MY RANGER ACADEMIA (revisited)

knock knock knocking on heavens door

Midoriya and Rody exchanged amused glances, already familiar with Mellissa's penchant for theatricality.

"Oh, forgive me," Midoriya replied, playing along with her playful banter. "We couldn't wait for your grand entrance."

Rody chuckled, adding to the lighthearted banter. "Yeah, we were dying to start without you," he said, a teasing smirk on his face.

Mellissa feigned offense for a moment longer before breaking into a sly grin. "Well, you should've known that my arrival is the highlight of any gathering," she said, settling into a chair beside them.

Midoriya chuckled at her remark, dealing out a new hand of cards for her. "Of course, how could we forget that?"

Rody playfully rolled his eyes, pretending to be exasperated. "Oh lord, here we go again," he joked lighthearted. "Mellissa's here, and the room's already getting ten times more theatrical."

Mellissa dramatically clutched her chest, feigning offense once again. "My dear Rody, you wound me," she exclaimed dramatically. "Is it a crime to bring a bit of flair and excitement into the room?"

Rody, his expression filled with playful mock irritation, shot back with a cheeky quip. "It really is," he retorted. "Every single time you show up, it's like a one-woman show of dramatic entrances and theatrical flair. Can we ever have a normal, drama-free gathering?"

With a smirk and a playful glint in her eyes, Mellissa replied defiantly, "Absolutely not."

Midoriya chuckled, thoroughly entertained by the banter between his two friends. "Well, I guess we can always count on you to bring the extra drama."

thank you midoriya

Midoriya grinned, his fondness for Mellissa's energetic personality evident. "No problem," he replied amiably. "It would feel boring without your theatrics to keep things lively."

Rody, seizing the opportunity to tease, chimed in with a playful remark. "Yeah, you both say you're not crushing on each other, but moments like these make it really hard to believe otherwise."

Midoriya blushed slightly, caught off guard by the sudden comment. "W-What? No, it's not like that," he protested, his voice faltering slightly.

Mellissa, equally embarrassed, chimed in, "Yeah, we're just good friends. Nothing more."

Rody chuckled knowingly, enjoying the flustered reactions from his friends. "Oh, sure, just friends," he teased, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Because friends totally blush and stutter like that when the slightest hint of romance is mentioned."

Midoriya fumbled for words, attempting to defend himself and Mellissa. "W-Well, it's just... we're blushing because it's embarrassing," he stammered, his voice betraying his nervousness.

Mellissa, trying to keep her composure, rolled her eyes playfully. "Rody, you're reading too much into it. We're just friends, period."

Rody chuckled at their flustered responses, clearly enjoying provoking them. "Oh, so now you're both blushing at the same time and stuttering like a pair of blushing schoolchildren because it's just 'embarrassing'? Sure, I believe you," he said teasingly.

Midoriya and Mellissa exchanged a glance, their cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Despite their protestations, it was evident that Rody's words had struck a chord, creating an underlying tension between them.

Mellissa, attempting to recover her composure, tried to change the subject. "Can we just drop this and move on?" she asked, her voice a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.