Prior to this, Todoroki never actually realized how difficult it is to have and hold a conversation with another person. After they breached the kidnapping subject earlier, a few minutes have passed and both of them still don't know what else to say.
The girl constantly keeps her head down and fills her vision with the view of white hospital blanket, throwing wary glances towards him every ten seconds or so. Wary glances that remind him of an injured stray cat he approached near U.A.
It's not like she blatantly doesn't trust him. It's more like she doesn't know what to make of him. And like a cherry on top, there is also her fear of his Half-Cold side.
Which obviously doesn't make this less awkward, Todoroki sighs as she nervously turns away once more. He flicks his gaze to his paper bag. Anyway, is it time?
For a moment, only some rustling sounds resound in the room. When something heavy covers her back, she slowly lifts her head in confusion. A large, navy blue winter coat is draped around her shoulders.
"I hope it's the right size," he remarks, his mismatched eyebrows forming a small wrinkle on his forehead.
"What are you doing?" Her green eyes flick to his face, bewildered.
"Your former coat was drenched in blood, torn up, and singed," Todoroki says as he fixes the coat position on her body. "You will need a new one for the winter."
Or, to shield you from the cold, he quietly resumes in his own head. Regret still seeps into his chest each time he remembers her frightened reaction at his ice. And, to think that he has done it just to make a point... His guilt shows in the gift choice and he isn't even sure whether it is appropriate or not, considering summer has just started.
When she still doesn't make a move to touch the cloth, he frowns. "What's wrong? Try it. I need to see if I should exchange it for a smaller size."
"Try it?" she squeaks uncertainly.
Todoroki nods curtly. "It's for you."
Her fingers trace the smooth yet firm fabric lightly. Thick, fluffy fleece lines the inner part, a promise of staying warmth in a cold day. A tag peeks out from the collar, displaying a brand name that she doesn't recognize.
"But... this must have cost you a lot." Her green eyes dart to his face, pleading him to take it back. "I... can't accept this."
"It's from the family whose child you saved. They requested to give it to you." he shrugs his shoulders with an impassive look.
"Oh." In an instant, her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Of course, it isn't from him. How forward of her to think this boy will buy her an expensive coat using his own wallet. "Sorry, I thought..."
"Just try it," he dismisses her apology lightly, encouraging her to wear it.
"Um... okay."
She climbs down the hospital bed and wraps the winter coat around her body carefully. Todoroki scans her quickly. The coat is a little too long for her, but it shouldn't be a big deal. Her reaction is more important to him. "What do you think?"
The girl is still running her fingers on the coat in astonishment. "Nobody has ever given me a gift," she whispers, her voice a tone lighter. The corners of her mouth turn upwards a little as her cheeks dips, forming a pair of cute dimples. "I wish I could thank them."
His gaze softens by a fraction at her smile. It is the first time she takes off that downcast expression from her face. He is glad to know that whatever she has been through, it doesn't rob her of her ability to smile. Perhaps she just has to remember how.
"Oh! Um..." Hovering around the hospital bed, she sheepishly turns her head towards him, still avoiding to look at his white hair. "I also have to thank you."
She bows lightly to him, her voice swimming in gratitude. "Thank you so much for saving my life, um..."
"Shoto," he mutters, locking his grey-cyan eyes with her green ones. He doesn't know what compels him to say his first name. But, right now, he wants to be seen just the way he is, without any attachment to his surname or his status.
"Thank you for saving my life, Shoto-san." she smiles earnestly at him, who nods back, a gentle look on his face.
Then, he blurts out the thought that has been plaguing him since the beginning, "You haven't told me your name."
It brings a definite silence between them, casting a hush spell in the room for some time. The girl looks like she has just swallowed a lizard alive—sick to her stomach and uncertain of herself. Her reluctance is visible and audible despite the fact she hasn't given an explicit response.
However, Todoroki pushes on. "Why do you refuse to tell anyone your name?"
"It's just..." A gloomy expression crosses her face as she answers gingerly. "... I don't have one."
When she sees the baffled look in his eyes, she trails off, "Um... usually the Shirayuki name a child after they manifest their quirk for the first time, but my quirk isn't typical of a Shirayuki, so…"
"That doesn't sound practical for social interaction," he comments with a raised brow.
"It wasn't a problem, no one really… interacted with me for years."
"What about your father?" he inquires.
In an instant, she steps back as if she has been slapped. It hits him that this is probably a sensitive issue for her. When he is about to awkwardly apologize to her, she shakes her head at him.
"It's fine." she scratches her head, eyes flicking downward. "He… never woke up anymore after I turned two. I— I tried to remember him, but my memory was too blurry."
Is that a euphemism for death?
Shoto's confusion must show on his face, because the girl tries to explain a little bit in a trembling voice, "My mo— Hanakiri said he had been sleeping… because he was sick a lot, and then… Also, being sick was quite common in the Shirayuki family, so…"
Countless suspicions form in his head. Sick? How did he pass away? Was it because of a birth defect that usually comes with inbreeding? And why did the other family members avoid you?
He pushes the questions to the back of his mind. Later, he will ask them later. If there is anything he has learned from the final exam, it is about patience and listening to other people. He doesn't think pressing her to give a straight answer right now is the right choice.
"I see. No name, huh?" Todoroki puts one hand on his own chin, a little habit he usually does when thinking. The girl shifts uncomfortably in her seat, hands fiddling with the seams of her hospital gown.
Well done, it's super awkward, she chides herself, biting her lips. Now he doesn't know what to say, and neither do I. This is why I didn't want to say anything about my name…
Her knuckles whiten around the blanket, fisting into a ball, as she weakly says, "Yeah, so… that's why I don't have a name."
"In that case…"
"Yes?"
"You don't have a name and a birth record," he states pensively as she nods. "Doesn't it mean you can choose a name for yourself?"
Her green eyes widen in surprise at his idea, like she had never thought of it that way. "Can I... really do that? Isn't a name supposed to hold wishes from the giver, like parents?"
"There's no rule about it." He isn't as confident about the truth of his words as he sounds. But well, at least, he hasn't heard of something like it. He fully believes his next sentences, though. "Your name won't mean less just because you choose it yourself. It will bear the wishes of your own."
"Hmm..."
"You can take it as a chance to start anew."
"I see…"
Shoto can see that she puts a lot of thought in weighing his words. A contemplative look crosses her face as she draws something invisible on the sheets with her index finger.
"Start anew, hmm…"
"Yeah, what do you think?"
"Like… 'Arata'?" Her gaze flicks shyly to him, waiting for his opinion in silence.
"How do you write it?" he asks her, drawing a couple of kanji characters on his phone. "Is it like this?"
"Yeah, that one." She leans closer to point to one of his writings. "What do you think?"
A name with the meaning of "a new individual" and "gentle". Somehow, Shoto thinks it suits her.
"It's all right," he replies and browses a few websites on the internet with his phone. "They say it's commonly used by boys, though."
"Oh... It's a shame, I really like it."
"Just use it then."
"Eh?" she mutters timidly, gaze darting to the floor. "Is it okay for me to use a boys' name?"
"Of course."
Shoto wants to reassure the girl, but he doesn't know how. She has been on her toes, constantly second-guessing herself and her choices. It seems like today is her first time to have her voice heard freely. Did the Shirayuki close their ears and their eyes to her? He wonders what kind of life she has been living until she even developed a phobia of white hair.
Then, a small idea crosses his mind. "I can call you 'Ara' if you want," he offers, "as a feminine nickname for Arata."
"A nickname," she repeats slowly. Flashes of various scenes from the books she has read and the movies she has watched pass her mind. "But… aren't nicknames usually for friends?"
Shoto nods briefly, confirming her words. "We're friends, Ara."
When her green eyes glimmer at his mention of her nickname, his heart clenches a little. He only offers his friendship, but she looks at him as he has given her the world.
For a moment, Shoto wishes he has a knack of saying the right thing at moments like this, like Midoriya, because he has no idea what to say right now. Fortunately, his new friend doesn't think along the same lines.
Arata beams at him, dimples on her cheeks on display. "Thank you for being my friend, Shoto-san."
His uneasiness forgotten, he finds his gaze softening at her. "You're welcome, Ara."
After Shoto Todoroki exchanges farewell with the girl, he steps out of the room. His grey-cyan eyes find Aizawa's appraising black ones almost immediately.
"From what I remember, the money the kidnapped kid's family left wasn't even enough to buy a T-shirt," the black-haired man comments offhandedly, "let alone a winter coat."
"Sorry, but I don't think that concerns you," Todoroki dismisses his teacher's remark. Earlier with Arata, he has intentionally left out the part where he added his own money to get her a winter coat. She doesn't need to know.
Sensing his refusal to talk about it, Aizawa changes the topic. "Anyway, that went well. You sure have learned a lot about friendship this semester, Todoroki. I'm glad we finally can refer to her using a name."
"From what Ara said... I don't think she's living with the Shirayuki in an ordinary way. If Hanakiri is her mother, why did she leave Ara there?" Todoroki states, his gesture a bit restless. "Does it normally take this long for the police to uncover everything?"
"Things have been more busy than you think. They're dealing with an ancient commune and a missing legendary villain. Moreover, they have to interview and test Arata to prepare the legal documents needed for her settlement back to the society."
"Will she be able to live... like normal people?" Todoroki glances at Aizawa to gauge his expression. But, like always, his teacher keeps his thoughts vague and unreadable.
"Depends on the investigation results. The only thing we can do is do our part well."