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Tuesday, 11th of February, 04:11 PM. Musutafu Main Street.

"Ooh! Look at these ones! Aren't they pretty?"

Mikumo shrugged. He had never really thought of botanicals such as those orchidaceae to be pretty. To him, they were only simple resources for medicine, and he supposed biodiversity.

Katsuki chuckled, turning to Mikumo with a soft smile. "Awh, you'll come around eventually!"

"Whatever. Anyways, can we go back to studying now? The Entrance Exam for UA is almost eleven months away, and I still need to find a way to fake a quirk! Either that, or I'll have to go to another school that doesn't have that stupid policy. I heard Shiketsu might be-"

"Yami, I think you're overthinking this just a little. Also, you're rambling again."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind it." He paused. "I love hearing you talk. Especially when you're so passionate about whatever you're saying."

Mikumo blushed. "J-just hurry up and grab those flash cards already."

"Oki-dokes!"

Whenever flowers, plants, or anything to do with nature was brought up in any way, Mikumo thought back to those days, to those months that he spent studying for the Entrance Exam in Katsuki's room.

And every time he came over, he could've sworn there was always some sort of new plant there, thriving in his clean, simplistic room. In fact, all of the plants in there were always so full of life, that it almost made Mikumo jealous.

However, it just proved the fact that Katsuki was great at taking care of things, like his room, his belongings, his plants, and of course, Mikumo. But mainly plants and Mikumo.

Which is why the not-so-local flower shop was Mikumo's next destination in order to- okay, I think you all get the premise of the story by now.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me you were going out on Sunday. I could've backed you up!" Yuu, Mikumo's chaperone, complained.

Since Mikumo was so badly injured, and Miss Kayama was feeling merciful that day, his punishment was pretty light, just being that he couldn't leave the dorms unsupervised, and he couldn't go to class until his injuries healed fully.

"That probably would've been the smarter decision, but I didn't want to risk the chance of waking anyone else, especially Kirishima with his weird sleepwalking patterns."

"Still, you should've woken me up anyway!" She told him sternly, before tipping her head back and sighing. "You're lucky that I'm still helping you out with all of this."

"Fineee, I'm sorry I didn't wake you up. How about after all of this is over, I treat you to some mochi-"

"Deal." The mochi maniac interrupted, with no hesitation.

Mikumo scoffed lightly. "So, where is this flower shop, anyway? And what exactly is the plan?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we're getting close by now. And I know a girl there, so she can probably help us out."

Mikumo nodded as they walked around the corner, and followed Yuu as she stopped in front of a white store with a pink striped awning just below the sign, decorated with a variety of different colourful flowers and plants.

She led Mikumo inside the small store, where the inside was even more impressive than the outside. Every inch of it was covered in thick, green foliage, and splashed with vibrant color.

Yuu then waved to the girl tending to some flowers on a table, just about the same height as Mikumo, with long, dark green vines for hair. She turned around, a gentle smile appearing on her face as she spotted Yuu. Mikumo instantly remembered her from his research all of those months ago.

"Shiozaki! Hi!" Yuu greeted, bringing Mikumo over to the girl.

"Takeyama! What a pleasant surprise the heavens have blessed me with today." Shiozaki said in return, placing back down the pink spray bottle she was using on the table.

"And you," She turned to Mikumo. "I believe I know you. You faced Todoroki at the sports festival, didn't you? Ah, yes, I remember. What a tremendous battle indeed, and what selflessness you showed towards him." She smiled, making Mikumo turn his head out of embarrassment at the compliment.

"Thanks."

"Oh, right. Shiozaki, this is Mikumo Akatani." Yuu introduced, gesturing to him. "And he needs your help." Thanks for throwing him under the bus, Yuu! So much for doing this together!

"Well then, Akatani, how can I help you?"

"I, well, uhm... n-need help with..." He stammered, and being put on the spot like that did not help him whatsoever. "Picking out an... assorted flower bouquet..."

Mikumo could tell Yuu was getting her kicks out of watching him struggle bashfully.

"Perfect! And what's the occasion?"

"V-Valentine's Day..."

Mikumo wished someone would've just killed him right then and there, as Yuu silently cackled to herself.

"You're in luck then, because we have a wide range of flower options for these kinds of things. Come here, I'll talk you through it." She gestured for him to follow her, walking deeper into the store as he followed suit. "You seem pretty unsure of what to get, so why don't you tell me a little bit about them?"

He watched as she started browsing through some of the flower options, checking how they were doing, and taking out a notepad and pencil. "I guess... they're really caring, for starters..."

Lost in his thoughts, Mikumo continued to ramble on about everything he loved about Katsuki, about how kindhearted he was, how beautiful, and how adorably stupid he was too, all the while Shiozaki just listened, nodding along with him as she made notes of flowers.

Once he finished, she flicked through the notes she had taken. "You must really love him."

Mikumo cracked a small smile. "I... I suppose I do."

"Alright then, based on your description, I think I've made the perfect assortment of flowers for your partner." She slid the pencil into the elastic on the side of the notepad. "Daisies for their innocence and gentle touch,"

"Alstroemeria for long devoted friendships and playfulness,"

"Pink carnations for gratitude and deep appreciation,"

"Lilacs to represent youthful romance,"

"And lastly, scorpion grasses for loyalty and true love. Are those alright with you?"

Mikumo was silent for a moment before finally answering.

"It's perfect."