The heat hit like a wall the second the dorm doors opened.

“Why is summer in Japan so aggressive?” Kaminari complained dramatically, already melting onto the steps.

“You say that every year,” Jirou said, adjusting her bag.

Class 1-A had somehow decided that the perfect way to survive the heat was a beach day. Which sounded fun in theory.

In practice, you were currently standing very still near the doorway trying not to look visibly nervous.

Because everyone looked… cool. Relaxed. Confident.

Meanwhile you were suddenly hyper-aware of literally everything about yourself.

Mina noticed first, of course.

“You okay?” she asked quietly, tilting her head. “You’ve been standing there for like three whole minutes.”

“I’m fine,” you answered too fast.

That immediately earned a knowing look.

“Oho. Someone’s embarrassed.”

“I am not.”

“You are,” Kaminari said instantly. “That was the most embarrassed ‘I’m fine’ I’ve ever heard.”

You groaned while Mina laughed.

Before the teasing could get worse, Uraraka stepped beside you with an easy smile. “You don’t have to worry, you know. Everyone’s just here to hang out.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Nah,” she said. “Half the class panicked before leaving. Yaoyorozu repacked her beach bag three times.”

“I heard that,” Yaoyorozu called from across the room, slightly offended.

“And Todoroki asked if sunscreen expired.”

“It does expire,” Todoroki replied seriously.

Bakugou snorted from nearby. “Extras.”

Somehow that helped.

Just a little.

By the time everyone reached the beach, the energy had shifted into complete chaos anyway.

Kirishima and Sero were racing into the water.

Iida was trying—and failing—to establish “safe swimming boundaries.”

Tokoyami stood under an umbrella like sunlight had personally insulted him.

And Midoriya was enthusiastically taking notes on everyone’s beach games until Tsuyu gently stole the notebook from his hands.

“You’re supposed to relax, ribbit.”

You laughed before you could stop yourself.

Mina immediately pointed at you. “There we go! Human emotion!”

“Oh my god.”

“You’re smiling now,” Uraraka said proudly.

“Barely.”

“Counts.”

A volleyball suddenly smacked Kaminari in the face.

Everyone paused.

Then exploded laughing.

Even Bakugou looked dangerously close to smiling.

The embarrassment faded after that.

Not completely. Just enough.

Enough to sit with everyone in the sand while the sun dipped lower across the water.

Enough to stop overthinking every little thing.

Enough to feel like part of the moment instead of outside of it.

Mina bumped your shoulder lightly. “See? Told you it’d be fun.”

You rolled your eyes.

“…Yeah. Okay. Maybe you were right.”

“Obviously I was right,” she said proudly. “I’m Mina Ashido. It’s kind of my thing.”