straight into a beatdown, and yet the look in his eyes was soft, inviting, trusting. ''Then I will show you everything that I've got!'' Following his advice, she pushed her body even further this time, sending out a flurry of strikes in an attempt to hit him. Before she was fighting with hesitation, fighting like she was afraid to get hurt. Now, she was going to fight with vigor and with passion. She was going to keep fighting him until she dropped. Through all of it, a single word he had just said played on repeat through her mind.

''Masao.''

Usually she corrected people that tried to call her by her first name, but there was something about the way he said it that made it sound nice.

enma

[attr="class","likedo"]

''I would expect nothing less of a man dedicated to the sword.'' She smirked, taking his words at face value. Even if he didn't get enough rest it wasn't like she was just able to tell. Not because she didn't look at him or well... She hadn't taken a close look at least. Besides it was rude to stare, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

''It would be an honor.'' She half-turned to get the wooden swords. As a weaponsmith, nothing made her happier than her weapons being put to use, even these rudimentary training swords needed to see the light of the Sun every now and then. ''You? A monster?'' She was about to let out a chuckle, but paused for a moment when she turned back and noticed how close he was standing to her. Maybe it was just her imagination, but his eyes looked different up close, a vibrant, crimson color, like a field of roses. ''R-Right..'' She cleared her throat and looked away to hide the warmth that was flooding into her cheeks. The oddest thing was that her heart was beating faster too, but she hadn't broken a sweat yet. Was she this nervous to face him, or was it something else? ''You referred to me as Paragon, my hero name.'' She handed him one of the swords with the handle facing him. ''I realize I neglected to inquire about your hero name. You have my sincerest apologies, Arashi-san.'' She bowed her head formally. ''May I ask, what is your hero name?''

Enma... A monster? If it could improve both of her sparring experiences, perhaps she would need to look past his exterior. He neither looked nor acted like a monster after all. ''Prepare yourself.'' She said calmly, assuming a dignified fighting stance that gave away not only that she had been taught by private trainers, but clearly came from a privileged background.

Striking out, she started by swinging for Enma's shoulder, a simple strike meant to test him even if he was gauging her level of skill.

enma

Finally, after a week's hard work she managed to complete Enma's new sword. It was her first commission in a while, although calling it a commission was generous since she had offered to make one for him, getting caught up in the moment. She had never made a sword for someone based on a first meeting without them asking first, but she had a good feeling about him, and didn't regret it for a second.

Putting the finishing touches on the new sword she let it sit on display for a moment, inspecting it from multiple angles until she was sure she was satisfied. She had ensured him that she would make him a weapon of the finest quality, so anything less would be a stain on her pride as a weaponsmith. Aesthetically and structurally, the blade was up to code. What she wasn't sure about, the unpredictable element in all this was Enma's quirk. How was it going to react to him? It was one of those things she simply couldn't predict, and they hadn't had the time to have him test on the prototypes, so today would have to be the big testing day. The first time he got to hold a proper weapon made by her.

Taking out her phone she dialed his number. If he didn't pick up she would resort to leaving him a voice message. ''Arashi-san, this is Masao.'' She kept introducing herself by name just in case her voice wasn't recognizable. ''Your new sword is finished and waiting for you at my workshop. Whenever you have the time you are more than welcome to stop by, I'll be in here working for most of the day.'' She glanced at the calendar that hung on her wall one more time, just to make sure she was free. ''If today doesn't work we can schedule a time and date as well.'' She smirked, her voice softening just a bit as she put a piece of cloth over the sword to hide it for now. ''I'm sure the hero course is keeping you busy.'' She paused for an awkward few seconds, her face turning red as she realized she didn't know how to end the call. She was used to being business formal and never smiling. ''Um... That is all I wanted to say, thank you for your time.'' She ended the call a bit stilted, letting out a sigh once she had hung up, burying her face in the palm of her hand. ''Thank you for your time?'' She repeated to herself, shaking her head gently.

Although it was true she had finished Enma's sword, she had also worked on a model for herself. The swords looked nothing alike, with Masao's own being much simpler in design, but it would serve her for the time being and she could potentially bring it with her to their morning sparring matches going forward. Suddenly her eyes widened. ''Did I forget to tell him which room my workshop is in?'' Surely she couldn't just expect him to wander the support labs until he found it. She took out her phone and hastily messaged the room number, apologizing afterwards, followed by a bowing emoji for emphasis.

enma

A girls night...

Masao would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit terrified. She had been to plenty of parties before, the recent yacht party came to mind, but in those she could always blend in with the rest of the crowd. To her understanding, girls night wasn't going to be quite as packed, and to make matters worse it was a social battlefield one of which she wasn't accustomed to. Ask her to pick up a weapon and train with you and she was in her element. Ask her to craft the finest sword and she would bring you nothing short of the best you had ever laid your eyes on.

But this? A girls night fully of girly things? She was hesitant to go at first, but maybe this was exactly the kind of event she needed to change and grow? She had been making choices out of desperation for too long. She knew that going into the hero industry as complete loner, without any connections, wasn't a winning strategy. She thought back to her recent conversation with Jun and after a quick talk with Misaki that was all she needed to make up her mind. She didn't know Julienne or Yaoyao, she barely even knew Jun, but that was all going to change tonight. She hadn't really spoken to Ylva since they punched each other in the Sports Festival arena, but she offered the brute to make her a weapon to further sweeten the deal of going to the girls night.

Walking into the common room with two items in hand, Masao handed one of them, a bottle of red wine to Julienne. ''Lémieux-san, thank you for the invitation, please accept this gift. I wasn't sure if you partake in the consumption of alcohol, but in the Ando family it is customary to gift the host a bottle of wine as thanks.'' She bowed her head formally. In her other hand she was holding a sheathed sword, ready to defend the party against any potential villains that might come to ambush them. Grabbing a drink for herself she went to take a seat on the couch. ''You certainly went all-out for the occasion... What is the occasion exactly?'' She looked around at the various briefcases as she took out her phone.

𝕐 + 𝕐, Julienne Lémieux, Takanashi Misaki. junsuina, Ylva Riis