Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

❝When the heroes are in pain,
who will be there to save them?❞

Japan had been ruined. 

Your home and the places beyond the city were gone. There were no laws to protect you, no heroes to save you, nothing. All that was left were the ashes of those who rebelled, 

And then you. 

If people asked who they believed would die in a 'kill or be killed' country, your name would be a part of that list. Even if it contained the entirety of Japan, you'd still be there: full name and everything else. You wouldn’t blame them— who exactly were you aside from a first-year student whose presence left no traces in anyone’s mind? 

No one. You weren’t memorable enough to let people know you can handle yourself, shouldn't be memorable enough to even survive.

Yet you did. 

You stayed living. 

You lived longer than the heroes who should have been strong enough to live, and that's ironic;

"The heroes will save us surely" soon turned into, "We'll end up like the heroes too," because all the known heroes, from All Might to that high school hero of green and determination, had been vanquished. Killed. Murdered in a way that those who hated the heroes actually pitied them in their graves.

Do you think everyone agreed to the end of this Era?

You didn't.

That's why here you sat on the cold floor, glaring at the dirty dagger in front of you. It wasn't sharp. You wielded it for years after all, both for noble defense and shameful deeds. 

This time, you wielded it again. And it was not to survive for another day.

"Now." With eyes that had no choice but to stare at the ceiling, you pointed the knife to your neck. "I just need to die 6,565 more."

STAB!

[A Fatal Wound has been detected.]

You were sixteen when this apocalyptic world was reduced to ashes, twenty when you had enough, and twenty-one when you'll die at your own hands. 

If you compared this to a game, it would be a bad ending. But you know…  

Games can be restarted, right?

[Conditions were met as a result of death.]

Your body fell limp. Your sorrow and regret were pushed back by two emotions in your last remaining life:

Spite and desire.

[You have died.]

It's human nature to wish for something you could have had. 

So you wished.

Under the void of death, past your last breath, you wished for nothing but for this game to restart. You wished for a life to live freely.

And most importantly, you wished for a life where you can change everything.

[Reviving 8 Hours prior.]

They said that dying was an easy escape, but nobody told you how difficult it was to kill yourself by your own hands.  

It was painful at first, and scary how the knife on your neck gleaned even when you closed your eyes. But after doing it a couple of times, you become used to it.

It still hurt but you didn't tremble anymore. You didn't hesitate anymore. And you didn't think anymore about the life you were leaving behind. You just die, and die, and die, and die until nothing else is left for you except the raw deaths in your memory, and the goal within your burning heart:

You’ll foil every plan of All For One until he doesn't exist anymore.

It wasn't going to be easy. You had to die multiple times for it after all. But one thing you that made you continue forward was the knowledge that All For One was not an invincible man. 

Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, the powerful All For One wasn't all-so-powerful until a few years ago. 

Before the chaos started, All For One fought against his strong rival, All Might. You remembered hearing that the hero severely injured him, and you remembered that it happened not just once (hidden from the media), but twice (in Kamino Ward, the one where you kneeled in front of the television and hoped desperately for All Might to win).

The media didn’t like it when their Symbol of Peace looked weaker than someone else. So they didn’t show you. They didn't tell you anything about All For One's existence. They only wanted you to see the heroes' strengths and rely on them until the end. 

But they failed to remember: heroes are humans, and humans get tired.

Because of their wish for a perfect hero, you lost your Symbol of Peace.

What started as a slight gap in the hero system soon turned into a dystopian world where nothing, not even your life, mattered. 

You don't want it. This life, where none of you mattered, and where everyone loses theirs in just one blink of their eye.

To turn everything back to normal, you needed to die and get back in time before everything was taken away from you. You needed to come back before the suffering of the Symbol of Peace was revealed.

You needed to come back before the last UA Examinations began.

.

.

.

You dropped the kitchen knife out of your hand. It clangs on the floor with a heavy foreboding, a stroke of misfortune yet again. 

Is it that hard to persevere one more time? 

Even as you turn back time, you can still feel it: the sensation of your skin and bones ripping. The sensation of death. You wanted nothing more than just to lie on the ground and rest finally.

But it's only been eight days.

You've only been revived twenty-four times out of the thousand of deaths you calculated.

You haven't changed anything yet.

Was there a difference between silence and pain? They felt and sounded the same to you. You didn't know if it's because of the knives that you plunged in your neck, or if it's because of the screaming that scratched your throat dry, but you only felt a stinging lump of pain in your neck within this silence. Tears scorched the skin under your eyes. 

You had no choice.

You didn't want to stay in that future of yours, so you did this. You are the only one who can move. You are the only one who can die, and so you should die. You should move. You should take the knife and regress again. 

You had no choice. 

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

Every time you would falter, you would breathe for a minute and tally the deaths on your skin. 

Remember it, you carved in your mind. Remember why you're doing this. 

Every time you trembled from the pain that lapsed back and forth when you regressed, you'd chant like a broken record: Remember, remember, remember.  

When you wanted to give up, you cried and shouted curses at the tragic future. Remember it all.

Remember the agony of watching everyone die when they want to be saved. Remember the vain efforts those heroes had endured. Remember the rage you felt when the ones you loved slaughtered themselves so you could continue living.

Remember it all until nothing but spite and agony controlled your body.

The drive that came from the anger within you, and the desire to live within you—

Remember it all until there was nothing left of All For One's future.

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

You still remembered the shelter you were in.

Even if it was littered with bugs, that shelter was the only comfort you had left in that world. There, you had a space to store food. An even floor to sleep on. A place to feel your will to live.

You didn't hunt anyone down like the others did. You just waited, and waited, and waited, until dead bodies fell right in front of you and you had to search if there was food to eat or an item for you to defend yourself with. You were a thief in that shelter, a desperate thief.  

But now, that shelter was no more.

What greeted you was not the mossy and cracked walls of a ravaged building.

White. The walls were pristine white instead. 

The ceiling didn't crumble. The air was fresh with antiseptic, and the bed sheet cradled you in a way you knew had recently been laundered. 

Four years ago, this was your world: clean. Worthwhile. Comfortable

Even if the view became different from what you were used to, you stayed like a mindless puppet, letting your drive to die control you. But as you sat up from the bed and walked over to the door, there was a sound that snapped you out of your mindless state.  

You pushed the door open.

Before your eyes, people argued, their voices a cacophony of emotion. But it wasn't just any people. It was them – your heroes of UA, the ones you had lost, mourned, and wished you could turn back time to save. Here they were, shouting and fervently engaged in a heated argument.

They looked alive. They were alive.  

Tears welled in your eyes as you watched them. It was too overwhelming. These hero students all seemed like characters that took a miracle for you to meet. Seeing them move, breathe, and shout worriedly over one another— especially that Bakugo kid who desperately wanted to know the state of Deku— it made you wish you could break down into hysterical sobs. 

But you had to keep it to yourself.

This was not the right time to cry tears of joy. All For One was stronger during this year. You can't (you just can't) stop leaping into time or else everything would be in vain.

You don’t know if they noticed you. They wouldn’t remember a thing about this anyway even if they did. Because as soon as you wiped your tears and walked past them—

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

How long have you been killing yourself?

Like a never-ending hourglass, your work seemed endless. The seeds of achievements that UA and the League of Villains planted were longer than you thought they would be. It felt as if you were destined to die forever. As if, no matter how long you do this, nothing would ever be uprooted from its soil.

But look. The roots that had been planted at the start of the chaos. 

Finally, you saw them.

You were mindlessly dying like an autonomous robot for some time, until you heard the TV news from the streets. At first, it was about the Kamino Ward; All Might and All For One faced each other in a memorable battle once again. 

The next you blinked, it was the Sports Festival already. And the next, it was the USJ attack, until finally—

There you stood in a room full of silence. 

You had no dagger. No kitchen knife nor syringes in your hand. It’s only you, the scars on your skin, and the sunlight filtering through the blinds of the window. 

Maybe you lost yourself along the way. 

Maybe you became insane because you harmed yourself with the full intent of dying. But now that you were here in your small room, your real home, a fragile smile tugged at the corners of your lips.

Relief. 

"I did it," you muttered.

Your eyes were dark and tired, threatening to close shut and finally get some rest.

"I... really came back."

January 10, the calendar by your desk said. It was a whole month before UA's Entrance Examination started. 

And then your body gave out beneath you.

This... this isn't a dream, right? 

You glanced at your hands. One, two, three... so many tally marks that you could barely see your skin anymore. The scars, even if it was from the future, still came to your present. You made yourself remember so much pain until all of them accompanied you even from now. 

And before you knew it, a bubble of laughter escaped your throat.

You didn't want to laugh. You needed to cry and let everything out after dying endlessly. But you can't. You’ve cried in so many timelines that there was nothing else left for you to cry anymore. 

So you just laughed. 

You laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and hoped that tears would flow and reset all of your emotions once more. 

Do you know how many times you've killed yourself just to get back on this date?

6,602 deaths. It was 37 more deaths than your initial calculation of six years, but you were fine with it. As long as you could get back before the Entrance Exam started, then you were fine no matter how much you died.

After all, this was just the start of your plan.

When your parents came home, they didn’t expect you to be covered in bandages. If they did, they wouldn’t have looked horrified by one sight of their child who looked weary and torn. 

But before they could say another word, your heart leaped, and you rushed forward. 

You flung yourself to your father, arms enveloping him in a tight embrace. Your other hand gripped your mother's clothes as if you were afraid they might slip away.  It was a hug of relief, a hug that conveyed all the words you couldn't find.

You still remembered how things played out after your parent’s death. You did nothing except cry over their sacrifice. But now, they’re here, they're alive, they're breathing, and they're warm in your arms. You were not dreaming anymore. 

You really came back in time.

Your parents were, of course, confused and worried. But they didn't have the heart to interrogate you. How can they, when it felt like their child would break even under their voice?

The lunch at that time was the most heavenly you ever had.

The food didn't taste like mud nor dried blood. It didn't smell like corpses nor manure because you dug it up from beside a dead animal. It was real food. Tasty, delicious, and warm. 

The exchanging of glances from your parents didn’t go unnoticed. You ate as if you’ve been starved. You smiled as if you could barely hold yourself calm. You were covered in bandages from head to toe. So of course they’d be worried. 

"Mom, dad," you said in the middle of chewing. "I want to enroll in UA High School for my next year."

Chopsticks clanked into plates as they fell down. Did we hear that right? You can envision that question in their ajar mouth. 

You were their Quirkless child, the one who loved writing, reading, and staying away from all the attention. But now you want to be a hero? 

It was good that your parents weren't overbearing. In fact, they were too lenient on you. They allowed you to do things you wanted because you were their shy, only-child that they loved. That's why, even if it came as a shock, they let you off the hook after making a ridiculous request. It wasn’t done without any conditions, though. 

Next week, you need to get your Quirk registered to enroll in UA High.

You convinced your parents that you did have a Quirk, but even so, you couldn't show it to them right now. Even if they were doubtful of your words, they agreed for you to have an appointment with the Quirk doctors. You knew they didn’t want to crush your sudden ‘desire’ of becoming a hero, because— let’s face it— late bloomers are rare, if not non-existent.

You didn’t care about that fact though. All you needed was the approval of your parents. And you got it!

Now, let’s focus on something even more important than a Quirk:

The last batch of UA High School. 

These hero students your age were one of the last heroes you remembered looking up to. You don’t know anything about them except their names, their past achievements, and Sports Festival appearances. Hell, you don’t even know who’s the traitor among them since they were never revealed to civilians like you. 

Aside from graduating in middle school and finding the traitor, you need to be in Class 1-A of UA first. After all, that class specifically had Midoriya Izuku in it.

"The successor..." You smiled once again.

You've seen that boy firsthand. Rather than a hero of hope and peace, you remembered him as a boy barely holding on.

He must have blamed himself for everything that happened. After all, the whole world was dead set on pinning the blame on him, even if the fault lay within everyone and their ignorant way of living. 

Still, even if there was no light in his eyes back then, the boy in green remained heroic. He remained kind despite the hatred and pressure he received. He didn't fall into the miseries of the world no matter how much has been thrown at him. 

From what you remembered, Midoriya Izuku was the most selfless hero you've ever met, even surpassing All Might.

That's why he needs to be your first priority. He deserves a life better than what’s given to him. He did so many things for civilians like you— strangers like you— that you are, and will be, indebted forever. 

If it means that you'll have to take all the negative attention away from the boy...

Then you're more than ready for that mess.

Chapter Text

❝Fire does not care for its disappearance.❞

You still have those moments where it felt like all of your deaths just happened earlier ago.

Your neck would hurt, and you would slump on the sink, hoping that lump in your throat disappears if you just vomit it out. You would lay on the bathroom floor unmoving and silent, and you'd watch, by the mirror, how underneath your baggy eyes held the fear of death.

No... maybe it wasn't death that you feared.

It was pain.

You were afraid that your aim would miss because you trembled at the wrong time. You were afraid that the wound— the torture— would be longer. You were afraid of the agony that you needed to feel just to use your Quirk.

You have to die, you reminded yourself every day. 

But do you really have to die in such a painful way?

You almost gave up a couple of times.

In a moment of weakness, you thought that maybe you can just... let your tragic life continue on instead of feeling this pain. Instead of turning back time, maybe you can just stay here.

But you and the whole world were suffering, while the one who deserved to get their karma was out there living lavishly in his throne.

How can you stay in that unfair life? 

No matter how long it took to get up, you grasped onto that bitter emotion. You placed it all within your hands and ended your life, until the world returned eight hours before.

It's a shame no one will know how much you've suffered. 

Even if you say that you didn't do it for acknowledgment and praise, you were still human. You wanted people to know, to confide in someone, to have your efforts seen.  

But heroes of frozen times can never be seen.

You decided to take a stroll on the midnight of your return.

Every few seconds you'd stop in your tracks and look above, expecting something, someone, to drop down with a bloodied knife.

It's not that you're paranoid. It's just... surreal to hear your city be peaceful. Hosu was known for its abundance of petty crime rates after all. Although most of them were just small-time robberies, you knew that at least one of the major villains hid here. Or actually, he was called a 'Vigilante' rather than a villain.

But his reputation was still yet to come; today is today, and today was not the day you get to meet him yet.

So you breathed in the cold air instead, savoring the peace. Then amidst your thoughts, a scent invaded your senses – a scent you recognized all too well. 

Fire and smoke.

Your steps faltered. Slowly turning your head to an alleyway, you watched as everything past the streetlights looked pure black to you. There were no screams. No voices. The only sound was the distant rustling of leaves in the breeze and the crackling of fire from somewhere within the alley.

Crackling of fire... 

There was only one person who could be the reason for that. But no, that can't be him. He wasn't in Hosu or anywhere near this place at this timeline. 

...right?

You stayed in silence for a minute. And you swore the alleyway flashed blue for a second, which only made your heart race in realization. 

Should you go? Should you leave? What do you do? Should you kill yourself and call the heroes to inform them about that person?

That's quite a great idea if you were being honest. You're referring to the 'kill yourself' part.

No matter how confident you were of your future knowledge, nobody would believe a middle schooler’s words. Especially when that student had bandages for their outfit and a reputation of being a shut-in child.

And the more you stare at it, the more the dreadful darkness of the alleyway urged you to walk into it. You knew more than anyone it would be dumb to fall for those urges, but...

Ah. Fuck it. 

You ended up marching to your demise anyway.

The alley stretched ahead, shadows heavy and foreboding. When you stepped into a puddle, in just a second, the streetlights released electric sparks, until darkness fell like a veil on your eyes. The scent of burning wood became stronger, and then you felt it. Within your stuttering breath and twitching fingers, someone's low voice spoke,

"You're fumbling in the dark. Didn't bring a flashlight with you?"

Suddenly, a burst of blue fire appeared. 

It was only the size of a palm but the fire came as an azure glow, and the sight of who held it made your throat tighten.

"Much better?"

Dark hair sprawled on his skin, falling under a pair of cerulean eyes, cheeks burnt into a purple patch, and the widening of a dangerous smirk:

It’s Dabi. 

He sat on the crates like it was a throne, long legs outstretched, feet propped up on something solid. The flames illuminated his face, and there, with his familiar presence, he turned all of your blood into a chill.

A normal person's first instinct would be to stumble and run away immediately, because something is definitely wrong with this stitched man hiding under the dark alleyway. The panic would be even worse if they knew who exactly he is, but you didn’t do any of those. Instead, you stayed silent. Frozen on your spot.

Dabi raised his gaze to you. He made the light brighter, and when his stare went up and down, assessing you, his smirk faltered. 

"Tch." His eyes narrowed. "Another lost kid again. Didn't your mommy tell you not to venture into any suspicious places?" Even though he sounded annoyed, he still continued his words calmly. "No matter. It's not like you're going to get out of here alive anyway."

Your heart sped up when you finally realized what he was stepping on. 

One corner of his smirk rose higher. "You realize it too, don't you?"

He was stepping on a scorched human body. Not just one, not just two, but three dead bodies surrounded him like a trophy he wished to display.

"I'm sure you already know what will happen next,” his leering words interrupted your thoughts. “After all, who would walk willingly into a tiger's den without expecting death?" 

You stepped backward.  "Who… who are you?" 

Dabi hummed. “Who am I, huh? That's a really good question.” He looked like he was enjoying this. Knowing how twisted his smile looked, he most likely was. “If I told you my name, would you spread the word for me?" 

He nudged his foot on the body below him until it rolled over. From there you saw a face struck with endless fear and suffering, scorched from skin to flesh.

"Tell the world that a killer, a villain, is on the loose once again."

Only when he spoke did you raise your gaze back at him. Dabi had that twisted glint in his eyes, and you couldn’t bring yourself to look away.

"Tell them about what I did, how atrocious it was to people like you." Dabi leaned down, grasped at the neck of the dead body, and grinned. "Tell them that the heroes had failed to save lives once again! Tell them in their stead."

And he did all this with nothing but an amused and crazed glint in his eyes.

"Because dead men can tell no tales."

In front of the scorching flames, he burned the body until their flesh and bones melted. He did so without hesitance in his steps, from the beginning to the end.

You knew it already, but Dabi was a madman. He truly was.

"That's... you-you just killed him," you said, hoping your words sounded innocent enough. Stupid, even. "That's not... you shouldn't do that.."

Ashes fell upon his deft fingers, and he flicked it away, glancing at you with a brow raised. "Do you think I wouldn't do this if you just told me not to?" 

You couldn't find any words to respond.

"Is this your first time encountering a villain?" Your silence seemed to amuse him, as a taunting smirk played on his lips. "Ah, what a comfortable life you must have led, your highness. Usually this brief moment where I'm not killing you is a sign of mercy. Unless you want to die too like that body I burnt earlier, then you should run to the police and tell them about what you saw. Help me out a little and be scared in front of them, hm?"

Instead of responding or running away, you raised a thumb to your lips and bit it.

Dabi sighed. He's getting annoyed now. "Don't tell me you've been frozen in place since you came here."

Of course you'd been frozen in place. You just witnessed someone’s corpse melt right in front of you. Why would he think that a person wouldn't freeze in that situation?

"I was giving you the time to escape, but you're really making me take my words back..." Then the smirk on his face faltered as he caught sight of you. It took a long while before his voice lowered. "...Why are you smiling?"  

Your gaze caught his eyes that slowly widened. 

You'd witnessed him kill someone. So why the hell were you smiling like this scenario entertained you?

That’s because you were entertained.

"Hey," you said, voice oddly calm as you took a step closer to him, "Why don't you kill me too, mister?"

Another step forward, and still, Dabi remained rooted to his spot.

For a moment, your eyes held a strange intensity, a mixture of defiance and something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was as if you were challenging him not with fear, but with a boldness that was both unsettling and... intriguing.

"You said that dead men tell no tales, but you forget that all bodies, dead or scorched, are left behind in their wake." You continued your approach, hands reaching towards him. "And if their bodies remain, do you know what that means for us, mister?"

He tore his hand away from your hold as if your touch was burning his skin. And that made you want to laugh. Someone who burned a person without any hesitation was now avoiding another person's touch, like he was scared of being scorched too. It really, really made you want to laugh.

"Their body tells their story instead," but you continued instead, your words almost carried away by the silence. "Their body becomes the tale. Isn't that so wonderful? Isn't that what someone like you would want?" 

Dabi's expression twitched. He let out an incredulous huff, staring at you with narrowed eyes. "Did I just meet someone insane?"

"The world would be easier to deal with if I was insane, wouldn’t it?" 

Being close to him made it easier to see the changing emotions in his eyes. Dabi wasn’t terrified— there’s no way he would be scared of a middle schooler no matter how batshit crazy they were— but you saw uneasiness within his eyes. As if he was trying and failing to understand what you were on. 

But as if it was a trick of your eyes, he chuckled, low voice antagonizing and mocking. “Your words and actions are really contradictory. Do you expect me to believe you’re not insane after speaking like that? Who knows. Maybe you're someone who's just like me as well," he said it, almost so seriously, you had to blink twice to process it. 

That was until your oppressed laughter burst out.

"Me? Just like you?” You laughed. Loud and carefree. As if this was a normal conversation with a really normal person. “Oh Dabi, you do know what it means to take an opportunity, right?"

His gaze sharpened. "How do you know my name?" 

You just stared at him, hands in your pockets and a smile so cold. "The world is giving us so many opportunities, and wouldn't you know it, it seems like my opportunity lies alongside yours." 

His brows knitted. He obviously wanted to know what opportunity you were talking about, and so you will give the answer to him.

"You wanted the world to see you, right?"

Kill me.

"You wanted them to see what they had done to you, to show them that everything you're doing was their fault and theirs alone."

Burn me alive like how you did to those corpses.

"Kill me, and we'll get what we both want. You and I." Your hands grasped the ashy cardigan of his, and with a desperate and hurried tone, you said, "You already did it earlier. It's not going to be difficult to do it again, right?"

You need to be killed by Dabi,  now .

Dabi's face washed blank with confusion and astonishment. In a split second, his gaze went towards your bandaged arms and neck; in a split second, he prepared to send you a wave of heat and flames of hell.

And in just a split second, his grin stretched wide from one side to the other.

"You're a crazy bitch," he said.

His palms erupted into blue flames.

"You really want to die even after I gave you mercy?" Dabi laughed, placing his other hand on his hair and giving you a lopsided grin. "Ahh, you're pretty amusing. Are you sure you haven't killed anyone yet?"

You only gave him a vague smile.

A sort of strangled snort came out of Dab's lips. "So that's your answer?"

He raised his free hand, unlatching your hand that held tightly into his cardigan.

"Well then, since that's your answer," he began.

Then he gripped your jaws tight, pushing your cheeks enough to feel as if his nails had punctured through your skin. 

He closed his eyes and grinned. "I'll give you my answer next so listen and watch carefully, your highness."

The flames burst beside you. It spread from the crates to the walls and into a wave of blue; the color of the strongest fire.

You didn't dare close your eyes. You didn't dare run either. You waited as the flames spread across the alleyway, watching with bated breath for it to melt your skin—...

Until the flames died down.

"Huh?"

When he saw that pure bewilderment in your eyes, he chuckled, releasing his hold on you and patting your shoulder rid of dirt. "I gave you mercy, didn't I? It's only natural for me to keep my word to you."

Wait, what?

"Even if you beg on your knees for me to kill you, I don't think I'll have the heart to do that," he said, shrugging and stepping back from you.

...Is he fucking serious?

From the look he wore, you felt like you were now the subject of an experiment. The smirk on the man's face had just enough smugness to it, a small light dancing behind his dark eyes. He looked like a cat gleefully playing with its prey. "I won't force you to tell me why you know my name or why you wish to die. But let me just tell you this."

Even if it was dark, Dabi's cerulean eyes looked as if it was glowing with insanity, curiosity, and amusement all together. 

"The next time we meet, I won't be so lenient on you again."

He turned around from you. He was walking away. 

And you didn't even die at his own hands.

You bit your lips, clenching your fist at the lone idea that you wished you didn't have to do. But you had no other choice.

"Todoroki Touya."

Dabi halted.

"Son of Endeavor, right?"

There was a shift in the air, silence, and a looming danger—an aura that you welcomed at this point.

You forced out a deranged chuckle. "Look at what you've become, Touya. Even in the end, you couldn't handle your own power. It tore you to shreds and ruined you, so doesn't that make you weak? Pitiful, even?"

He didn't turn your way, but the back of his head tilted a bit. "What are you talking about?" 

You shouldn’t thread this path, was his silent warning. 

Oh, but you did. 

"You're not willing to kill me because you can't handle your Quirk, can you? That's the only reason I can think of! You want to be remembered by the world and yet you can't even kill a kid like me. What a shame. What a fucking shame, Touya."

He stayed silent, and that made you feel even more impatient than before, so you moved. 

Everything in your head told you to run away. Your mind warned you of the growing bloodlust and anger that washed over him. Of the danger that you felt in the air,

And you welcomed those warnings with your arms open.

When you reached out and grasped his wrist, Dabi turned his head to you.

He was not amused anymore. In his eyes were the darkest glare you could see, chilling and sharp; they were eyes that can be saved no longer.

You were already at a point where you couldn't take back your words, so instead of extinguishing them, you let your smile grow again, "I guess I know now why Endeavor never acknowledged you from the start." You narrowed your gaze and chuckled. "You weak bitch."

That was the last straw.

Flames ignited from Dabi's arm in just a brink of a second. You let out a scream and snatched your hand away from him, but it was too late— the flames had already spread from your hands to your arms, and the villain didn't care about your pain. 

Dabi opened his mouth and shouted something. His lips curled into a crazed and deranged smile, laughing, taunting at you. 

But you couldn't hear what he was saying. You drowned everything out with the crackling of flames around you and the last scream you let out, before your voice melted along with your body.

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

You jolted awake at the sight of your room's ceiling.

Instead of the nighttime sky, the window shone with the sunlight of noon. The 16’oclock channel on the TV could be heard past the walls of your room, and you knew right then and there—

You didn't fear death anymore.

You touched your lips. You could vividly feel the shape it was. Smirking, laughing, and sneering at Dabi who was far too unstable because of your words. It didn't feel good to take advantage of people's emotions like that, but you still did. It felt as if you became a different person just so you could… die.

Sitting up on your bed, you motioned to the air. "Open skill."

Then right after your words, a board appeared. It glowed blue as if it was a neon light from a bar in Shibuya, and specific words displayed themselves then.

[List of Quirks:]

1. [Quirk: Returner's Wish ]

[Definition: There is only one wish that a Regressor can make— to change the future. After dying to the enemy, you can copy one of their Quirks and make it yours! You cannot copy another Quirk from a person that killed you already.

*However, you can only return back 8 hours prior from your death!]

This Quirk of yours was your trump card.

Not only can you reverse time, but you can also get the Quirk of whoever killed you. If it didn't involve death as its trigger, then this would have been a perfect cheat code for anyone.

But of course, this was your perfect cheat code.

You were someone who didn't fear death anymore and you have a Quirk that urged death. It was the right combination that anyone wouldn't expect a normal person to have, but you weren't normal anymore, were you?

You found out about this feature at the young age of four. The words it displayed were disturbing for a child, so you ignored it and deemed yourself as Quirkless throughout your entire life. You've never thought you would have a use for it someday, but your desperation and suffering pushed you to use it.

Until it led to this.

You clicked on the arrow below the board.

2. [Quirk: Blueflames]

[Definition: A fire is only calm in its sleep, but if the wind calls upon its spark, if the earth calls for its flame, and if the water cries out for its warmth— the blue fire takes the leap and strengthens itself.

You have the ability to generate the strongest flames at any part of your body, ranging from 2,000ºC [3,632°F] and 2,600ºC [4,712°F]. The strength of your flame can be adjusted depending on your emotions.

*You are not guaranteed to be immune to your own fire.]

A flame that can be adjusted through emotions... You only took a guess, but it seems like you were right. Provoking Dabi with his past was the only way for you to be killed by his own flames. Even if he didn't intend to kill you, his strong emotions and his flames were powerful enough to make you pass out and die.

What a terrifying skill.

You closed your eyes and imagined Dabi's blue flames. You recalled the heat it gave you, how it roasted and burned your flesh in just mere seconds. You pulled all of those feelings in your hand, and when they pooled in one place—

Blue flames suddenly burst on your palm.

You flinched. The fire you held was only at an excruciating temperature of 2,000°, yet it easily burnt the bandages on your hand.

"Woah..." Even so, the flames didn't hurt as much as they did when you died. In fact— it felt cathartic. Like you were popping a balloon filled with water instead of holding a literal flame that just killed you earlier.

You stopped the fire, letting it flicker out into small puffs. Then you let it burst into one of your fingers. You repeated that to all of your fingers, until you finally singed your entire hands.

"Holy shit." You let out a peal of amazed laughter. "Holy shit, I actually have his Quirk!"

Jumping in your bed and biting down your squeal into your pillows, you lay on your back, calming the fast pace of your racing heart. Then you raised your hand above your face, and stared at the singed bandages in awe.

This was your Quirk now. You can use it at all times from now on because it's… yours. 

At that thought, you closed your eyes. The warmth of the flames lingered on your skin, and soon, you fell into a deep sleep.

Here's the thing about you—

You weren't heroic. 

Never was, and never claimed to be. 

You had no outward bravery, no chasing the spotlight, none of that grand stuff that you see with your strong heroes on the news. 

You're just… not what a person would imagine a hero to be. 

But even if you weren't heroic, it messed with you, you know: the memories of what you had experienced in the future. 

You had watched people come and go and saw people die in front of you. So even if you already finished your goal of getting a new Quirk from a villain who killed you, you're not satisfied with it. 

Because before he killed you, there were three other victims lying on his feet.

You didn't like that. The knowledge that he had killed any lives, innocent or not, when you were nearby. Human life was always so fragile and difficult to keep, which is something that you learned after spending so many times watching people disappear under your grasp.

So why would you repeat watching others die if you were here to change the past?

The sun started to set when you stepped foot into the same alleyway. Your shadow crept over the ground, looming as if you were taller, larger, and stronger than the man who stood in the middle of the alley. 

He had his hand in his pockets, a blank expression staring at the calm setting sun. Then you ruined his inner monologue with your presence, and he turned at the sound of your steps.

Dabi raised a brow. He wasn't expecting someone to walk willingly into a tiger's den, was he? 

There was silence between the two of you as you held your gaze against him. 

"I thought there was an unspoken rule in Hosu, how everyone should avoid suspicious alleyways like this,” he started, the corner of his mouth lifting. “It seems like someone wasn't aware of such rules."

When he faced you fully, you caught a glimpse of the sight behind him. Bunch of clean crates, not yet touched by flames, and no ashes of the dead either.

So he started killing when the sun was gone.

Dabi regarded your silence with a look from up to down. "Now that I think about it, you actually came at such good timing."

You agree. The fact that there were no dead bodies surrounding him was enough proof that you did come at such a good time.

It seemed like he thought differently than you, though, since he walked in your direction, his entire arm blazing with blue fire. "I was trying to find someone who will be my first victim, and would you look at that? Aren’t you here at such a perfect time and a perfect place?"

Dabi stopped when he loomed over you. He held out his hand, cerulean flames dancing on his skin and eyes burning intensely.

"The name's Dabi. If you survive, maybe you can tell the police about the name of your supposed killer."

Everything was going so differently from your last life, yet it all felt so familiar just like the last time. Him, wanting you to tell the police about his reputation, and him, still planning on killing others. 

Maybe that familiarity is the reason why you snorted in amusement.

You saw your amused reflection in his narrowing blue eyes. "Why are you smiling?" 

He asked the same question as earlier, which made you smile even wider.

"Hey, Dabi!" You grinned. "Why don't you kill me in the most painful way this time?"

The last time was painful, but seeing his Quirk's description, you realized he was only using the weakest flame of his Quirk. Which actually made you scoff. A flame at a temperature high enough to melt bones and flesh, but it was still the weakest? Dabi's power was truly terrifying. 

You wanted to witness more of it. 

The fire on Dabi's arms extinguished itself. He studied your grinning face with a furrow on his brow. Between the two of you, it looked more as if you were the one antagonizing him instead of the other way around.

"I haven't heard of you from the news," he threaded slowly.

"Hm? Why would I be on the news?" You tilted your head, an enigmatic smile growing on your lips. "I'm just a simple person trying to live my life and die."

There was a pause in his step. "Is this funny to you?"

You wanted to say yes. It felt like a joke, the kind that can make you laugh so hard since you were able to see him struggling to decipher you. But in the end, you answered with a shrug. "I just wanted you to kill me. What else is there for me to say?" 

"I'm not a merciful guy, you know." His glare darkened even more when you boldly met his gaze. "If you think you can say those empty words without any consequences, then you're talking to the wrong person."

The moment those words left his mouth, fire engulfed his arm in a large blue flame. Unlike before— where he babbled about being lenient and giving you mercy — this Dabi spoke true words. Without hesitation, he sent a wave of blazing fire your way. 

You didn't avoid it, but you blocked it with your arm instinctively, and you stumbled backward, the pain on your skin rising tenfold.

The smoldering blue flames scorched through your bandages, and fuck! That really hurts! Thankfully the fire didn't get caught up in your hair or outfit; it just burnt your bandages and gave you a body filled with soot and swollen blisters. 

It hurts. You don't doubt that. But still... something is unusual.

This was Dabi. The batshit crazy villain who laughed while you were burning in his inferno because you made him mad. But his fire this time didn’t spread on your body?

Raising your gaze, you regarded Dabi with a mixture of puzzlement and bewilderment.

"Why aren't you killing me?"

"Why didn't you dodge?"

Both of you asked, perplexed by the situation.

Dabi lowered his arm to his side. He took his time, grasping at any changes in your emotions, but no matter how much he dug into your gaze, he couldn’t find anything noteworthy. You weren’t bluffing after all.

And then, as abruptly as it had begun, Dabi's eyes widened a fraction until he settled with an amused smirk. "Oh, let me guess, do you have a Quirk that nullified my flames?"

You scrunched up your face. "No. If I had a Quirk like that, my arm wouldn't be hurting like shit. Look at this—" you raised your arm and glared. "It's probably a second-degree burn." And it wouldn’t have fucking hurt if you didn’t spare me like that.

Dabi could barely stop the amused scoff he let out. "Probably?" 

"Probably. It hurts." The pain you felt right now was nothing compared to dying by his flames. Still, you’re in pain, and when you’re in pain— you don’t like it. "I don't know how I'll tell this to my mom. Do you think I should just get this treated and snitch on you to the police?"

In your previous life, Dabi spoke the entire time without any regard for you.

But now, he was at a loss for words. 

If you weren’t in pain, you would actually be amused by this situation. A man of pure, wickedness staring at a kid like you with bewilderment dancing in his eyes. It's a sight that you wished you could frame somewhere, anywhere so you can see it again. 

"Huh." But of course, he just had to compose himself back and act like your confidence didn't stun him. "A kid who thinks their life is the only one that matters for my plans. Do you really believe you’re the only one who’ll die by my hands?" A grin widened on his face. "What are you, a princess? Well then, your highness, you're quite wrong if you think of it that way." 

"A royalty again," you rolled your eyes sarcastically. "If you consider me one, then it won't be a concern if I make an imperial order for you to kill me, right?"

Dabi blinked. He huffed, stunned by your mocking words, until those small huffs turned into a chuckle. "Imperial order? Well damn me, you're just exceeding my expectations at this point."

He stepped towards you and grabbed your wrist. You tried not to flinch as his rough fingers touched your blistering skin. Either he knew you were in pain or he was ignorant of it, but whatever it was, he didn’t let it deter his taunts.

"What do you think would I do right now?" he drawled with an amused smirk. "Do you think I'll kill you and follow your imperial order," his smirk widened, "Or do you think I would spare you?"

"I don't know." Just like him, you didn’t let his mockery deter your resolve. "If I were you, I wouldn't like being read by my opponents. I'd spite them and do the opposite of what they'll answer."

"So you think I'll be like that, huh? Isn't that your own perspective?" Your answer made him chuckle. "But I guess you have a point. I don't like being read by my prey as well."

"So... you won't kill me?"

If this was your way of doing double reverse psychology on him, Dabi would have seen right through it and scoffed. But you knew, as he continued to gouge more of your reaction, your confident facade seemed to throw him off.

Dabi released your wrist and stared in silent contemplation. "What's your name?"

"I don't wanna say it."

He rolled his eyes. "Quite rude of you that you know my name and I don't." 

"I didn't ask for your name though, and I'm not obligated to tell mine so don't ask again." Then you paused, furrowing your brows. "...Mister." 

The abrupt shift in tone, from casual to formal, drew a chuckle from Dabi.  "Mister? You're really interesting, did you know that?"

You strained a smile at him. "I've been called a 'crazy bitch' before, so yes, I do know that."

An emotion flickered in his eyes, but you couldn't see it since he had already tilted his head back and let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, what should I do? It seems like you won against me just by your words alone, Your Royal Highness."

"You'll kill me?"

"Only if you beg," he said with a tight smile.

You deadpanned, and he chuckled— oh, he's enjoying this, alright.

If he’s not going to kill you after inflicting this pain, then you’ll just leave and do it yourself.

"I think I'll just get my hand treated." You turned around to walk away, but you stopped and faced him with a smile. "Oh, I called the police earlier so they will be here soon enough. Feel free to run and find another place to hide. Or you can kill me too so that there's a dead body in this alleyway. You have a lot of options to pick, so choose wisely, mister." Then you walked away, never even turning your back once. 

In the end, Dabi was unable to release his blue fire in your direction.

That double reverse psychology should have worked. 

He should have chased after you and killed you for his own amusement. But why didn't he? He's only prolonging your agonizing pain at this point, damn him!

You stopped walking and gritted your teeth. Even if you've experienced death so many times, there's no way in hell were you going to live your days feeling the pain of a second-degree burn. So you stood in the middle of the streets and decided—

"Fuck it. I'm going to die."

Then you activated your Quirk and burned yourself alive.

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

The moment you went back in time, you were determined to make everything change, even if it meant replaying every second of your past life once again.

"You're a crazy bitch," Dabi said, and what followed was a flare of blue fire that was sent your way.

He would stop when he realized you weren't moving, and his eyes would widen when your arm burst into flames— the same flames as he had— 

And you would burn yourself when he didn’t.

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

Just a change, you thought. Just one, single change.

You wanted to get out of this alleyway with Dabi turning away and leaving Hosu without hurting any other victims. That included you.

It wasn't an easy feat to do. He was, after all, a villain in the making. He wants society to see how messed up he became, and he's willing to start it with anyone as his victim. You just happened to come next to him so willingly, such a perfect prey, such a wonderful opportunity. How could he let it pass?

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

You changed your approach.

You appeared weak to him as if you were scared witless by his threats— 

But Dabi gave you no mercy. 

He sent a blazing fire on you without a change in his expression, and then you died.

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

You went to the police the third time.

At first, they were dubious of a kid reporting a serious crime, but when they came to the alleyway, Dabi was overjoyed. You led several victims to him and he thanked you for doing him a favor.

Compared to the raging maniac, the police were in no shape or form to defeat someone like him. They called in backups as Dabi burned them with hellish fire, one by one. Then...

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

You were getting annoyed.

Is it that difficult for you to want no victims, and no wounds or burns on your body?

Apparently so, because the fifth time you tried an approach where you acted oblivious about Dabi being a villain, he set you on fire once again.

[You have died]
[Reviving 8 hours prior]

"Just get on with it already," you said, pissed off. 

This was your thirteenth try already. You sought his flames earlier ago, but now it was the opposite. You wanted him gone without seeing his flames nor his face anymore.

Dabi tilted his head when you sat down crossed legs.

“What?" You met his curious gaze with a glare. "You're not going to kill me?"

"Well, when you're practically begging me to do so, then who am I to disagree with your offer?" Dabi raised a hand, a teasing smirk plastered on his face. He's bluffing, you finally figured it out. He likes these types of reactions and was gouging out your next move.

"Make sure to do it as painfully as possible. I don't want any half-assed death that'll make my death easy."

"Do you honestly believe I would let you have a painless death?" No, no you didn't. He's been giving you a painful and slow death so many times already, you don't even want to count anymore. "But now that you asked so patiently, I guess I'm having a bit of trouble deciding. You see, I don't like getting dictated on what I should and shouldn't do, especially when they act all high and mighty as if everyone would follow every single word they say."

"Then don't listen to me," you said without hesitation. 

"Oya, you're dictating me again though."

“And you're annoying me again, too." 

Dabi stayed silent for a beat second, and then he smiled. But more than that, he laughed. It's loud. The type of laughter that no matter how much he tried to keep, it just bubbled out of his throat. 

You watched the mirth pull his lower eyelids upwards. It was childish and almost, you dare say it, innocent. The quirk on the corner of his lips gave such a lively color to his scarred face that you thought, at that moment, he had everything in his emotions under control. As if the only thing he was feeling was pure amusement, no twisted feelings, no wicked desires to kill.

This is a villain who wouldn’t bat an eye burning you, and he was laughing like an innocent child in pure bliss. 

This is a villain, not someone innocent, and he chose to be this way. A wave of conflict washed over you when you heard Dabi's laughter ripple through the alley. But if there was a chance, if the world let him be, could he have been different? 

If it didn't turn out this way, could he have been happier? Could he have lived a life where he spilled neither blood nor painful tears on his body? 

Could he smile like this without any insanity in his eyes in that perfect timeline?

Without realizing it, you asked him, "Why are you doing this?"

His laughter, laced with humor and an odd emotion, quietened as he turned to your gaze. "Hm? But aren't you the one asking to be killed?"

"Not that. I mean, why are you doing... this?"

You understood the emotions he felt when he told the world about his revenge. You understood why he would hate the world so much for him to turn into his very own devil. 

But you couldn't empathize with him. Sure, he was betrayed by the system, by his family, by everyone around him. But even if he was driven to insanity by the horrible world itself, it was never humane for anyone to ruin innocent lives just for a revenge to one person.

"You still could have tried."

The moment you said that, the smile on Dabi's face dropped. It left nothing but silence and emptiness in the air. 

Maybe it's self-centered to compare yourself to a man with years of bloodstains and scorched marks different from yours, but you couldn't help it. You had a chance to turn out the way he did. You had the reason, the perfect reason to kill that humane part of yours and stray into a path of no return. 

But you didn't. 

Maybe this was wishful thinking, but you thought— as you stared at his steady cerulean eyes— you thought you could have given him the same amount of hope you gave to yourself before you died at your own hands.

As if the coldness in his face was a hallucination, a smirk crawled back into Dabi's lips. "It's not the time to know why yet. I have a master plan you see, but who said I'm inclined to tell you that?"

"Ah," you realized. Of course. This man had roamed for years, doing everything he wanted just for his one goal. There's no way a mere kid whom he met once will make him reconsider his actions.

"Or are you ordering me to tell it to you? You know, if I wasn't thinking correctly right now, I would actually follow your absolute order. Maybe I'd even call you your highness without any mockery if you spell it out properly for me." He chuckled, his gaze stuck between being amused and dark. "But I don't like being dictated, especially if it's from a kid who knows nothing about the world around them."

There was a pause between the two of you, a tense, and growing one as you waited for his next words. 

"Let me ask you this," then he started walking to you.

Every step he took hammered itself against your mind, and when he stopped, he loomed over you, hands in his pockets and head tilted, studying your features.

Dabi lowered his voice. "Why do you want to be killed right here and right now?"

"So that I can die."

He paused. He looked taken aback by your nonchalant answer, but a sly smile grew on his stitched face all the same. "Why do you want to die?"

You scrunched up your nose and leaned away. "Is this a therapy session? Why are you asking me that?"

"I'm simply curious, that's all.” Dabi shrugged dismissively. "I'm sure you made up your mind to give up on this society too. Even I wouldn't want to live in a world where these despicable people roamed around, making their own kind suffer, all while hiding under the comfort of a good reputation."

"Shut up," you interrupted with a scowl.

Dabi stayed still in his place. His everlasting smirk lowered, and he raised a brow. "No?"

"I'm not like you. I still have hopes for my future and this society." 

He gave up on changing his life. He threw away his dreams the moment he killed people without any mercy and stooped lower than those who hurt him. But you— you sacrificed all of yourself to change the outcome of your future. You hurt yourself to have a different life than what you had before.

The way he effortlessly towered over you, the way he relaxed his shoulders and laughed next to you, you knew he was thinking you were the same as him. But there was a difference between you and Dabi.

Someone who gave up a long time ago would never understand someone who tried until the very end.

You squeezed your knee and dug your nails into your bandages. "Unlike you, I still think there are people out there who are good both inside and out—"

A scoff left his lips. "What, are you going to start an inspirational speech right in front of me?"

Your glare only hardened at his words.

He spoke once again, "Do you really want to die? You're really confusing. First you asked me to kill you with that brave look on your fragile face, but now you're saying you have hopes for the future?"

Flames circled around you two, but you didn't back down even as Dabi stared with emotionless eyes.

"I'm starting to think you're just making fun of me, you know?"

"I know what it sounds like," your body unconsciously started to sweat. The flames of blue fire swirled dangerously close around you.

"Some things can be overlooked when you're dealing with a villain, but all that positive and high-and-mighty attitude isn't a part of those things," Dabi said, voice laced with nothing but annoyance. "You had a good life with good people by your side— lucky you. Must've convinced you there's a bright future ahead. But here's a reality check, your royal highness: not everyone is living the high life like you did. There are horrible things in the world that you have not yet seen in your comfortable life."

The more he spoke, the more shame washed over you. To think you were deluded that he could change just by that moment of laughter he showed earlier. How stupid of you. How utterly foolish of you.

Dabi looked satisfied at the anger that flickered in your eyes. "I should've seen this coming. Turns out, you're just another one of those entitled brats who believe their noble speeches can actually sway anyone. I can't stand people like you. Especially the ones who go looking for death as if it's some kind of game."

There was a brief pause in the cold air. As if he wanted you to soak in his words; as if he’s talking to someone who wouldn’t understand what he said. 

"The world isn't merciful, your highness. There is no such thing as a redeemable devil you can fix with your sweet talk just because you feel like it," he spat out, extinguishing any illusions you had about this society, about him. "If you come strutting in with that mindset, it wouldn't take long before you die at the hands of that devil." 

"Then kill me." Dabi's eyes remained unchanging and cold, but you continued. "Stop with your damn monologue and just kill me already."

There were horrible things that you have not seen in your life? How laughable. The way he's so wrong was painful enough to bring anger within you, and so you let it out in a spiteful spat.

"You think I'm spoiled? You want to burn me to show that I'm bluffing? Then why don't you do it and prove yourself right? Burn me with as much rage as you have and let's see if I'll even care about the pain of your fire. Who said death is an ending for me anyway?" 

You showed your years, thousands of deaths, worth of anger within your steeled glare.

You didn't need to say anything else. He wouldn't understand your words and your thoughts anyway, just like how you wouldn't understand him and his hatred of this world. 

Once he met your glare, the flames around you intensified. It ignited higher and higher, creating a wall of blue fire that trapped both you and him in a circle. By this point, everyone in the neighborhood had probably called the police and firefighters, but you could care less about it. 

You held your gaze against his emotionless ones and the blue inferno. You showed him the sight of a kid who had nothing to fear, not even death itself.

The few seconds that passed felt as if it was an hour until Dabi lowered the flames, ridding the alleyway of ashes and smoke.

He clicked his tongue and turned away. "I thought for sure you would be entertaining." You couldn't see what emotions were running through his eyes, "Death isn't an ending for you? You think quite brightly for someone who wants to die."

He didn't need to say anything more. He already had his fun in that small conversation of yours, so he placed a hand on his pockets and walked away. 

(This was his way of showing you the mercy that you tried so hard to get.)

That day ended differently.

You went home with no burns, with no wounds, and with a thought that repeated the conversation you held with Dabi.

Chapter Text

❝Paper planes are fleeting but they carry beautiful memories between us.❞

You expected to get a lot of whispers the moment you stepped foot in your school (after all, you did come to class looking like you were fresh out of the hospital).

But even your expectations didn’t prepare you for the crowd that formed at your expense. 

It was lunchtime, and the courtyard was surprisingly crowded. 

Instead of going to where the food was, a gaggle of third-year students, who were whispering loudly, followed as you sat on your usual bench. Normally you would have asked, “Aren’t they being too obvious with their staring?” but you know better now. 

In a country where you were taught to keep your head down and not stand out, it was easy to break someone by scoping them out among the crowd. 

And that’s what’s happening to you right now. 

They wanted you to break, to falter, to get ruined by the probing stares of theirs because that was all that they could do without repercussions. It's sad for them but funny for you, 'cause how would you break if you had killed yourself a thousand times already? Can anything else crush you, you wonder?

So despite all those stares, you ate quietly and kept to yourself.  

You were beginning to accept the jabbing stares by then, but in just a minute everything suspiciously turned quiet. 

You should have minded your business. The sudden hushing of voices and giddy giggling should have been your number one sign to get up, leave, and never look back. 

But have you ever hesitated in anything else after dying multiple times? 

Yeah, exactly. 

So, ignoring all the warnings in your mind, you raised your gaze and glanced past the third-year girls by the side. They were sending you a dirty look but you barely glanced at them. You just looked around the courtyard, and then—

Your eyes landed on someone, curt and straightforward.

Brown eyes, brown hair. He blinked when you caught him staring, but he didn’t dare glance away. There was something in his appearance that mesmerized you, from the dip of his nose to the smoothness of his cheeks. Then his lips moved into a small and almost invisible smile, and when you saw that familiar sight, 

Oh, your eyes widened, and you felt your shoulders tense up.

This is Kaibara Sen— the one and only perfect guy in your middle school.

Good grades, good looks, good personality, and a powerful Quirk. You know how most cliche romance stories go: in the middle of the normal students, there would be a handsome young man who holds the attention of everyone. 

That’s Kaibara Sen. 

He was the sort of person that everyone fell in love with as soon as they got to know him. He was the most handsome in the school (some of your classmates once compared him to a Disney prince), but more charming than that was his persistent ambition.

Kaibara Sen wanted to be a hero.

In your last years as middle schoolers, he always made sure that the girls flirting and confessing to him knew he’d rather fight criminals on the loose than deal with their love. Maybe that’s also why he’s popular; people desire what’s unreachable to them.

'How can he be so dreamy and perfect?' you recalled one of your classmates asked one day, to no one in particular, and you just went quiet because you didn't know either. 

Something about that ‘perfection’ of Kaibara didn’t sit well with you. Probably because you knew that even the definition of perfection to you (All Might) was never perfect in reality. 

The more you stared at Kaibara, the more you realized he wouldn’t look away any time now. He watched you with a close, confused sort of look, eyebrows knitted in a way where you knew he already acknowledged your existence. 

And Kaibara Sen acknowledging your existence was a problem. 

The air turned quiet and almost electrifying. The girls who liked him were beginning to get jealous, and you can’t have that.

So you looked away first. 

"Let’s exchange places," you said, not even bothering to face the girl on your left side.

The sharp stabbing of guilt came as you stood up on the bench. You hoped that you and Kaibara would ignore each other again like before. Like how it had always been, because that would be better for everyone. 

Taking your lunch in your arms, you grabbed your bag and walked past the group of students who dispersed in confusion and relief. 

Is it still a coincidence if the most popular guy in your school always went to the same place as you did? Maybe if it happened only once or twice, it would be. 

But it happened four times already.

Four times.

First, you went to the library instead of your usual spot by the bench. But guess what? Kaibara Sen was there. Studying his ass off and bringing the crowd with him. He was only interrupted by your sudden ‘oh shit’, and not by the people pushing and pointing in his direction for some odd reason. But before he could even breathe, you turned around and walked out of the door.

That one is a coincidence, you told yourself, hoping you’ll never have a coincidence like that again. 

The next day, you went to the Student Council's office. You hoped that maybe you could do a small task there before the fourth period began... But lo and behold, Kaibara Sen was also there. His hands carried a stack of papers that the council needed to check over for the day. He might have glanced at you once or something. You’re not really sure. You walked out and left as fast as you could before you even noticed it. 

Then, yesterday at lunchtime, you tried to go to the cafeteria. The fact that you've been seeing Kaibara everywhere meant that he didn't visit the cafeteria anymore, so it was your only choice. But news flash: he was there. And the line for the garlic bread suddenly became longer too.

Was... that a coincidence, still?

You don't fucking know anymore.

You had the patience of a saint. Or more like, you thought you had one. But the occurrences with Kaibara following you had dealt a blow to an annoyance that you never thought you had.

Was he stalking you now? What did you even do for him to notice you? There's no way that you, who actively avoided him four times already, would actually still be in his presence. 

No matter how much you think about it, it's all so frustrating. 

This has never happened to you back then, ever. You never even had the chance to get a glimpse of this popular boy in the past! He had one goal: to be a hero, and there was nothing else he wanted to pay attention to aside from that goal.

So why was he placing his attention on you now?

“Great," you grumbled. "Now I'm disobeying school's rules and going against my plan of laying low. All of this is because of a guy."

A popular guy, specifically.

The rooftop wasn't supposed to be accessible by anyone aside from the janitors, but you stole the keys from the teacher's lounge and invited yourself in. Funny how you resorted to stealing and going to prohibited spaces when things don’t go according to plan, huh?

You sighed, leaning on the metal railings. "Would I have to jump off the roof and repeat my life once again?"

You asked that as a joke, but the thought of jumping (or even burning yourself) made you even more exhausted. Besides, your plan is set in February. There’s no way you’ll go back deeper into the past when you’re so close to reaching your first goal. 

The rooftop was silent as you lingered by the railings for a minute. Then there was a small sound outside the entrance. Almost as if a small step.

You raised your head, waiting for someone to open it. Maybe it's a staff and you'll get scolded for accessing this part of the school— if so, then you'll have a reason to restart the day, won't you? Which is why you waited, patiently so.

But nobody opened the door. 

Spending a few more minutes sitting by yourself, you stared at the entrance until the bell rang.

You didn't meet the popular boy anywhere after that day.

Your usual days of staying in the school courtyard were finally back, and you couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. You didn’t know what triggered the change here, but you weren’t complaining. This sudden change was a lot better than getting the dirty and jealous looks from your classmates everyday in your last middle school year.

It was now lunchtime. You sat by the courtyard, lunchbox on your side and notebook in hand. It was a peaceful and almost uneventful day. 

That was until a small shadow flew right above your head. And then, as if the wind played with you, the source of that shadow landed right on the tip of your nose. 

You blinked, utterly surprised, and plucked the paper from your nose with a frown. Judging by the folds of the paper, you knew it was a paper plane already. And it was done in a rush, too. 

“Ah…" you rubbed your face in realization. 

It can’t be the same paper plane situation in your past now... can it?

You almost forgot about it since your last year in middle school was ending, but it seemed like this incident was going to be a part of your life. Again. 

Every day, in the past, a paper plane would fall near you, and when you opened it up, it always held multiple confessions about the sender. 'I feel like people look past my mistakes because I'm me', or, 'I failed the exams this time on purpose but everyone ignored it' were the things you remembered from it.

Whoever it was, your middle school self was jealous of them. Imagine being loved by your classmates to the point they look past your mistakes. Because of that jealousy, you always crumpled these paper planes and ignored them.

But this time, there was something different.

"Hm?" A photo paper was poking out in the middle of the crease. 

You took it between your fingers, looking at it with intrigue. 

It showed a cozy scenery of a café, with a mocha latte and a set of notes on the table. Curious about the sender, you turned the photo on its back and hoped there was some kind of signature. 

And there was. It's not a signature, but there was something written on the back of the photo paper. 

'I like going to this place when I feel lonely sometimes.'

The penmanship wasn’t that beautiful (no offense), but even then, the strokes of each line held a certain care in it. As if the writer— despite rushing— gave careful thought to their words before sending them out.

You looked around the courtyard to see if anyone was watching you, then up at the building next to you. Nobody was near any of the windows nor were there any people staring at you. 

You had to hand it to them: whoever threw this paper plane to you was fast and sneaky.

Or… Maybe it’s not meant for you and you were mistaking this paper plane for the other paper planes you received in the past. Yeah, that must be it. As far as you remember, the paper planes that were given to you only had rants instead of a cafe suggestion and an endearing message. 

So you placed the photo back into the plane folds without hesitation, then you waited. You waited alongside the birds and the swaying of the wind, waited for someone to shout and say ‘that’s mine!’ or ask you to give the photo back.

But you weren’t quite as patient as you thought you were, so you looked down at the photo, eyes almost dull and emotionless.

It's a really pretty picture, you thought, swiftly placing it between your notebook. Your expression was still blank and cold. This is how most spy movies act whenever they're trying to steal something. (Okay, that one is bullshit but you need to make a reasonable excuse to act cool, okay).

The janitor had to snap you out of your reverie since you didn't hear the bell ring. And forget about being cool— you were already late for your next class.

You placed your notebook back in your bag then you sprinted to your room, unaware of the bush of brown hair that peeked out of the second floor's window to watch you leave.

There's a new paper plane once again. This time, it held another photo that showed the campus' courtyard.

The way the photographer captured the beauty of the sun shining down on the grass was breathtaking. You had to put up the picture side by side to compare it to the sad view of real-life in front of you. It amazed you, but the message at the back was even more bewildering. 

'Motivation is so hard to find. Do you think you can give me some?'

...Whoever it was that kept throwing paper planes with photos at you, they were pretty consistent at writing letters behind the photographs. 

Once again, you took the photo and left without waiting for someone to claim it.

The next day came, and things were still the same.

By the wooden surface of a bench, there lay a paper plane with two photos stuck in the middle crease. There was also a note by the paper plane's wings saying 'open this!' And it...

It... it looks dorky, you sweatdropped.

Nonetheless, you took the paper and checked the photos first.

A smile curled over your lips unknowingly as you stared at a cute picture of a tabby cat. You turned it around and looked at the sticky note behind it.

'Her name's Wan. She barks.'

That almost made you laugh. A cat that barks? You don’t know how that would sound, but now that caught your intrigue. 

The second photo showed a nice green park. It’s probably somewhere south of Hosu (the park here isn’t well-kept), but what attracted your attention was the messy sketch behind it. Actually, messy would be an understatement.

"Is this a bomb...?" You examined the drawing, confused. 

It was a terrible, uh… circle? You can't even call it an oblong since it was drawn so wiggly, and it had four lines outside as well. Maybe it was a drawing of a flea? 

Right next to the flea was a 3D rectangle, and on top of the rectangle you recognized the drawing of an umbrella easily. Curious about what the commentary would be, you turned the photo behind—

'There's an ice cream vendor that sells good ice cream here.'

You slapped a hand to your mouth.

An ice cream vendor? 

Your shoulders started shaking. That flea... that wiggly circle with four small lines next to that rectangle— that's an ice cream vendor?

You let out a hitched breath, eyes threatening to burst into tears. "I'm so sorry."

Sorry for calling it a flea. Sorry for insulting their drawing skills. Sorry for being judgmental—

But the more you tried to say sorry, the more you wanted to burst out laughing. 

You calmed yourself down and opened the paper plane instead.

'I'm not good at drawing so please don't laugh.'

That only made you sputter out a burst of choked laughter once again. "I'm sorry," you whispered again, laughing a little at their hurried penmanship.

'Exams are coming soon, so I was thinking of buying the ice cream in that park. It always helps me focus whenever I need it.'

You smiled softly at the note. This photographer must be a calming person to be with. They know how to handle their duties and have fun at the same time, and that’s a skill that most people would want to have. 

'How about you? Do you like going to parks to study, or do you study at home?'

You stared at the question that stuck out more than the flea/vendor drawing.

How odd. It was the same paper plane situation as before, you remembered it.

But this time, they asked you a question.

You bit your lower lip and looked around. This wasn't supposed to happen. The paper planes back then never had any photographs nor did the owner try to ask you anything about you. It's always them saying their concerns, most likely venting their feelings out and waiting for someone to respond, and maybe they never even thought of being responded to— maybe they just wanted to let their frustrations out.

But this time, they were giving you tips. Places to visit when you're upset. Things that were different from your memories.

This time, they asked about you. 

You didn't know if it was the giddy feeling of laughter that made you take action, but the next thing you knew, you were writing your response on a paper and placing it down on the bench.

'It's a cute drawing. I mostly study in the school's courtyard, but when we're not allowed in school, I study more in my room than outside.'

For a few seconds, you stared at the paper, debating if you should do this or if it will actually change a lot of things in your school…

... But what can a letter change anyway?

You placed the paper on the benches, attempting to brush this off as a trivial matter. The worst thing that can happen is for the janitor to read it and throw it in the trash, so it’s fine. It’ll be fine, right? 

With those thoughts, and after placing a rock to keep the paper from being blown by the wind, you ran back into your class.

'You laughed at my drawing, didn't you? You're so cruel. I'm just a beginner, so how could you betray me like that...'

The words that greeted you on the paper made you chuckle in amusement.

You never thought that they would reply back, but here they were, giving you another set of photographs that looked almost otherworldly in your eyes.

It's not that you didn't look forward to class before, but having to experience middle school all over again was kind of taxing. Would you willingly be a middle schooler again, surrounded by teenagers who thought it was hip and cool to be judgmental to each other all the time?

The only exciting and adrenaline-worthy event you waited for was your meeting with a Quirk doctor, but that would take at least... a few more days before it happens. The fact that this person was entertaining you for a while worked really well in your favor.

And so, the exchanging of letters became an everyday scenario for a whole week.

'I tried to go bowling with my friends. They were really tiring. They keep forcing me to date this girl who had a crush on me.'

You found out that the one you exchanged letters with was a boy, and he didn't really like attention. He preferred to have quietness and spend his days taking photos— at least, that's what you deduced from the letters he gave you.

'You should tell them you're uncomfortable. Friends shouldn't force each other when it comes to serious stuff such as dating. No, they shouldn't even force you to do anything you're uncomfortable doing. If they don't listen to you, then drop them.' 

(Also, aren’t you—) You erased that from the letter.

The next reply was accompanied by a picture of a flower garden, with the address behind it and with a cute flower drawing (he really sucks at making doodles, huh?) 

His replies slowly gained more and more confidence, and that made you smile wide.

'I told them I'm uncomfortable, but they ignored me. They tried to set me up with another girl that our friend liked. That pissed me so much so now I'm going to be ignoring them instead.'

'Congrats for standing up for yourself and your friend. You're a good bro.

P.S. don't forget to study for the exams while you're ignoring them.'

'I know that hurt him a lot, so he's ignoring me at the moment. I don't really mind. I'm more busy training than engaging in petty fights like that anyways.

P.S. can you tell me the answers instead ;)'

'You should at least try to reach out to him. If he doesn't try to understand you, then he's just projecting his insecurities on you. You can ignore him and focus on yourself instead.

Also, don't ask for answers to an exam or I will find you and report you to the student council :)'

—

The next reply had two photos; one was a photograph of a squirrel in a fresh field, while the other was a photograph of a pan with eggs and bacon.

'I tried to say sorry, but it seems like he still blamed me since his crush liked me a lot. Back then, I didn't really understand why my classmates were obsessed with having crushes. I mean, there's more to life than romance, right? Look at this squirrel I saw when I was training. Also look at this perfect omelette. Pretty neat, huh?'

'Neat. The squirrel looks ready to pounce on you, and that omelette looks so tasty.

Are you a malewife?'

'Malewife? Is that even a thing...? Anyway, I would love to give you some of that omelette but I'm quite scared of meeting you in real life.'

'I heard my clubmates say that malewife is a guy who knows a lot of domestic and intimate stuff. It's pretty cute, so I listened very well.

Also, are you scared of me?'

'Oh, you find it cute? I see. I'll take note of that then! :D It's not that I'm scared of you... I just don't know if you'll like meeting me, too.'

Without even realizing it, the boy with the paper planes had already engraved itself in your routine. 

He pushed himself into your life, and this time you were not going to protest. You may have lived a different life before, but now that you can repeat it again, why would you push away the small things that gave you happiness?

You paused, the paper on your hand grew heavy against your shaking fingers.

Happiness, huh? Even after experiencing such a dark future, you still had a chance to think of such concepts. How funny.

You tried not to notice it, but you did. You noticed yourself waiting every lunchtime, eyes glazing over the bench; you noticed the leap in your heart as you thought of catching the perpetrator off guard; the feeling you get when you see the words directed at you felt good, it made you feel warm, and happy. 

Happiness was a foreign concept in the future. But now, you were not in the future. You were here in the present. And every choice you make now will create a different path for you to explore.

So in this new present, there's no harm in wanting more than what you needed.. right?

You wrote down on a new paper.

'Well, I enjoy writing letters to you, and your photographs are quite lovely too. I would love to meet you but of course, I want you to be comfortable too. What do you say?'

You wanted to smooth the paper out, you wanted to rewrite it, make your writing better, maybe phrase it differently, or add some designs to calm him down from your intimidating request?

You sighed. Oh, why are you— a young adult mentally—  getting so antsy over middle school friendships? This was a simple conversation. You were just asking to meet this 'friend' of yours, so snap out of your anxious thoughts and leave this paper on the bench already!

That pep talk was enough to send you in a scurry of movements, leaving the paper behind and running back to your class.

Chapter Text

❝How about taking some responsibility for your actions?❞

A girl slammed a hand on your desk. "Hey! Is it true? Are you really going to try the UA Examinations?"

Your pens rattled at her movements; one of them even fell onto the floor, but the pens weren't your main concern at that moment. No, you were focused on the fact that Momoto, your classmate—an acquaintance—gripped your wrist and forced you to look at her.

Emphasis on the 'acquaintance' part.

"Is it really true that you'll go to UA?" She pushed her face near you. If you weren't leaning away, your noses would have touched each other already.

You didn't answer.

She looked at you up and down, before letting out a sound similar to a snort or a laugh. "I knew you were a little behind in this world, but I didn't know you were that misinformed. You're actually delusional."

The people around you sputtered out a laugh. They think her words were true. You are the pathetic, Quirkless kid that they laughed at in the past. But now, so suddenly, you decided you'll try for the UA examination? 

"I can understand your choice if you picked the General Studies or the Business Management course, but, the Hero course? You?" You tried to look away, but Momoto stepped back into your sight, a frown etched on her face. "Listen here. I'm only saying this 'cause you're my friend, but UA has a strict 'strong people only' policy. Only 5% of the examiners have passed in that school! Last school year was like, what? At least a thousand or more people enrolled for the Hero Course and only forty students passed."

Momoto showed four of her fingers and made a fist with her other hand.

"Forty students, you hear me? For-ty!" Then she placed her hand on your shoulders and leaned in. "Do you know how absurd those statistics are?"

"Get off of me," you said, blatantly ignoring her. "We're not close enough for you to invade my personal space like that."

The moment those words left your mouth, the room turned deadly quiet.

Momoto and your classmates stared at you with wide eyes.

"Wh... what are you talking about?" Momoto stammered.

You pushed her hand away from your shoulders, bending down from your chair to grab your pen.

"I was just telling you my concerns as your friend!"

Ahh. Your pen is already broken. Seems like you do have to buy a new one in the end...

"I don't think you understand this, but you'll die if you even try to become a hero! Everyone knows you're Quirkless. You can't even do basic things without asking me what to do, so why are you trying to be dumb and enroll in the biggest heroics school in Japan?"

One of your classmates huffed. "(L/n), you do know that achievements in a club can't get you a spot in UA, right?"

"No way would someone think like that— that's so dumb!" A grating laughter came. "It's the era of heroes, why would anyone even want to focus on the people who write rumors about them?"

Momoto gloated at all the words thrown by your classmates. They were supporting her, and between you and her, it's not difficult to see who had the least support from the others. 

She turned back to you with a smile, "I don't think you can get into UA even with your achievements. Almost all the popular heroes hate the media and paparazzi, so wouldn't they hate you too if you showed up to them with all those journalism shticks of yours?" 

You packed your things and readied yourself to walk out of the door for lunch, but before you could take a step, your wrist was held captive by the same perpetrator again.

"Hey! You shouldn't ignore people like that when they're talking to you," Momoto grumbled, pushing away a lock of her soft brown hair. She glared at the person next to her who flinched at the sudden attention. "It's rude to ignore someone, right? Especially when they're trying to show their worries to their best friend!"

Her touch was beginning to make your bandages scratch against your wounds, and that annoying feeling boiled in your stomach in silence.

"It's already enough that we have Kaibara-kun as our representative for UA High, so why not just stick to writing your fictional stuff instead? Who knows, maybe you can make people adore the deluded fantasy genre if you try your best to write it for us, you know, so we could all read it again like we did in the past. Do you remember that time, guys?"

They all voiced their agreement, and their words dripped with mockery and amusement.

They all began to talk about that one notebook they pried off of your hands years ago. You remembered reaching out to it, but your voice was too soft for them to hear your complaints. Or maybe they never bothered to listen in the first place.

To them, that was a moment of entertainment. It was ridiculously entertaining how someone would create more fantasy stories in a world where everything fantasy-like can become real if you tried. That's when they found out that— of course!— you're Quirkless! 

The laughter in the present time didn't stop. It rubbed against the hidden annoyance that you buried within your heart. And finally, after years of keeping it still...

"Seriously, what's up with you trying to befriend the people who hate you?"

You finally let it out.

When you pulled your wrist away, much more aggressively than before, Momoto stumbled on your desk. She looked up at you, fury written in her shocked eyes. "What—?" 

But she stopped when she met your cold glare.

"Stop trying to bother me. We're at the end of the school year, aren't we? Unless you want the teachers to know that you've been taking credit over my work for 6 years already, then you should just stay away from me and enjoy your 'popular' school life until the very end."

The silence turned thick as your words came out like a sharp dagger. 

Everyone knew, even you, that Momoto had been basking in your success under the pretense that it was her own effort. Hell, you even see her taking scrap from your notebook just for her to pass it to the teachers. You, who were laughed at by the entire class because you wrote what everyone couldn't understand, ended up having something that Momoto needed.

When you barely complained or noticed anyone taking things from you, Momoto forced you to join the Journalism club. She would 'ask' you to give her your work because really, even if they make fun of it being childish, the teachers thought differently from them. How can she pass off the opportunity to get good grades when it is right in front of her?

You wondered, as you thought back to your old self, why didn't you tell anyone about this petty middle school problem of yours?

Oh, that's right.

It's because Momoto engraved in your head that she's your only friend.

She's the only one who controls your social life, and she's the only one who can make it better. If it weren't for her, you would have continued being an outcast. In your mind, she saved you. And that made you feel as if you were indebted to her so you tightened your lips and let her do anything to you. 

Momoto was everything in your past. 

But in your future, she was nothing.

"I don't like my space being invaded by people," you said, dragging out your words with venom and coldness that can even break steel. "If you're really my friend, you would have known that from the start."

With those words as your last stab, you walked out, with the people paving the way for you to continue.

Rumors and stories traveled fast anywhere, even in your school.

You sat by your usual spot and ate your food in silence. By the side, near the entrance of the courtyard, you heard multiple whispers and felt stares piercing through you.

Momoto had already complained about your fiasco to the people she knew. And that's when you remembered: Momoto knows everyone.

The power of connections was truly scary. For someone who has social anxiety, this entire drama sucks. You became aware of the people backstabbing you and judging your every move, possibly even laughing at how you ate.

But this was just a middle school drama.

Sure, it's still gut-wrenching to think about how they humiliated you behind your back, but compared to what you've dealt with before, being judged by strangers was nothing but a piece of cake to you.

Fuck your pride and whatever it was that made you a people pleaser before. You know firsthand that when the world turns into a dystopia, nobody cares about appearances. The only thing that they'll think of is survival. Even if it means dancing around the palms of others willingly, the people deprived of everything will do it, because that's how humans work. They thrive when they exert their power but they shrink when that power is taken away from them.

You shoved another maki roll to your mouth, doing your best to ignore the heavy steps that advanced toward you.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," a familiar irritating voice said.

Momoto stopped at your bench. Right behind her lurked her friends who were obviously giving you stares, but you continued on eating anyway.

"Stop sulking now and let's make up already. You know everyone will pick on you if I'm not near you, right?"

You frowned. "Everyone will ignore me because you tell them to do so, Momoto."

Momoto snapped her head to you, mouth agape. You always called her Momoto-san or Momoto-chan, but never just Momoto.

"Hah...? Me? Tell them to ignore you?" She laughed. "I thought for sure you trusted me because I'm your friend. But how can you think so lowly of me like that?"

If this was the old you, you would have felt guilty for 'accusing' Momoto like that. Her eyes were furrowed and her hand was on her chest, like she's hurt by your own words.

It was all just an act though. A terrible and horrible act done by a middle schooler.

"They ignore you because they don't think you're worth their time," she said with a half-shrug. "But when you're with me, you're always so fun to be around. Have you ever wondered why everyone began to like you when you're not moping around all by yourself?"

They only think you're fun because you were the one that they laughed at. When you stutter on your words, when your eyes would light up at such childish stuff they couldn't comprehend— that was what's funny for them.

You looked away and continued eating in silence.

"At least come to the club meeting later," she finally settled on with her cold voice. She only uses that voice to make you think she'll abandon you. "The club president has some activities for us, and it won't be pretty for you if you don't participate."

She said everything she wanted, so she turned around and motioned to her 'friends'.

"Come on! I don't know what's been going through their mind lately. Seems like they're slowly becoming insane."

"Oh man, that's going to be real creepy if they became insane. Just look at the bandages on their arm. So gross..."

You tuned them out.

The moment you went inside your classroom, everyone lived on like you weren't there. As if you're just someone spectating. As if you were just a ghost in their world. 

How did it feel when everyone looked down on you?

You weren't so sure back then. You were too deluded by Momoto's words to even realize that almost everything in your school life was fake.

It was only today that you realized that you were wrong; your old happiness was only but a delusion of your childhood desire to be less lonelier in a place full of your peers.

You attended the club activities after class.

Carrying your pen and a stack of papers, you watched as the members of the student council (who, for some odd reasons, decided to join the activity) and the Journalism club gathered around a certain person in the room.

Momoto giggled. "More importantly, what made Kaibara-kun volunteer to print newspapers? Aren't you supposed to be busy training?"

Nobody else could see it except for you, but Kaibara looked tense. All the girls began to surround him and asked him a lot of questions, and you easily tuned them out.

"Tsk, there he is again, taking everyone's attention away." One of the boys rolled his eyes and clicked a button on the printer. You handed him the stack of papers as he placed them on the printer. "We were already fine with just the student council helping us out, so why did Mr. Popular have to butt in here all of a sudden?"

"I don't think you pressed the high-definition button," you pointed out.

"Stop ordering me around!" he spat out, his glare whipping to you and then to the printer once again. He clicked the high-definition button, grumbling louder when he realized you were right. "Seriously, you should just stay quiet like usual. You're prettier that way."

You stared at him in disgust. As if you'd want to be pretty for a guy like him. 

"Um. Don't you guys need help with that?" A voice interrupted you before you could say anything else to that despicable boy.

You turned around, and your eyes landed on Mr. Popular himself. 

Kaibara was trying to stand up, sending you a small smile as he reached out a hand to the printing team (aka your team).

"Oh, no need to do anything Kaibara-kun! We're just tasked with gathering information so we can talk until the club ends." But he was pulled down to the sofa by Momoto without any hesitation.

"Wait- but what about-" he began.

"It's fine! Look, do you have any other juicy gossip in your class? How about your training? I think that'll be a good topic on the first page!"

When the girls in your club begin to speak about juicy gossip, it's difficult to make them stop.

Your eyes stayed still on Kaibara, watching how he avoided eye contact with the people pestering him. He didn't even mask his annoyance nor how uncomfortable he was with their lack of personal space. But even then, the boy had the patience of a brick house. How can he live in that world without snapping at the noisy (and nosy) people around him...?

Kaibara's gaze went on yours.

You blinked a couple of times. That's new.

You didn't notice this before, but Kaibara really had a strong and steady gaze. He, too, didn't look away even when he caught you staring at him. It was as if he was pulling you in just by that slight curiosity and confusion in his stare.

Before you knew it, you walked towards their group in a silent stride. Kaibara's eyes widened when you stopped by the coffee table near the sofa.

"Tsukiko-san, aren't we supposed to buy snacks for the club?" you asked, and everyone turned their attention to you. 

The council president, Tsukiko Reina, raised her head and stared at you with a frown. "I-... I guess I did say that.." she racked her brain, trying to remember when exactly she told you that, until she shrugged it off and smiled. "Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot about it."

She stood up, allowing Kaibara to have a bit of space away from Momoto and her friends. He immediately scooted away from her, and if you weren't keeping an image, you would have laughed at that immediate reaction.

Tsukiko clapped her hands. "I'll leave the intel gathering to you guys then. Make sure to get good information and not dumb stuff again, alright?"

"Alright!"

At their answer, Tsukiko walked towards her bag to get her wallet.

Instead of following her this time, you turned to stare at Kaibara, who was also looking at you with slight expectations in his eyes.

You smiled at him. "Hello, I don't think we've met before."

If you thought Kaibara's eyes were already wide and tensed, then you thought wrong. He became even more surprised when you regarded him instead of ignoring him. "Oh, yeah, I don't- I don't think so as well…" he turned his head, making sure that you were staring at him and not at anyone else.

Momoto laughed at his reaction and placed her hand on his knee. "Oh Kaibara-kun, I forgot to introduce you to my friend! That's (L/n), the one who's also trying out the Hero Course alongside you!"

If there was one straw that broke the camel's back, it was Momoto's hands that wandered on Kaibara's knee.

Kaibara slapped her hand away.

The reactions of the people around him almost made you snort in amusement— Momoto was baffled, the other girls stared with agape mouths, and the printer boys almost spilled out their eyes at how wide they looked at Kaibara's hasty movement. 

"Can you move a bit?" Kaibara said, his blunt tone stunning the room even more. "It's already getting a bit stuffy to be surrounded by many people, and I'd rather not be touched like that." There was a brief pause in the room, before he glanced at you once again. "I've heard of you before, but I'm Sen Kaibara. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

He bowed his head, and now you noticed how everyone's eyes were suddenly on you.

Tsukiko's chuckles took everyone's attention away from you, thankfully. "Kaibara-kun, I think you introduced yourself incorrectly. It should be Kaibara Sen instead of the other way around, yeah?" Her cheeks were dusted red as she said his first name with emphasis. Even the council president wasn't immune to Kaibara's charms, huh?

Kaibara rubbed a hand on his neck. "I guess I was a bit nervous.." His following words shocked all of you into silence. "But I don't mind being called by my first name if (L/n) wouldn't also mind."

You blinked, mouth agape. He... wasn't even slick in the slightest. He was just honest and straightforward about his thoughts... So why did it feel like everyone in the room was glaring daggers at you?

This isn't my fault! You wanted to throw those words at the people who began plotting your murder at that moment, but Tsukiko cleared her throat behind you. "C-.. Come on, you guys! Stop being rude to (L/n)! The two just introduced themselves to each other, so why are you guys being so rude with your stares?"

Bless Tsukiko's interference at that crucial moment. If it weren't for her, the people around you wouldn't have released some nervous laughter and avoided you once again. 

"Though, it's rare for Kaibara-kun to be so straightforward all of a sudden." Tsukiko held her chin and hummed. "Kaibara-kun... Do you, perhaps..."

Her eyes darted to you, and for a moment, there was a tense silence as you stared back. You have a bad feeling about this. And your feeling only intensified when her lips twitched into a wide smirk.

"Do you like (L/n)?~"

You choked on air, and Kaibara did the same thing. Except, his face bloomed into a red shade while you looked horrified by her words—

"W-what? Why would Kaibara-kun like them?" The journalism club president asked, her voice straining a bit as she processed Kaibara's flustered reaction.

"No offense, but (L/n) isn't that interesting," one of your club members pointed out.

You take full offense to that.

Kaibara got over his flustered reaction, and his eyes narrowed at whoever spoke. "Isn't that a bit rude?"

One of the printing boys couldn't hold back their snickering now. "That would be funny if Kaibara actually liked them, man. I mean— they're both going to UA but only one will end up passing. Isn't that what we call opposites attract?"

"Hey!" Kaibara spoke up once again. His voice became even more annoyed. In situations like this, that should be your default reaction as well— especially when you were at the butt of their joke.

But instead of being annoyed, you just felt amused. How big of an ego do they have to insult you when you were here right in front of them? You can understand if they did that passive-aggressively, but to directly insult you means they're physically poking the bear. And it just so happened that you were a bear hiding its grudges for years and years of pain.

"Oh, that's funny." You chuckled alongside their laughter. "You're insecure about people's achievements since you don't even have one, do you? That's fine, you know. But projecting your insecurities to someone else? That's kinda pathetic, don't you think so?" 

"What the fuck—?" 

A saccharine smile played on your lips as you tilted your head. "How long have you been in this school? 7 years? Or more? And yet all you have in your records is being caught cheating in an exam. I think you should worry more about your future instead of obsessing over mine. You can take this as a piece of advice from a fellow club member of yours."

That was enough to stun the room into a catatonic silence.

The kid that they all expected to just laugh nervously at their jabs was suddenly speaking more confidently than before. Everyone was a witness to it, and everyone was staring, so baffled, so shocked, and with the silence in the air, it seemed to spread until it was all across the room. To say that all of them were stunned would be an understatement. 

"Pfft—!"

Well, not all of them, actually.

Kaibara covered his mouth and looked down. His shoulders were shaking, and he was the only one biting down his laughter at that moment.

If you didn't try to breathe calmly to yourself, you would have also laughed alongside him and directly at everyone's gaping faces. Which sounds pretty tempting you're not going to lie— but that would be attracting too much attention, so you're not going to do that yet.

"Also Tsukiko-san, Keiji's been doing his job wrong the entire time." You pointed out, which made the printer boy snap out of his astonishment. "I don't think he deserves food if he's being shit like that."

Perhaps it's Kaibara's entertained reaction, but the moment you spoke, everyone in the room had an agreement. "Yeah, and how could he be so rude to (L/n)-san?! Tsukiko-senpai, please give me his share instead!"

Tsukiko sent you a tight-lipped smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea. I can't imagine rewarding a kouhai who is doing his job incorrectly yet still having the confidence to be rude as well. I'll subtract Keiji's food from our shopping list so you don't need to worry." That resulted in another loud, confused reaction from the younger boy, and (without your help) everyone immediately shut him down before he could protest any longer.

The moment they removed their attention from you, you walked to your bag and grabbed a small piece of paper and your faulty pen. 

You stared at the faulty pen, watching it drip its ink onto the floor. Well, thank you Momoto for turning the pen like this, you thought, writing down on the paper.

"Iwao-chan, are you coming?" From the corner of your eyes, Tsukiko's gaze lingered far too long on Iwao, who sat too close to Kaibara for his distaste. "It would be nice to have more hands in our task. Plus, you're literally crushing Kaibara-kun."

Iwao stood rigid and red at her words. "I was not!"

Tsukiko laughed gently. "Say that once again and look at Kaibara-kun's expression."

By the time they finished their little banter, Tsukiko faced your way. You've been a bit too... vocal ever since you came into the club room. You may be the type of person who only speaks when spoken to, but when you're with Momoto, you never fail to shut up and go with the flow of everyone's jokes about you.

But now, though...

"Are you okay?" There was pressure on your shoulder, and when you turned to the side, Tsukiko leaned her head near yours and gave an almost worried frown. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"

Tsukiko was always such a kind person to you; she never failed to scold people who made fun of you when she was near, and she never failed to lighten the mood with just her tone of voice.

Now that she's using that voice on you once again, you didn't know how to react.

You brushed her hand off and stepped away. "I'm doing alright, thanks. I'm just a little light-headed from the smoke."

There was a change in Tsukiko’s eyes. "Smoke?" She whipped her head around, and confusion set in. "What do you mean smoke? Did you see someone smoke here?"

You motioned to the senior who discreetly hid a lighter in their pockets.

"Ah! Hey! It's against the rules to smoke in the facilities!" Tsukiko marched up to the senior and grabbed their lighter. She proceeded to scold them, begrudgingly putting the lighter in her school pockets. Well, you don't want to listen to her sermon so you'll just turn away and act like you didn't snitch.

Without sparing any second, you turned to the sofa, and surprisingly, Kaibara was still looking in your direction. Was he really that eager to leave their side? You can't blame him. Hormonal teenagers were ruthless, especially if they were in middle school where they still didn't realize the consequences of their actions.

"Kaibara-kun, sorry I was interrupted earlier," you said in hopes of helping out the boy. "But my name's (L/n) (Y/n). It's a pleasure to meet someone like you!"

You extended a hand, smiling softly at the boy. He glanced at you and then down at your hands, unsure of whether or not he should return the gesture. There were small blots of ink that only he could see by your palms, and judging by your smile, you were aware of it too.

Your hand faltered. "Ah, sorry. I'm too used to doing these gestures so I didn't think—"

Kaibara clasped his hands on yours before you could retract them. A small smile decorated his usually-stoic face. "Nah, it's all good. Nice to meet you too, (L/n)."

Your eyes brightened at his enthusiasm. He was unaware of the people glaring at both of you, but you?

"I see, I see!"

You just ignored them.

Placing another hand on top of Kaibara's, you curled his fingers on your palms and shook it. "Your hand is very soft, Kaibara-kun. I thought it would be a little rougher since you're training most of the time, but you seem to take care of it really well," you chirped out, earning the desired jealousy from everyone around you.

Kaibara's ears became red at your words, but he noticed something as you shook his hands with rigor. "Well, it's still filled with callouses so you're just exaggerating a bit..."

"Hmm, I don't think so," were your last words before you folded Kaibara's hand into a fist. With one last pat on his closed fist, you smiled at him and stepped back. "It really is nice meeting you but I'll get going now! Good luck to all of you!"

Brushing away everyone's intense stare, you walked to the door with a slight bounce on your feet.

After that whole fiasco in the meeting room, you followed Tsukiko and Iwao in the grocery store. It was a task that the student council sponsors as a way to lift everyone's mood: you get snacks with everyone, and then you enjoy it while you do your work.

You were waiting in line for the cashier when you turned to the whispering girls beside you. "Is there anything I can help with?" 

Iwao flinched at your voice, and Tsukiko looked as if you spooked the ever-flying shit out of them.

It's not that they forgot you stood a few feet away from them— it's the fact that they didn't expect you to suddenly speak to them which scared them. Which was understandable. After all, they were deliberately avoiding you in their small conversation, so why would you try to make your voice heard all of a sudden?

Tsukiko composed herself by clearing her throat, then she gave you a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I forgot that we're not alone. I was just telling Iwao about my plans for the student council," she reasoned. 

"Is there something I can help with?" you repeated. The ingredients list was already finished and all scratched out, and you didn't even lend a hand for it to be finished. They were really adamant yet discreet with pushing you away from the task.

Tsukiko exchanged silent glances with Iwao for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh.

"There is one thing we're missing..." Tsukiko mumbled. "I totally forgot about it since we came to the grocery first."

She turned to you, pushing the shopping cart to Iwao without sparing any glance at her.

"How about you come with me there? Iwao can take care of the rest. I already gave her some money to pay for it later."

When you glanced at Iwao, she refused to stare back at you. Pale-looking cheeks, fidgeting hands, and a frown instead of a pout decorating her lips...

You turned away from the unusually silent girl and nodded. "Okay, I kind of need to take a breather too." 

The student council president smiled at your reply and walked away. You followed suit. But even as you paused by Iwao's side, the girl avoided your stare, with her looking down at her clenched fist by the shopping cart and refusing to acknowledge your obvious existence.

You wordlessly tore your gaze away from the quiet Iwao and followed Tsukiko out of the store.

"Sorry for suddenly changing plans," Tsukiko spoke up with a guilty look on her face when you walked next to her. "If I knew that we needed more papers then I would have gone to the school supplies store first." 

"It's fine. We still have a lot of time on our hands so I don't really mind." If Tsukiko noticed how you two went in a different way from the school supplies shop near you, then she didn't say anything about it. "Are you really alright though? I mean, aren't you using too much of your allowance just to get us some food?"

"Don't worry! My dad works at a Hero Agency, so he gets a lot of salary from it and I get a lot of allowances as well. It's a bit embarrassing to tell everyone though, so I hope you keep it for your ears only..." 

"So you're a rich kid, huh?" The streets became narrower and quieter as time passed by.

"Hardly! But I do know how to budget my money so I can give it to other clubs. What about you? Are you a rich kid?"

You chuckled. "Hardly," copying her words but with a monotone level instead. You slowed your pace and let Tsukiko stay next to you. "I'm very frugal and cheap, but Momoto doesn't really pay attention to that." Since she keeps asking you to buy her things, you have no choice but to agree to it back then. Gosh, you wanted to hug your old self and push Momoto down the stairs— how come she doesn't know what 'no' means?

Tsukiko giggled behind her hand. "You don't like Momoto, don't you? Well, I understand that for once." She glanced at you with an amused stare before a pout decorated her lips. "Every now and then I also get very annoyed with Momoto trying to act all so friendly with me. It's really obvious when she just wants attention, you know!"

You hummed at her uncharacteristic comments to a fellow student. 

"What's more, she thinks she's oh 'so cute' that even Kaibara-kun would fall for her annoying ass laughter." Oh, she swore. Her voice lowered, "Honestly, if I could just throw her out there earlier I would have done so. Just seeing her get all touchy touchy with Kaibara-kun gets me so annoyed."

It was rare for someone, who was known to be gentle and kind, to suddenly speak in a voice dripping with venom and disgust.

"Don't you think so too, (L/n)?"

When she muttered your name, you became hyper-aware of your surroundings.

"I'm sure you felt anger at everyone after everything that they did to you. I can understand that, I really can." Tsukiko never left her gaze from yours, even as she stepped into the shadows by the streets. "That's why you want to prove them wrong and show them that you're independent and strong. That you're different from what you were once known as. I'm correct, aren't I?"

Instead of the busy streets, you were once again near a dark alleyway. Tsukiko was smiling, and the place behind her was dark, and desolate, a place that made your skin turn cold.

You didn't realize how you were stuck staring at Tsukiko the entire time until she narrowed her eyes with an emotionless glint. She beckoned you with her fingers, and you followed her into a place that smelled of oil and trash piled together.

"It's really admirable how you kept quiet to yourself the entire time everyone ignored you like that. But..."

Her shoes clanked against the concrete floors. You wanted to open your mouth to speak, but she grabbed the side of your jaws and applied pressure on it.

"I have a question for you, (L/n)," Tsukiko whispered near your ears. Her cold minty breath brushed your skin, awakening all senses inside of you.

They all screamed one word in your head.

"Do you... like Kaibara-kun, too?"

Danger.

Tsukiko snapped her fingers.

Chains darted and wrapped you up in an instant. It came from the darkness within the alleyway.

When you raised your gaze and adjusted through the dim light, a guy stood behind Tsukiko. His face was a mess of all exhaustion and insanity bundled up in one person. Hollowed eyes, sunken cheeks, and unresponsive gaze. He looked like a puppet awaiting the orders of his master. 

"Did you really think everyone would believe you have a heroic reason to enroll in UA?" The chains rattled on as you tried to break free, but it was too firm to even make a dent in it. "We all know what kind of ploy you're doing here. You just want to be noticed by Kaibara-kun. You heard he was going to UA, and so you want to be that special person who will amaze him because you're Quirkless, and yet you still wanna be a hero! Doesn't that sound very interesting, especially for Kaibara-kun?"

From the corner of your eyes, there was someone moving in the shadows. Another person with a light blue parka and glowing eyes crouched down in the darkness. His eyes went on yours, and just by his uncanny silence, you knew he was waiting on something. But...

He wasn't here before.

"Tsukiko," you called out, not breaking eye contact with the hooded person. That hooded person tilted their head. They stayed there. Waiting. Watching you.

Tsukiko scoffed, gripping your jaw tighter. "Then you went and stirred up another situation earlier. Keiji was joking, but you took it too far because you're oh so sensitive and you want to seem like you're an amazing person who speaks out on all bad things!"

"Tsukiko." You tried again, making your voice louder.

"You even decided to show up with bandages on your body as well. Don't you feel any shame directly asking for attention like that? Going so far as to harm yourself so people can pay attention to you?"

"Tsukiko!"

She snarled, "What?!"

Silence came over. Only the sound of ink and oil dripping was heard in the alley.

Tsukiko's annoyance pierced into the air, while the hooded guy and the chains guy kept quiet.

But the quiet only made it better.

Silent laughter made Tsukiko's eyes widen, especially when she saw it was you who let out those chuckles. "What the hell is funny to you, shithead?" Forget all formalities she showed you, forget all the kindness that was in her character. Tsukiko found everything about you annoying and despicable and she's not scared to show it.

"Ahh," you mumbled, coughing out another chuckle. "I was going to tell you to run away."

Tsukiko couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of your words. "Don't you see who's the boss here? I'm the one who's controlling this piece of trash behind me. And he's the one who got you tied up. Don't you know what that means?"

You nodded vigorously, pushing your face towards her way with a smile. "Yes, of course I do. You control me now, right?"

Tsukiko leaned far away as you stared at her with an unreadable smile on your face. The sight of your steady glare only made her sweat in the dark.

This wasn't the reaction she wanted. You should be crying hysterically right now, you should be begging for her to stop. You should be telling her that you won't do anything to catch Kaibara-kun's attention anymore. So why...

Tsukiko stepped backward and hissed. "Stop smiling already! What do you find funny about this?!"

Why the hell did it feel like she was the one cornered instead?

"Oh, Tsukiko," you breathed out, before giggling again. "There was this part of me that wanted to give you mercy because you're just a kid. But the more you talked earlier, the more I lost that part inside of me."

You kneeled down with your arms tightly wrapped by strong chains, and you smiled.

"I suddenly realized what you needed the most."

A drop of ink fell onto the concrete floor.

Tsukiko's glare faltered. "R-really?" She bit her tongue for stuttering, but seeing how you kneeled right in front of her only made her heart feel satisfied. That's right, you should beg for forgiveness. You should learn your place, as someone who's always below everyone, below her, the perfect girl with the perfect achievements and looks—

"Now, how can I give the rich girl the consequences she deserves?"

Heavy tension fell on Tsukiko's shoulders.

Her heartbeat told her that something was wrong, very, very wrong about this, and it only worsened when she stared back at your wide, almost cruel eyes.

Tsukiko stepped backward. She turned her head behind her and pointed at the chains guy. "You! Do something to them already! Kill them or whatever you want, just do it and I'll pay you twice as much as I said earlier!"

He was obedient, that chains guy. 

The chains around you began to tighten— it almost trapped the air in your lungs if it weren't for the fact that he was also hesitating. Was it because of that cold smile on your face, or was it because it felt like they were dancing around your palms instead?

You gasped, feeling the chains bruise and splinter your skin. "I guess I shouldn't—" you grunted, "I shouldn't keep this any longer."

A flash of blue embers burned the chains off of you. Tsukiko flinched. You easily broke free from that. 

Then you stood, your glare darkening with a dangerous glint. "One, two, three, four..” you counted the people in the alleyway, along with the hooded guy watching. “I'm dedicating this scene to the ones who stayed in this shitshow of an event." 

Blueflames burst on your side. You held your burning arm, grin widening into a wicked smile. 

"Let's all dance in hell, shall we?"

You shot one flame right beside you, but the boxes and crates were all drenched in oil, which is why the fire erupted in a burst.

Tsukiko let out a shrill scream. It was a sign that you should stop, but you didn't; you just made the flames go higher and higher, trapping all of you into the alleyway with no way out of the inferno.

"It's hot! Get me away from here!" she cried out, curling into a ball in the center of the fire.

You laughed. "Silly Tsukiko!" Then you ducked, avoiding the chains that tried to grab onto you. "Of course it's hot! It's sulfur flames, the hottest flame that anyone can make!"

Then chains started appearing out of your arms as well.

You grinned even wider at the sight of a bewildered villain when he noticed your new Quirk. It was the same as his. "But as long as I'm here, I won't let the flames hurt you. Alright?" You shot the chains in Tsukiko's direction.

Nothing made sense to them. Even as Tsukiko screamed and thrashed around your chains that wrapped around her, she couldn't understand why everything went wrong.

Of course she couldn't. You reversed the time when they killed you, so why would they remember that?

The kind and caring Tsukiko conspiring with a villain just to put you in harm's way? The first time she did that, you were powerless as the chains sliced you into pieces. An incident like this never happened to you before, so you didn't think that it was possible.

But you had a powerful Quirk. They can't kill you just like that. And so, you rewound time just to visit the same place again. You broke a few oil boxes here and there to direct the flames and made it look like an accident, then you acted out the rest of the day normally: you followed Tsukiko to the alleyway, until finally—

"(L/n)! Tsukiko!"

You turned your head to the entrance. A blurry silhouette stood by the fire, prancing around and panting as he tried to find a way to extinguish the flame.

"Would you look at that?" you muttered loud enough for the crying Tsukiko to hear. "Kaibara-kun really is perceptive. To think that he'd find us even when we're so far away from the campus..."

You walked to where your council president curled, and stared down at her.

"Do you know how exactly he found us?"

You tightened the chains on the other villain, effectively stopping him from moving any further. The other light blue hooded person, whoever that was, had already left before you could even trap them in this place. The only ones who stayed in the alleyway were you, Tsukiko, and the villain with the chains. But none of that mattered—

The only one you wanted to traumatize was right in front of you.

"Lots of ink really do help us in times of danger, huh?" You dangled the faulty pen right in front of her face, watching how black ink dripped down to the floor with it.

Tsukiko stared at you with a wide and fearful gaze, and you couldn't stop your smile from spreading. It really was fun to see someone get what they deserved.

"People like you are always coddled by everyone in your surroundings, so you forget that all of your actions have consequences." You scoffed, wiping Tsukiko's tears with your thumb and placing ink on her face as well.

She growled and tried to bite your fingers, but you leaned away before she could.

"I could have ignored it if you just threatened me, but attempting murder? Because of a guy? How messed up could you possibly be?" You placed a hand in your pockets and fidgeted with your phone. 

"You're the messed up one here!" Tsukiko screamed. The sounds of alarms blaring and the flames only masked her words from the outside.

Then silence, if there was truly silence at that moment, came. Tsukiko was thinking.

You raised a brow when she looked at you with the same wide and amused eyes that you showed her earlier.

"Yeah, that's right. You're the messed up one here," she coughed out. It was as if what she said made sense to her, so you kept quiet. "You're the one who suddenly changed and came to school with bandages on your body. You're the one who spoke out to everyone and acted so high and mighty all of a sudden when all you did back then was be a silent pushover. You're the messed up and weird one here! And no one will believe you if you tell them about what I did, because you're nothing! You're a weirdo, a ghost freak, you're nothing compared to me!"

Tsukiko had enough air to laugh at your unreadable expression. Even as she struggled to get out of her chains, she was still someone who liked— no, loved the feeling of gaining control over others. 

"What you did...?" you muttered, coldly raising your gaze at her. "What did you try to do, Tsukiko?"

Tsukiko scoffed. "You're asking me now? You're the one here who said I attempted murder on you. I wasn't even going to do—" she coughed, the smoke slowly filling up her lungs, "— I wasn't even going to kill you. I was just going to scare you by giving your body to this useless shit behind me! But then you acted so crazy and deranged that I just had to kill you right now!"

"Of course I'll act crazy and deranged! You led me to danger, Tsukiko! You wanted me to be ripped in shreds!" you snapped.

"I only did that because you keep trying to get Kaibara-kun for yourself!"

Your glare darkened. "And you? What do you think you're doing?"

Those words were enough to shut her up at that point. Whether or not she realized what she did was wrong didn't matter. In the end, she'll still have to pay for the consequences of her actions.

Your tone held a grave, and heavy weight as you muttered, "Once the heroes save us, you're going to stay the hell away from me. Got it?"

Tsukiko gritted her teeth. She was like a caged animal baring her fangs at her owner, unaware of how you could easily tighten the chains around her if she ever dared to do anything against you.

Then you gave her one last smile.

You held up your phone and tapped on it. "I think that'll be enough acting for today. How about you and I go to the police after this and let's see what happens to you, hm?"

 “You're the messed up one here!—” The sounds of Tsukiko's recorded voice echoed from your phone.

Her eyes widened even more.

That horrified stare she gave to you, and that silent plea she uttered with her own eyes, you weren't going to listen to it. After all, she, too, didn't listen when you tried to plead for her to stop as you died.

The talk with the police was a lot easier.

You didn't have to act at that point. All you had to do was let your body feel the exhaustion of using two Quirks in just a short amount of time, tremble a bit as you show them the recording, tell them how it all happened, and then you're done.

Because Tsukiko was still a minor, they had to call her parents to decide what kind of temporary punishment she'll receive. You didn't really listen after that— all you focused on was the fact that they apprehended the villain, and that they saw, in Tsukiko's skirt, a lighter with her fingerprints on it.

She was the source of the fire, they said. She tried to burn you and the villain alive when she realized that a classmate of yours called someone for help, but your Quirk kept her inside the fire as well.

Iwao was the one who called the pro-heroes to your location. She couldn't bear the thought of being an accomplice, so she turned her back on the council president even though they were the best of friends before. 

… Is this even a middle school drama when attempted murder was involved?

You sighed, hugging your arms as you waited by the seats of the station.

They were still calling your parents, who were probably rushing just to make sure you were safe. Once they finish making that call, you'll most likely be interrogated once again just to clear up the whole story. But why...

Why did you have to wait next to Kaibara Sen by the station?

You turned to the wall, ignoring the way he glanced at you every now and then. The jacket on your shoulder became heavier when you remembered that it was from him and not yours.

"So..." you mumbled, snapping Kaibara out of his daze. "It's a good thing you know how to understand people's actions, huh?" you jested, laughing a little to clear up the tension in the air.

Except it didn't.

You cleared your throat at the awkward silence that followed. "How.. how are you?"

"How am I?" Kaibara asked, baffled by your words. "You're the one who almost died to a villain and you're asking me how am I?" If you weren't shrinking down into his jacket, you knew that Kaibara would have shouted his words already.

"I mean—" you turned to him, looking directly at his shaken eyes. "You're... you're also a part of this, so I know it's heavy on you as well."

He heard the recording loud and clear after all. 

He knew he was the reason for this... you can't even call it drama anymore. To everyone, it was a serious situation. A life was almost lost all because of a petty fight over a guy. And that guy was right here as well.

"I'm alright," Kaibara said softly. He looked at your arms, your jacket, then at your eyes, "I’m fine. I know it's also my fault since I never did anything to stop anyone from going too far on their... stuff anyway. And when I actually try to do something, nobody listens.  But that’s nothing compared to what you experienced… you know?"

"If you're trying to comfort me by invalidating yourself, then you should just shut your mouth and don't speak anymore. I don't want to hear it."

Kaibara choked at the sudden change in your formality. You looked away from him and frowned, forgetting all of your manners now.

"It's traumatizing to both of us," even though you've experienced something even more traumatizing than an obsessed middle school girl, "So if you feel bad and shit about what happened, it's fine. If you feel guilty and regret for not speaking up sooner, it's fine. But if you're letting yourself feel like that just so you could fuel your self-loathing, then I'd rather you feel no remorse to me or anyone involved at all."

A beat of silence came between the two of you. And for a moment, you hesitated.

"You can always find a way to make it up to people if you really feel guilty," you began, clutching the jacket tighter around you, and taking in the scent of sandalwood and soot.

When you took too long to continue, Kaibara asked in that soft but low voice of his, "How can I make it up to them?"

"It's simple.” You bundled yourself deeper into the jacket. "You just... talk to them in real life instead of sending those paper planes at lunchtime." Your cheeks burned, threatening to burst into specks of flames, but you tried to ignore that. "And- and train real hard. For the UA examinations. Cause you have to focus on that, too."

You expected the boy to keep the silence between the two of you. Hell, you even expected him to just call up his friends or even laugh at you for assuming things. But what you didn't expect was the stuttering that grew louder as it became clearer.

"Y-you knew?"

You couldn't help but push down all your anxieties and worries away with a gentle laugh of your own. "Of course I knew. You're not so slick when you hide in your classroom's window, you know?"

Kaibara lowered his head to his hands, sinking deeper as his cheeks became redder. "I thought for sure you didn't notice..."

"Well... I didn't notice at first. I keep seeing brown hair on the second-floor building, and since a lot of people there have brown hair, I couldn't really check if it was you or someone else. But then you suddenly came to our club's meeting right after I wrote that I wanted to meet the one whom I was talking to. Everyone kept saying you were too busy training to even go to your own club, so isn’t it weird that you came to my club so suddenly for unknown reasons? That’s when I connected the dots."

Kaibara spoke through the cracks of his fingers, "God, why are you so perceptive?" he said it as a light-hearted jab, and if it was a normal conversation, you would comment sarcastically as a reply.

But instead, you smiled softly. "I guess being perceptive is what made me safe and sound, yeah?" Those words held a lot of meanings within them. A lot of meanings that nobody, except you, would ever understand.

Kaibara looked at the ceiling and nodded. You glanced at him from the corner of your eyes. He was clutching a small paper in his hand. It was the paper that you gave to him when you were shaking his hand— it held the address of where the alleyway was located, and there was blotted ink near his palms as well.

"How did you find us?" you asked.

"I just followed the address and the ink on the floor," he answered. And that was enough to satiate your curiosity.

You didn't know what thoughts he had now, nor did you know what he thought of you at that moment, but one thing was for certain.

"Thanks."

In the time of your need, you trusted someone once again. Even when there was a small chance he knew about the situation or that he was an accomplice, and even if there was a small chance that he couldn't understand your hints— you still trusted Kaibara Sen to follow after you.

Maybe it's the longing for something different in your new life, or maybe it's the feeling of not wanting to be alone once again. But when he proved that it was right to trust him, you knew right there and then,

You're pulling away from the shackles of the past.

Chapter Text

❝ When you needed them the most, they were there.❞

You sat in a small, gray room with your hands on Kaibara’s gakuran pockets. 

The boy, who was now left wearing a plain white t-shirt and black slacks, paced back and forth outside the interrogation room.

"I hope you don't feel too stuffy in the room provided for us.” Enter Tsukauchi Naomasa, a man in his thirties, with chopped dark brown hair hidden behind a cream bucket hat. He sat across you, folded hands, and a comforting smile. "It won't take too long. I'm just here to ask a couple of questions and then you'll be free to go."

But his words didn’t do anything to rid of your attention from Kaibara’s anxious movements. He wasn’t the one being interrogated, so why was he so antsy, pacing back and forth like that? When Kaibara saw your gaze, he showed a thumbs up with a serious glint in his eyes. A silent comfort, assuming you needed one.

"I'm sure you're getting tired of this question already but I need to make sure,” the detective said, successfully grabbing your attention. “Are you alright?"

"Yep, I'm fine."

He waited for you to continue. But you stayed quiet.

"... I guess it’ll do both of us good to just be straight to the point. Do you know anything about this scheme from the people around you?"

You glanced at the detective's eyes. He held an unfathomable gaze, neither letting you see him as a threat nor was he trying to appear comforting enough for you to try and ignore him.

This was Tsukauchi Naomasa, the detective who survived two years in that dystopian world.

He exploited multiple villains during the time when the heroes were de-platformed. He was smart and cunning despite the friendliness of his smile and his soft gaze. Everyone thought he had a lie-detection Quirk that could see right through everyone's stories, but that's not the case. He was just perceptive. He was someone who can easily deduce the case given to him if given the chance to do so.

When All For One found out about that, he took advantage of it and tricked him with a messed up mind-game, leading him to his unjustified death.

This time, you'll be the one exploiting Tsukauchi Naomasa. But this time, he won't die on anyone's hands.

"I didn't actually know the whole scheme. I just overheard Tsukiko talk about going somewhere, and then I felt like something was wrong.” It's not a big deal for a teenager to trust their instincts, right?

Tsukauchi hummed and wrote something down on his notes. "I see.” He looked back at you with a slight analytical glint in his eyes. "The other student involved, Iwao Kasumi, told us that the suspect didn't tell her where she took you. So how did you know the location for you to tell Kaibara about it?"

There's the first grave question.

"I didn't hear Tsukiko talk with Iwao, but I did hear her use her phone once before club activity started," you lied, mixing it with enough truth in it.

Tsukiko did call someone before club activities started. You saw her after you rewound time. Whether she called the villain or another person unrelated to the case, you didn't know. But that didn't matter.

You weren't speaking to be fully innocent after all.

Tsukauchi nodded. "Alright. I suppose you and Kaibara had a close relationship that's why you trusted him with this, right?"

You blinked. You had a close relationship with him? Really?

"If he didn't understand your hints, then the pro-heroes that Iwao called wouldn't have easily found your location."

Tsukauchi glanced at the boy outside the room, and you followed his gaze.

The boy outside the interrogation room finally sat down. He slumped on his seat, arms rested on his knees, and brown eyes furrowed against the floor. He looked as if he had a lot of thoughts in his mind, but considering what he heard earlier, you'd be surprised if none of it bothered him.

"...yes," something about the way his gaze snapped toward yours made you speak.

Kaibara blinked his surprise away. He gave a reassuring and gentle smile, and you couldn't help but reciprocate it with yours.

"I guess you could say we're friends in some way."

Tsukauchi watched you closely as you tried hiding your nostalgic gaze. "You have a good friend, kid."

You shrugged, saying nothing. 

He looked down at his clipboard and tapped with his pen. "The police wrote in their reports that Tsukiko had been the source of the fire. She was seen carrying a lighter under the pretense of confiscating it from your clubmate, when in reality, she needed that lighter to set the alley on fire if her plan didn't work.” He took one last look at the paper. “That's how the story is going to be taken to court."

Yeah, everything was going according to your plan.

"But there's more to it, isn't there?" Tsukauchi drummed his fingers on the table. "The crates of oil were destroyed when you were fighting against the villain, but the lighter only had a simple flame. No matter how much you look at it, it can't possibly set the whole alley on blue sulfur fire, can it? No amount of oil can turn red flames into blue either."

Now rid of all gentle front, Tsukauchi raised his gaze on you.

And a chill went through your body.

Is this how the police treat children? With a freezing, chilling glare and atmosphere? Despite your thoughts, you didn't show any sign of talking or emotions on your face.

At your silence, Tsukauchi continued. "When the pro-heroes came, they said that the fire was different. Instead of a red hot flame setting the boxes on fire, they said that they saw blue flames surrounding the area." He checked through his clipboard, reading the lines on the paper. "They said that the blue flames were much hotter than a normal fire, and every breath they took made their breath and lungs constrict even more than it did with normal fire. Doesn't this description match sulfur flames? A lighter can't possibly bring that type of flame to life. Not unless there's sulfur lying around the alleyway, at least."

For a moment, you held your gaze at Tsukauchi. "You're right. The fire is not caused by the lighter."

Tsukauchi raised his head. He blinked, not expecting you to answer so quickly. But then he cleared his throat. "Do you know the source of the flames?"

"Yeah. It was me."

He wrote it down on his clipboard. "It was you, huh.." Then he stopped writing. His eyes furrowed, and he lifted a paper out of his clipboard. "But you're deemed Quirkless in your information, so it can't possibly be your Quirk, can it?"

"No, sir. It's actually my Quirk."

"A late bloomer...?" You tried to refrain from smiling since you caught the best detective off-guard.

"Truthfully, sir, the results of my Quirk Assessment years ago showed that I had one joint in my pinky toe. But no matter how much we tried, we couldn't find out what my Quirk was. So they had to write me down as Quirkless for the time being."

Tsukauchi couldn't help but sweatdrop at the sudden polite tone you had. Loosening his shoulders a bit, he offered an understanding hum and smiled at you. "Then that means you're a dual Quirk wielder. Flames and chains, correct?"

That question was the one to make you pause. Tsukauchi noticed, of course he does. He should.

You looked down at your palms and frowned. "Yes... It was my first time using it. At that moment, I just wanted to keep everyone in my line of sight until the pro-heroes arrived. And I think I awakened both of my Quirks at the same time because of that."

You noted the way Tsukauchi wrote so quietly with his pen. You kept in mind the way he glanced at your hand from time to time. And lastly, you tried your best to remember the things you're telling to him right now.

Because everything right here will be useful once you're in UA High soon.

A grueling silence came after.

Tsukauchi placed his clipboard upside down. He stood up on his seat, showing you a smile when you looked at him curiously. "I think that should be enough for now. You just discovered two of your Quirks and used them. I'm sure you're feeling the drawbacks in some way, so we can end this for today."

The drawbacks of your Quirks were basically nonexistent to someone like you. But of course, you didn't say that out loud.

You remembered seeing the board when you received your new Quirk.

3. [Quirk: Chains of Nostalgia]

[Description: The past carries every emotion in our heart. From fear to anger, happiness to sadness, disgust to amusement, etc. They're called Nostalgia, and they chain you down when you're reminiscing your past.

You can summon chains from any part of your body, allowing for a long-ranged item or capture weapon. The stronger you feel the nostalgia, the mightier your chains will be.

*Too much nostalgia can make you unstable.]

As someone who had been at the edge of death and nostalgic memories all the time, the drawback wasn't that serious for you.

But you can't stop the sigh that came out at the description. Were you meant to find Quirks that can possibly ruin your sanity and mentality? First, the rewind Quirk with death as its trigger; next, the Blueflame with emotions as its fuel; and now, you need to remember and be nostalgic for your chains to be stronger?

You didn't know how you were still sane. Maybe you're not anymore, but it's still shocking to realize, at least.

"Oh, that's right," Tsukauchi spoke once again while he was leading you back to where Kaibara was.

You turned to him, aware from your peripheral vision how Kaibara immediately walked to your side once he saw you out of the interrogation room.

"Are there more questions for me..?" you faltered. You didn't know if you'll be able to speak properly when Kaibara was right next to you, listening to your every word.

Tsukauchi simply chuckled. "No, there's none right now. I was just going to remind you that you have a good friend with you."

His gaze went onto Kaibara, who flinched at the sudden attention.

The detective showed a gentle and genuine smile. "Take care of them, alright?"

Kaibara went still and silent. His hand was stuck trying to point to himself, as if he wasn't sure if the detective was talking to him specifically.

You tugged on his white t-shirt, and when he looked at you— you smiled at him so warmly.

"Don't worry, Tsukauchi-san," you said, brushing off the way Kaibara tensed beside you. "Kaibara-kun always takes care of me whenever it's needed." Even if today was the first time you interacted in real life, you didn't say that part, of course.

A hand plopped down on your hair, ruffling it in a way you wanted to lean on the touch. But Tsukauchi's chuckle snapped you out of that temporary comfort. "It's good to see you making friends this time," he said with a small grin.

A muffled but annoying ringtone rang by the detective's coat.

"Ah, sorry about that. Please excuse me."

You furrowed your brows, squinting at the detective who had to take his hand away from your head to check his phone. Was it just you, or was he acting... a bit too close to you? The more you squinted at the detective, the more you felt as if you were missing something.

"What.. did you guys talk about?" You stopped squinting at the busy detective when Kaibara spoke up. "I mean— it's obviously about the incident, I know about that. But you said that I always took ca—..." he trailed off, uncomfortable warmth pulling up onto his cheeks.

You stared, almost a little weirded out. What's wrong with him? You knew Kaibara was a blunt and straightforward person, but how come he was getting tongue-tied in front of you all of a sudden? 

Ah, wait. He’s different from you, you realized. Of course he’d be shaken after such a traumatizing experience. He’s fifteen!

Kaibara pressed a hand on his forehead, breathing out a frustrated grunt. “Sorry, I don’t know where I was going with that question. What I meant was—”

"Am I wrong though?"

He whipped his gaze once those words left your mouth. “What?”

"I mean, am I wrong to think that you're my friend?" Kaibara's eyes became wider at your words. “Normallt, friends take care of each other, and we've been exchanging letters far too often lately so aren’t we technically friends?”

For a split second, Kaibara stared at you, mouth slightly parted and eyes wide. 

There was a weird silence between you two. Weird enough for you to feel embarrassed. "A-am I doing it wrong? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Friends..." Kaibara seemed to trip over the word. “That’s..”

At his stutter, your mind suddenly ran rampant. "Wa-wait— don’t tell me I just talked so fast about being friends when that’s not what you wanted to ask…” Your heart dropped, and so did your body when you bowed 45 degrees to him. “I'm sorry I interrupted you!" 

"No, it's okay!” Kaibara said. His hand reached to your shoulder that still wore his gakuran, but he retracted it, as if he was electrified. “You... understood correctly what I wanted to say.”

You raised yourself, asking for silent reassurance that you heard him correctly.

Kaibara looked away, and he rubbed his neck. "I was going to ask why you said we're friends, since I thought you didn't like me that much…"

The more you stared at the boy, the more you noticed the intricate details of his expression. His ears became the same color as his rose-tinted cheeks, and he tried not to glance at you too much, because like he said, he 'thought you didn't like him that much'. 

For a split second you just stared at him, somehow feeling impressed and completely confused at how the boy can look so adorable before you.

"You should be careful about your expression, Kaibara-kun," you said in hopes of lightening the mood. "If you show such a cute reaction, how am I going to stop myself from doting on you in the future?"

Kaibara seemed a little awkward around you, but he turned even more rigid when you said that with a grin. He opened his mouth, gaping a bit, awkwardly pausing. And when he decided to speak something—

"Where's my child?!"

Both of you flinched at the sudden shout that came past the entrance of the police station.

"Honey, please don't make a scene—!"

When you turned, there stood the figure of a woman who burst into the glass door. Right behind her came a taller man coaxing her to calm down, but his words fell on deaf ears. The woman was set on turning her head everywhere to look for a certain someone.

"Ah.." You couldn't help but avert your eyes when the woman spotted you. It didn't stop you from seeing the way her eyes widened in your peripheral vision.

Your parents were finally here.

Your mother ran across the room, dropped to her knees, and pulled you into a bruising hug. "Oh my god, you're safe, you're safe!"

She kept on muttering things you couldn't hear, her head dipping to rest on your shoulders. Seeing her so worried about you like this hurt your heart.

"Yes mom, I'm safe..." you reassured, wrapping your arms around her torso. "I'm safe."

To say that your parents were worried was an understatement.

What was supposed to be a 20-minute drive to the station turned into a few minutes that you can count easily with both of your hands combined. How could your parents stay and get dragged by traffic when their child had been moments away from danger? Hearing your name and the words 'villain attack' was enough to send them scuttling out of their house, closing their ears at the police who tried explaining the situation on the phone.

Your mother pulled away from the hug. She still wore a business outfit, her usual stoic eyes became tearful, but her physique seemed so natural and beautiful even from afar.

"Nothing painful happened to you, right?" she asked as she touched your cheek. Her eyes were red from choked tears, her hair uncombed. She looked exhausted.

You leaned on her touch and nodded instead of speaking.

Your mother buried her head on your neck once again. Her body trembled a bit while she held herself back from crying.

It's been years since your mother showed such emotion right in front of you. She had always been the emotionless and blunt type, only displaying a strong front for you to look up to.

And you hated that about her.

She was the perfect, hardworking mother that everyone praised. She's punctual, breathtaking, and she never lets herself do any mistake when she's right in front of you.

But in doing so, she never let herself be vulnerable. 

You were just a kid back then. Kids like you wanted to be praised and acknowledged by their parents, to feel loved and cared for. You dreamed of her acknowledging your achievements; her doting on you, but she never did. She just kept on working, and working, and she'll only look at you at dinner time when she needed you to pass something to her.

You hated her for that, and for the longest time, you thought she hated you, too.

But when the world turned into chaos, your mother was the first one to pull you out of danger.

She had always been emotionless, blunt, and she only showed you her strong front. But even when your mother had never been great at showing her emotions, she still cared for you in her own way.

When she told you to leave her in a collapsing building, you realized right there that she'd always been putting you first before anyone else.

But you were sad, and you were hurting, and she was your mother. You were safe in your mother’s arms. You never wanted to leave her side at that time, and you wanted to believe she could make everything all right again if she just let you stay.

But this was your mother's gradual efforts. The reason you even felt safe with her was because she always took care of you before herself. So hearing her desperate, and angry shout for you to go away—

Who were you to ruin your mother's efforts of loving you?

You thought you hated her, but it turns out you just didn't know anything about her. 

The day you lost your mother, you vomited red into the dirt. You remembered your trembling arms and the way you coughed and coughed until you were only forcing wet heaves out of your chest. You thought about what your mother would think if she saw you in that state. You were shaking and gasping and coughing up more and more. You thought, if mom was here, would she wait for you to compose yourself?

It's only when each cough started to come out with your mother's name did you realize that you were crying.

You never want to experience that pain ever again.

After allowing herself a few moments to examine your face, your mother breathed deeply and steadied herself. Like always. She pulled away from you and asked, "How long had they been treating you like that?"

"...Like what?"

Her eyebrows narrowed. "Are they bullying you? You know if they are, you should have told someone— you should have told us before anything dangerous happened to you."

The firm smile on your face faltered. "They weren't physical though. That's why I didn't tell anyone."

Your mother stopped. The normally stoic mother of yours stopped and froze in her spot. Her eyes were wide open as if what you said was insane.

"What do you mean?" her grip tightened, appalled.

"I don't know," you said, your throat constricting. You can't stop speaking now. All the unsaid words, and all the unsaid concerns you had in your old life— you need to say it here. "Bullying is when others leave a mark on one's body.. right? I'm fine. I was fine, until today." You don't want to regret speaking up too late again.

Your mother leaned back. "That's... dear, no. No. That's not how it works."

She couldn't stop her gaze from trembling.

"That's not how it works," she repeated, as if her words would wake her up from the realization that her child, whom she raised so dutifully, was being bullied. "Did they hurt you? It doesn't have to be physical. Did they hurt you, did they make you cry, did they make you feel lonely?"

Your mother suddenly looked sad, and tired, and defeated. When you were in that future, your mother was so strong and so safe to be around in. She could find a way to escape the monsters and soothe away nightmares to protect you and your dad from anything. She could make everything better. But then the world changed and the monsters got to her. 

You knew that it wasn't possible for your mother to protect you from everything, but it seemed she didn’t even want to accept that. Hearing her child was hurting when she didn't know about it must have hurt her far more than you thought it would.

"Yes," so you confessed. "Yes. I was hurt, mom. I didn't understand why they would do that… I just wanted to be with them-... I just wanted to be normal."

A light, worried hand brushed your back and you wanted to sob. But the tears in your eyes dried out after years and years of crying. You can't cry anymore.

"What else did they do?" your mother softly asked.

You know you're being clingy to your mother who didn't appreciate such physical contacts, but you couldn't help it. Her voice was so soft. So warm. So welcoming, you unconsciously grabbed onto her like how you always did in the future. 

And just like the future her, your mother immediately wrapped you in her arms.

"I felt so lonely. I didn't have anyone there, and it hurts. They would isolate me if I didn't become what they wanted and it happens- it happens everyday. I didn't like how it felt to be lonely, so I had to fall into what they wanted me to do. I always had to be what they wanted me to be or else I didn't belong there." You didn't care anymore if this was the old mother who didn't like physical contact. You just wanted to be there, in her arms again. You just wanted to be comforted by your mother once more.

I'm sorry for being clingy. I'm sorry for letting your child be hurt by other people. I'm sorry for not realizing that you loved me.

Instead of apologies, what came out was a stutter from you. "I, I don't know what I should be feeling, mom. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to fit in, I didn't..."

Your mom held your head to her chest without any other words. You couldn't see her expression nor her reaction, but you knew, whatever it was, she would want you to feel like she's not shaken up. You knew how much your mother wanted to appear strong right in front of you.

And you'll let her be strong for you once again.

"It's alright if you feel upset," she hushed you, gentle fingers trailing at the back of your head. "You don't have to hide anything anymore. I'll always believe you, okay? I'll always choose your side." She planted a kiss on the crown of your head.

And under this reassurance, because your mother had always been there, and has never lied to you, you finally feel more of that lump in your throat. Something inside of you that you held back for years and years wanted to crack open right down the middle. It wished to rush out, to relieve itself of the pressure from keeping it still.

But no tears came out. No sobbing, no screaming. It was just a burn in your throat, forever unshed. 

You melted into her arms. "I know, mom." You knew she will always choose you, even until the end. "Thank you."

Your mother held you tightly in response, rubbing a soothing comfort on your back.

Your father, who apologized to the police about their sudden intrusion, rushed to your mother's side. He placed a hand on her shoulder and faced you. "Hey kiddo, you're not badly hurt or injured, are you?"

Seeing them worrying over you, with your mother finally holding you tightly in her arms— you couldn't help but swallow down the lump that formed in your throat. "No.. The heroes went there early, so I'm okay."

Your father didn't need to say anything more. He just showed you his usual smile, silently telling you that everything was okay.

And it was.

It was difficult to convince your mother to let you stay in your school.

After all, why would they let you stay in that place after you almost died from a girl studying there? And also your confession— she could never forget your confession about your bullying, even when she tried not to bring it up to you.

But of course, you told them that it was okay. That you have Kaibara with you now, and that you only have a few more months before you become a high schooler at a different school anyway.

Your father was on your side. He told her to trust you, and with his puppy dog eyes that your mother can't seem to win against, she agreed and let you stay.

That's why here you stood in front of your school after a few days of excused absences.

You breathed in the scent of the cold air and grinned. "It feels so surreal to be walking right next to you, Kaibara-kun."

Kaibara stood beside you. His hands clutched his backpack in a lousy way, but there were no signs of laziness in his sharp brown eyes. It's just how he usually stood. "I told you to call me Sen, didn't I? Besides—"

The students, who whispered and stared at you, all started to flinch when Kaibara's icy glare went directly on them.

"It's only natural I'll be near you now after what happened. Who knows what they'll do if I even turn my back on you."

You chuckled and exasperatedly shook your head. "Still, I can't believe you begged the principal to put me in the same class as you. I would have been fine in my own class."

"We don't know about that. It's better to be safe than let things go under the radar, you know." Kaibara placed a hand on your head, patting. "Also— I didn't beg. I just asked them nicely and gave a reasonable excuse, so they had to agree."

You leaned on his touch, liking the way his hands were warm on your head. A smirk crawled on your lips, "Nah, I think I heard it clearly from Mrs. Kaibara. She said you were too eager to go to our school and when you talked to the principal, you made a commotion and—"

Kaibara pushed your head down. "Alright, I'll stop you right there." His ears were steaming from how hot his cheeks burned.

You laughed, shoving his hand away from your head. "Seriously, I told you to be careful with your reactions. Stop being so adorable."

When you raised your gaze, you were met by unamused, but flustered ones from Kaibara himself. "Pfft-!" You slapped a hand on your mouth.

"And I told you to call me Sen, but you don't do it." He looked away. "Let's just go. It's better to be early than late in our first class together."

No matter how hard Kaibara tried to hide his emotions from you, you could still hear it from his tone, and even the smile on his face. He's not the type to cower in fear of having people see his emotions, but when it came to you— who can easily read him even if he's stuttering or being quiet— Kaibara always had to stop himself from pulling you towards him and just spoiling you with tons of pats that you liked.

For the first time, the blunt and belligerent Kaibara Sen became hesitant to do the things he wanted to do.

"Ohh, is this the first day jitters I see from Mr. Popular? I see, I see— but wait a sec. The second semester is going to be over soon, so that can't be it. Instead..." You plopped a fist on your open palm and beamed. "You're super nervous and excited because I'm in your class from now on! Am I right or am I right?"

...But you always seemed to know how to take advantage of his shyness around you.

You let out a hearty laugh when Kaibara didn't say anything in response. It was fun to tease the boy, especially when he became so tight-lipped around you— he was so different from his personality around other people, and it really didn't fail to amuse you when he reacts this way to you, and only you.

Your laughter died down when Kaibara poked your cheek. "What? You like touching me, or something?" you teased him even more, but you faltered when you were met by a similar but soft smirk from the boy.

"If I say yes, would you let me hug you?"

Your mouth went agape.

This time, it was Kaibara who chuckled deviously at your reaction. He poked more of your cheek. "Yes, I'm very excited to be in the same class as you, you nailed that down right off the bat. How amazing of you." He flashed you a lazy smirk, but only one thought came to your mind.

He was fucking hot.

This wasn't fair. How can a guy come across as flirty and handsome without even trying his best, huh?

Kaibara dropped his hand to his side and motioned with his head. "Now come on so I can take the seat next to you. Who knows if I can keep my sadness at bay if we end up being far away from each other."

Even when it was his cue to go, Kaibara stood still on his spot. He was basking in the way you struggled to say your words out loud. Then his eyes widened. "Oya? What's this?" He tilted his head, his half-lidded eyes glinting with mischief that you unconsciously took a step back. "Don't tell me.. are you... blushing-?"

You pushed a hand on his face and shouted, "Personal space!"

"Ack!" The boy held onto your bandaged wrist, stopping himself from falling down.

"You're too close, so please shut up!"

He took your hand off of his face, chuckling. "I'm not even stepping near you."

He, in fact, was quite respectful about your personal space. Even if he prodded your cheek and patted your head from time to time, he never failed to give you your personal space.

The way he pointed it out only made you die from the warmth on your face. "W-well! I decided I'm going to have a personal space of 5 feet away from now on!"

Kaibara's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"I'm going now. I'll see you later in class!"

"Wait!"

You ran away with a rigid posture and steps in your wake.

Kaibara held a hand still in the air, a futile attempt of calling you to stop.

But when the situation clicked on him, he couldn't help but smile at your reaction. "You started this whole thing though," he said, laughing to himself and slinging his backpack properly.

He followed after you, finally having his first revenge on your teasing.

『••✎••』

How can you ignore that stare?

Well, even if you did proceed with ignoring him, Kaibara still chucked a folded paper to your table discreetly. He was asking multiple questions about the lesson even though you knew he was a smart kid who didn't need to pay attention to class just to get good grades. But, well... you still played along. It's obvious he wanted to talk to you but he couldn't because the teacher would get mad at you two.

You had to stop yourself from smiling every time he passed a note to you though. He was almost caught when he accidentally threw the paper right before the teacher turned around to ask him a question. But of course, this was Kaibara Sen. He's good at smooth talking his way out of trouble.

It was now lunchtime. You were waiting for Kaibara to come back to class.

He was dragged unwillingly by his friend group, whom you didn't like that much, but he told you he was just going to buy some food and that he'll come back soon. You let him be, only giving him a small nod and a wave.

As you ate your food alone, you ended up writing in your notebook to pass by time quicker.

Thoughts about money, the tuition fee at UA High, and a possible part-time job were all written down in an instant. It's just a backup plan if you wanted to find an apartment near UA, and if you weren't accepted in the Heroics Course, but you know you won't have to go extreme in your backup plans. You can reverse time after all, duh.

"Whoa, I just came back and you already wrote a novel?"

You looked up from your scribbles at the sound of a familiar voice.

Surprisingly, Kaibara wasn't flanked by his usual friends today. He was alone, carrying a paper box of cheesy fries and a soda in his other hand. Also another surprise, he wasn't accompanied by Momoto's friend group. You wondered how he escaped her, considering that Momoto always followed Kaibara wherever he goes.

"I'm not writing a novel," you said.

"Then what do you call this mess?" He gestured to your table. It was cluttered with papers you'd torn from your notebook, crumbled and discarded around the table. You almost couldn't see the untouched onigiri and your unopened lunchbox right beside them.

Kaibara sat backward on the seat in front of you, placing his food and drink on your table. He uncrumpled one of the papers. "Are you doing the math assignment or something?"

"No," you said, closing your notebook and resigning yourself to the conversation. "I'm calculating my school expenses. Trying to brainstorm the fastest way to pay for the General Studies Class, if ever I don't pass the Entrance Exams, seeing what I have to cut back and so on."

"That sounds like something your parents should do," Kaibara said. He was already helping himself to some of his cheesy fries. "Why are you calculating your finances at such a young age?"

You chuckled. You can hear a hint of suspicion and worry in his low voice, and even if it was endearing, you didn't like how he misunderstood your parents. "I think you're misunderstanding something. I'm doing this out of my own volition, and not because my parents are giving me all the responsibilities at a young age." You didn't want to rely on your parents all the time, after all. 

"Oh, did I misunderstand it?'" Kaibara said, without a care in the world. He leaned his head into his hand, with his elbow propped on the seat's backrest. "I guess I did. Sometimes, I remember you taking all the senior's responsibilities a few months ago. And you do it without even asking for anyone's help, too."

An air of silence suddenly hung over the table. 

Halfway through chewing, Kaibara looked at you and perked a brow. "What?"

"..What do you mean?"

He deadpanned. "Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about." His hand extended to you, and what you thought was a head pat ended up becoming a flick to your forehead.

You flinched, trying your best to glare at Kaibara who continued talking.

"Everyone in our batch knows about that incident where a kid passed out in the middle of the ceremonial event because they've been carrying all the senior's responsibilities for weeks."

Your eyes widened. The stinging pain in your forehead disappeared instantly. "Wait— what do you mean everyone in our batch?"

"I mean everyone in our batch. Literally everyone."

You couldn't help but let out a huff in disbelief. "No way that's true. I thought only a few people knew about it, not everyone."

"Oh, so you do admit you're that kid I was talking about," Kaibara said coolly, a small smile on his face.

You glared at him. “Wa-ow, very clever. Want a gold medal for that deduction skills?” 

“Maybe.” Kaibara smiled wider, gazing at you. “Do you have one for me?”

“No. How did you even find out about that situation? That was just a secret between my classmate— my old classmate— and the nurse.” Well, you can't really say you didn't expect it if they spread that story and laughed at your misery.

Kaibara's finger gently traced the rim of his drink. "Honestly, a lot of people think you're quite a hard-headed person."

"And I don't really mind them thinking that way." You looked down at your notebook, scratching a number and replacing it with another. "I also agree I'm more hard-headed than anyone I can think of."

Kaibara paused. He stared at you, blinking a few times. "Wow. You can easily admit that?"

"Do I seem like the prideful type who can't admit my weaknesses?"

"Yeah, actually, you definitely seem like that."

You threw a crumpled paper at him. "You could have hesitated a bit before answering that, you know."

He dodged easily, chuckling at your annoyance. He turned his gaze away from you, looking out at the window while eating his fries that had gotten soggy from the cheese. You were stuck between wanting to stare at his serene and handsome face or continuing your work, but you realized how weird that first option was, so you forced yourself to look down and scribble more numbers on your paper.

"I wonder if I should apply to more schools…" you muttered, breaking the peaceful silence between the two of you.

"Why? Aren’t you going to UA already?” he said, as if failing wasn’t even a possibility. Well, to you who can time travel, it wasn’t.

“I mean, maybe for flexing reasons? Like what if I’m accepted in different prestigious schools but I went with the best hero school in the end. That sounds pretty cool.” 

Kaibara chuckled. “If you can handle the paperwork, then go ahead.“ Then he gazed at you and frowned. "Aren't you going to eat your onigiri?"

"Do you want it?" You continued doodling, noticing how Kaibara unwrapped the onigiri on your table. "You can eat it instead. I'm not yet hungry anyway so I don't mind."

"Not hungry, you say?" Gentle taps came onto your head, and when you looked up, you leaned away as an onigiri was shoved right in front of your face. "Now, open your mouth."

You couldn't help but look at him with wide eyes.

Kaibara's lips formed a tender line. It was neither a smile nor a frown, but the softness it held was enough to stop your mind from going haywire at that moment. He perked a brow, tilting his head at your reaction. "I didn't see you eat your lunchbox just yet, so you should eat this as an appetizer first."

You didn't know what was the deal with his fangirls back then, only thinking that he was a good-looking guy, nothing more, nothing less.

But now you're sure: Kaibara Sen was handsome from the depths of his sharp gaze to the gentle expressions of his actions.

You nodded instead, not trusting your voice as you feel embarrassed by your own thoughts. He smiled nonetheless, watching you bite the onigiri and then looking down on your paper.

If he noticed the sudden warm temperature around you, Kaibara didn't point it out. He just fed you in silence, gazing out of the window while you do your best to distract yourself with your writing.

"I think you can pass the Entrance Examination," he said, after a long minute of silence. "After all, you protected yourself all alone when you were attacked by that villain."

You couldn't help but smile, although it was more of an exasperated one rather than a flattered smile. "I only went unscathed because of you though. If you didn't understand my hints, and if you didn't tell the pro-heroes my location, I would have probably came out with more injuries and wounds on my body."

You also died the first time that happened, so you doubt you handled it well.

Kaibara hummed. He placed the onigiri wrappings on your table, looking down at it with a thoughtful gaze. "I guess you're right about that as well."

You stared at him, amused. "Wow, you're not going to compliment me more, are you? That hurts my feelings a lot."

Even though your voice held a light-hearted tone with it, Kaibara looked back at your eyes with a serious gaze. "I'm not going to compliment you this time. It's true you would have been hurt if I didn't understand your hints."

"Ouch. You're so straightforward about the truth.." But you chuckled, agreeing nonetheless.

"That's why you should train with me so you can handle things properly when you're by yourself as well."

"Sure, I don't really have anything to do once I finish club—" You darted your eyes to Kaibara. "Wait, by training, do you mean.."

"Training. The whole kicking some ass thing, and enhancing our Quirks, you know— training." By the time he finished his words, Kaibara's usual lazy eyes brightened. It was as if you were seeing a kid waiting to open his gifts from Santa Claus. "I've been wanting to ask you to train with me back then, but I never really got the chance to since you were pretty busy and all."

"No, I wasn't that busy…" you said, glancing at him for a bit too long. "I was doing my best to avoid you so we didn't get the chance to talk."

Kaibara deadpanned. "You didn't have to say that so honestly, you know." 

He sighed, drinking from his soda, while you placed your pen down thoughtfully. "So... the reason you began sending paper planes to me is because.., you wanted to train with me, with someone whom you haven't met yet?"

With someone who was called Quirkless in the school.

Kaibara placed his soda on his knee. He didn't mind the way the moisture soaked his slacks, since his attention was focused on you instead. "You're making it sound like I befriended you only because I wanted something out of you," he said with a frown.

"Well, I mean, we don't really have anything in common aside from UA, right...?" Still, it didn't make sense. The whole paper plane situation happened back then as well, during the time when you didn't try to enroll in UA and when you were still known as a Quirkless outcast.

If Kaibara was the source of those paper planes even in the past, then what was the reason he chose to talk to you specifically?

Kaibara's frown deepened— it looked almost like he was pouting instead. "What do you mean nothing in common?"

And for the briefest second, a flash of bitterness, almost anger, seemed to pass over his face. But he looked away before you could examine it more.

"I thought you looked lonely."

His words snapped you into reality once more, and you watched as he scratched his cheek, uncomfortable, "And... I was lonely as well." Then he turned to stare at you, his eyes softening when he met yours, "So I thought we were the same."

Your eyes widened.

Ah. So that's what it was.

None of you noticed the way the class flowed with students. Both of you only realized it when Kaibara was asked by your classmate to go back to his seat, since he was sitting at your classmate's seat.

You watched the brown-haired boy get surrounded by his friends when he returned to his seat, you willed yourself to say something, in response to his words. Anything.

But the sight of him being far from you felt as if a barrier jammed its way into your throat— you could do nothing except close your mouth and swallow the words in your throat.

The bell rang. It was time for class.

"Let's go for some ramen," Kaibara said all of a sudden.

You stopped wiping the board clean, turning to the boy with a confused tilt. "What? Why so suddenly?"

He was leaning on his broom, lazily looking around the classroom to see if there was anything to clean. It was supposed to be you and a couple of your classmates who were assigned cleaning duty for today, but Kaibara decided to help out. He said he needed to walk you home anyway. He kept bringing up the promise he made to your mother and how he didn't like breaking promises, but to everyone around you, it only sounded like an excuse to stay beside you.

Of course, his classmates began teasing him— but it would take a year for them to make Kaibara Sen flustered. They gave up halfway when he only responded with an unamused raised brow and pushed a broom in his direction.

Kaibara leaned his cheeks on the back of his hand, with a broom supporting his entire weight. "I overheard from someone earlier that there's a good ramen shop nearby. Let's try it out, it'll be my treat."

"Alright... Who am I to say no to free food?" You turned back around, continuing to wipe the board. "You sure it tastes good though? Don't want you to waste any food when you end up not liking it."

"Nah, my friends tried it out before and they said it's their go-to when exams are near. Those jerks are picky when it comes to food, you know."

"Nope, I didn't know, but thanks for telling anyway."

Kaibara watched you place the dry-eraser board on the table. "You got chalk soot on your fingers," he pointed out.

You looked down at it with a frown. "Of course I do. I just finished erasing the board with chalk on it, so thanks, Mr. Obvious."

"Wow, 'Mr. Obvious'? You're sarcastic to me now?" Kaibara clutched his chest, faking a hurt expression on his face. "I thought you would be way more mature than that."

You stared at him, unamused. "Do you know what other immature stuffs I can do, Mr. Obvious?"

Kaibara smirked at your reaction. "What?"

"I can give you dry skin."

He didn't understand your words. But when you rushed to him with your dusty palms, Kaibara's eyes widened.

Kaibara fended himself with the broom. "Wait! No! I'm just joking!"

You laughed maniacally, trying your best to touch his cheeks with the chalk dust still on your palms. But the boy was good at dodging your attacks, since he was able to get out of every place you tried to corner him. "Come on, a pretty boy will still be a pretty boy even if he gets dry skin!" 

You tried to clamp your hand on his face, but Kaibara ducked his head before you could.

" 'Pretty boy"?" he asked, baffled. Then he pushed the broom near your neck, effectively stopping you from your chase from him. You could easily place your hand on him and rub the chalk dust on his face right now, but you paused when Kaibara looked at you directly in your eyes.

"You think I'm pretty?"

You flinched. Your hand faltered, but you couldn't look away from the amused and bright stare that Kaibara gave you. "... Did I say that?"

He lowered his guard, smiling at you charmingly. "Yes you did. What do you mean by that?"

His question was met by a peeved and revolted glare from you. "Stop fishing for compliments and finish cleaning up already."

Kaibara laughed as you pushed him away to go to the teacher's table and wipe your dusty palms on it. "I'm not fishing for compliments," he said, following after you. "If I wanted compliments to feed my ego then I would have a big head already just from my friends alone."

You only gave him a side glance, noticing how he wasn't even trying to hide his amused smile and chuckles from you.

"(L/n)! Kaibara! You two good already?" One of your classmates waved by the door. They all finished setting their cleaning materials down, and Kaibara flinched at that.

"Oh, yeah! We're done as well," Kaibara called out. He was about to walk and put the broom away, but a devilish thought came to your mind.

"Kaibara-kun."

"Hm?" The boy turned around, flashing you a confused but small smile.

You couldn't stop the grin that grew on your face. "I think you're handsome as hell."

Kaibara's cool and confident smile broke, replaced with a light blush and a look of astonishment. Maybe that's why you said what you said at that time. You wanted to see Kaibara lose his cool for a moment. You didn't like it when someone tried to make you flustered and predictable.

You turned away, grabbing your bag and chuckling at the silence you received from the boy. "You should put that broom away now. You still have to treat me to ramen, you know?"

Even when Kaibara stiffened and did as he was told, he didn't seem to get over by what you bluntly told him.

That's when you realized that, yes, while the boy is used to being admired and confessed to by others, he wasn't entirely used to people who directly say it to his face.

It was fun to watch him fumble with the classroom's key.

"Yo, ikemen—"

"Don't call me that," Kaibara said when you two walked out of the gates.

You only laughed at his burning cheeks. "Why not? That nickname totally suits your face. The ikemen of Takayama Middle School, Kaibara Sen-kun!" You exaggerated your hand motions, making the boy cover his face with his hands. "I would definitely ask for pictures when he becomes a hero."

Then you let out a long gasp.

"What is it now?" Kaibara asked, exasperated already.

You tugged on his gakuran's sleeve and grinned. "You're going to surpass Hawks' in popularity!"

Kaibara sighed at you. "I'm not." But he didn't do anything to brush off your touch.

You laughed even more at his reaction. What the hell, why was he so easy to tease? "Why not? You got good looks, you're athletic, you even have a good Quirk as well."

Kaibara pursed his lips and looked away. "Hawks became a hero at a young age," he said the most obvious answer. "He's popular because he's charismatic and he saved a lot of people even though he was still a teenager by then. While me, I haven't done anything drastic just yet."

He even let someone get bullied near his vicinity, is what his bitter expression told you.

Kaibara glanced at you, noticing how you went silent at his words. "But that doesn't mean I won't try." He held your wrist softly, stopping you from walking further. You then realized that you were trying to walk into a red light, but Kaibara didn't berate you for it.

Instead, he took his hand away from yours and smiled. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to do something cool in the future as well. Like saving someone in need of saving."

As you stared at his serene smile, an image flashed into your mind.

A boy with shaggy and dirty brown hair, his gray windbreaker filled with dirt and blood. He was surrounded by other heroes his age, helping you evacuate alongside others. But even through the bruises and wounds, he still pushed and cut through the falling debris in front of you.

He wasn't someone too popular. He never had the chance to be. But the more your memories cleared, the more you remembered his name.

"Spiral," you said.

Kaibara blinked. "Huh?"

He only became more confused when a nostalgic and soft smile decorated your face. "It's a good hero name for you, don't you think so?"

"Oh." His eyes widened, then he showed you a grin and he pointed at himself. "You had the same thought as I did! The name 'Spiral' is really cool, isn't it? I thought of it since I had a Quirk that rotated, like a fast spiral!"

The excitement radiating off of the usually lazy aura he had was intoxicating. You couldn't stop yourself from stepping near him, reaching out, and patting his rosy cheeks with a smile.

"It really sounds cool," you said, the sunset only making his skin warmer. "And you know what's even cooler, Kaibara-kun?"

He swallowed thickly, but even when you were too close to him, he didn't take a step back. "What..?"

"Heroes. Heroes are cool, right?"

There was a brief silence as he processed your words. He blinked, staring right back at you as you kept your hand near his cheek. "Oh." 

You burst out laughing when you saw his body physically deflate, which made him straighten up fast. "I-I mean, yeah. I agree!" He rubbed his neck, looking away from you and moving away from your touch. "Heroes are indeed cool."

"You don't need to be disappointed. There's a reason why I think heroes are cool, but I'm sure you know that already." The streetlights turned green. It was your cue to continue walking, so you stepped away from him, the space between you becoming more obvious after you did. “Why do you think heroes are cool?”

Kaibara let you tug him as you crossed the streets. "Because they're great at fighting? Saving people?"

"Yep. They know when someone is in need of saving, that's why they're cool." You glanced at the boy, smiling at him with the most genuine smile that you could muster. "Wanna know a secret, Kaibara-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I got saved by a lot of heroes." You bumped his shoulder, smiling at him and whispering, "Spiral, he's one of them as well."

Kaibara paused from walking.

There was no hero named Spiral as of yet. That hero will save you and a couple of people in the future, but no one knows that.

No one knows except you.

"You're right, I did feel very lonely," you said. You stopped walking as well, watching how Kaibara slowly processed your words. "But the paper planes really helped me a lot. Your letters were my best companion in my loneliness, and I'm glad you noticed how we're both lonely, Sen."

He could interpret your words differently. No, he's definitely interpreting your words differently right now. But is that such a bad thing? It was the truth either way- Spiral saved you once when you were running amok, trying to find a place to hide. And Kaibara, both in your past life and this lifetime, helped you overcome the loneliness you felt.

In a way, what he was thinking is correct. Spiral, Kaibara Sen, saved you more than once. He just didn't understand how.

But he will know it soon in the future.

"Oh! You still gotta buy me some ramen, okay?" You broke the silence, nudging the boy's shin with your foot and grinning. "I can't have you backing down from that just because I owe you something."

Kaibara's thoughtful expression changed. Whatever thoughts he had, he pushed it all away. He smiled at you. "You don't owe me anything. Also, of course I'm gonna pay for your ramen. I offered, didn't I?"

You pursed your lips, before shrugging. "Alright. I just wanted to remind you just in case you want to back down."

Kaibara chuckled. His eyes held a soft and unfathomable gaze, while you went and talked about the random things you could point out.

Chapter Text

❝ Sometimes, a small bit of the truth is hidden in the texts. ❞

You dislike exercises.

No, dislike is a mild word to explain it. You abhor exercises; you loathe the feeling of moving around.

If you were given the chance to drink poison that makes you die slowly versus waking up early to exercise, you'd rather choose the poison.

Poison would make you lie down in bed and be sick until you die, but if you exercised, you would have to continue moving every single day so that your body adjusts to the new routine you've started.

Basically, poison was quick while exercise needed to be consistent. 

You had to admit, despite being starved and injured at every moment, you were in good shape back then. When you had humans who chased after you at every waking moment, of course you’ll end up pushing yourself to your limit.

But that was your future body. Right now, you were unhealthy. You were a hermit during this year, and you rarely did taxing activities. 

Until now.

You flipped on your back, tightly closing your eyes and placing an arm over your forehead. A silhouette loomed over you, with a gentle familiar voice shouting at you about something. But—

"Give me... five minutes..." you huffed, your heavy breathing was the only thing you could hear right now. "I can't handle... this.. at the moment—" You felt something crawl out of your mouth. "Oh god. I think I'm going to throw up."

The moment you said those words, the silhouette pushed you to the side. Instead of laying on your back, you were now laying on your left side. "I- I think we should take a break for now. I'll go get you some water."

You didn't need to look for you to know it was Kaibara who ran to get you some water.

Ah, were you wondering what's happening? Well, it's pretty simple to explain.

You were training with Kaibara Sen.

You had a realization a few days after the ramen situation with him. 

After class, the boy was looking for his notes. Turns out he ended up placing it in the building opposite your classroom's building. And he needed those notes ASAP, since it carried his slip for UA in it.

Kaibara was about to run around the school to look for it, but a couple of teachers were looking for his help since he offered a hand in cleaning duties for his extensive training. At that moment, he had to choose: his promise to his teachers, or his promising future and his papers?

It was a tough situation for him, so you helped him out.

It took Kaibara a whole lot of convincing because (A), he said you were still resting after the whole Tsukiko situation, and (B), your middle school has a lot of fucking stairs. If you even try to run around without knowing where to go, you'll only end up losing your breath.

Spoiler alert: you did lose your breath and you wanted to end your life right when you came back to Kaibara's side. Oh, you also had his notes on your hand, but you were dying out of exhaustion to focus on that anyway.

Seeing yourself so tired after a non-adrenaline run, you had to ask Kaibara, "Is your offer of being my partner still valid?"

You didn't have the energy to correct your words. Kaibara misunderstood it and kept saying he didn't give you an offer about that— was he blushing as well, or was he just out of breath from trying to explain things to you? Well, you shut him up by saying you needed to train, and your words dawned upon him when you said that.

If you knew he was thinking of another interpretation to your words, you would have teased him more about it. But alas, you had no stamina to do that.

You have another goal aside from wanting to improve your body now: if you have a lot of stamina, you'll have more chances of teasing Kaibara even when you're tired.

That fired you up the whole training session, and you didn't even realize how exhausted you were until you fell down onto the grass, cold sweat turning warmer by the second and dark spots dancing around your eyesight.

"You know," you began, directing it at the silhouette that approached you. "If I wasn't exhausted, I would have kicked you in the ass already."

Kaibara chuckled at your words. He pulled you to sit up, giving you a water bottle. "That's why I told you to start slow and steady. Seriously... you're going to overwork yourself if you started heavy training so suddenly."

You huffed, opening the bottle and drinking the fresh and cool water with rigor. Before you knew it, you popped a refreshed sigh. Has water tasted this good before? To think that you've ignored such a blessing back then... you didn't understand how you spent your sheltered days drinking only three glasses of water every day.

Then again, you also couldn't believe you survived drinking through puddles and rainwater back in that dystopian future. So maybe that's just how bodies worked.

You stretched, lifting your hands up and feeling your joints pop. "I'm so damn glad to be alive!" you shouted with a grin.

Maybe the whole 'exercise and your mental health will improve' quote was actually true. You've never felt so refreshed in your entire life up until now.

Kaibara tensed at your sudden loud voice, though he couldn't help but chuckle when you grabbed another bottle and drank from it thirstily. "Careful, you might end up drowning if you keep that up.” 

A satisfied sound came out of you. "Ah~, that feels so freakin' good after a long day of sparring." You scrutinized the bottle in your hand, squinting your eyes at its every angle. "Do you think the taste of water becomes better depending on its brand?"

"No, you're just thirsty after being active for the first time."

"What? What makes you think I wasn't active before?"

"You were struggling to stand up earlier after we did our warm-ups."

Your cheeks turned warm. "That- that's because I was still sleepy! You woke me up too fast!"

Kaibara's brow furrowed. "I didn't wake you up. Your mother did. I even told you in advance that I'll fetch you at your house around 8 in the morning." Then he stopped, you can almost see the gears in his head turning and clicking.

Which was bad for you.

"Don't tell me..." he began, his words caused you to tense up. "Did you—"

You clamped a hand on his shoulders and pointed. "Look! There's an ice cream vendor right there! You like ice cream, don't you?" It was a terrible way of changing the topic, you admit, but you didn't have enough breath to start rambling about another subject so this was fine.

But the unamused stare that Kaibara gave to you showed that it was definitely not fine.

"You."

"I'm sorry," you immediately answered.

Kaibara's eyes twitched. "I haven't even said anything—..." He stared deeply at the way you avoided his gaze. The fact that you didn't even try to defend yourself meant that you gave up on making excuses for yourself.

It also meant that his deduction was right.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved an exasperated sigh. "What time did you sleep last night?" he asked the dreaded question.

You could lie right now. In fact, you know you'd be able to lie properly. You've done it multiple times. But—...

"... I slept up until three in the morning..." You admitted with regret.

Kaibara watched how you downed another water bottle to ignore the stare he was giving you. You can’t lie to someone who will believe you wholeheartedly.

"You really need to start taking care of yourself properly. You're going to suffer more if you continue that kind of sleep schedule," Kaibara said.

You couldn't see his expression since you closed your eyes and bathed in the sunlight, but you definitely felt him stare at you with a disapproving gaze. "Yes, I know that. But a habit is a habit and to break out of it, I need to make gradual efforts."

It's a deep-rooted habit as well. You were used to staying up late for patrols and making sure you were safe in your old environment so you can't seem to fall asleep early now. It's something that might take a long time to grow out of, you realized.

"So you knew," he said, inching closer to you. "Outside activities and trainings should also be a gradual effort. Seriously, when will you start taking care of yourself properly?"

"I do take care of myself, FYI." You huffed in pride, smirking to yourself. "I indulge in my desires, and it just so happens that I wanted to read until it was morning."

You flinched when an ominous air came beside you. "You were reading until morning?"

It wasn't just your eyes that told you about Kaibara's glare. No, it was your instinct telling you that you were in trouble. "I- well, isn't that a normal thing to do...?"

Kaibara's eyes went wide, horrified at your words. Uh oh. It seems that wasn't the right answer to say to him. "Normal?! You think it's normal to read at night time and up until it's morning?"

"...Yes?"

"You serious right now?" He pinched your cheek. Painfully.

"Ow-! Yo!” You leaned away, protecting your cheek in horror. “I don’t like pain, so don’t you dare do that again!”

Still, he huffed. "I didn’t even pinch you that painfully.. Did I?” The boy tilted his head. He was trying to observe and see if he did pinch you hard. “Ah, take your hand off of your face. I’m trying to see if I hurt it.” 

“No,” you scooted far from him. “Stay 5 meters away from me.” 

“What’s with you and your 5-meter measurement?” Kaibara sighed. He raised his hand half into the air. “Let me see, I promise I won’t pinch you again.” 

You crossed both of your arms in front of your face, hiding it even more from him. “What kind of promise is that? Is that going to be a forever-duration promise? I’ll only accept your words if you promise you won’t pinch me forever.”

Silence followed after your words. For a while, you thought you annoyed him so much he didn’t reply anymore, but when you glanced past your forearms, you saw Kaibara staring at you intensely. You raised a brow as a silent question, until you realized he wasn't looking at your eyes. No. 

He was staring at the bandaged arms that you protectively placed in front of your face.

“So? The promise?” You casually lowered your arms, crossing them to hide them from his view.

Kaibara’s gaze snapped back up at yours. "Do you want some painkillers?" he asked, a little too relaxed you were almost fooled.

You wanted to say yes. Maybe if you said yes, you wouldn't have to see the stare of his that blamed himself at your bandages. But you knew that your indirect comfort would be of no use.

"Can you bring me bandages instead?" you said with a voice so soft it almost surprised you. "It's in the pocket at the corner of my duffle bag."

Kaibara wordlessly nodded. He rummaged around your bag, while you focused on his movements.

It wasn't difficult to read someone like Kaibara, who often wore his emotions in his gaze. There was always a lazy look in his eyes, and his lips would frown into a line that almost looked like a grimace. But if you get past that main feature of his, you can read everything he's thinking just by the way he looks at you.

And the boy often looked at you with guilt in his eyes.

Your eyes met Kaibara's, and for a moment, he let you hold that stare. 

That was where you should've looked away, that was the scenario where you should've pretended you didn't notice a thing in his gaze, and that was the scenario where you should've waited for Kaibara to tell his feelings to you on his own.

"You're thinking that you should have befriended me sooner than later, aren't you?" But you couldn't stop the words that came out of your mouth.

Kaibara's hand froze midway from handing you the rolled bandages. You took it from his hold, brushing your fingers with his warm skin and looking down at your arm.

"I don't want you to think that way," you admitted. The bandages on your arms were sticky and soggy from all the training, but you turned away from Kaibara's gaze. You didn't want him to see an unpleasant sight; you didn't want him to blame himself and misunderstand again. "You're not the reason for these scars after all, so I don't see why you should torture yourself with feeling guilty over something that will and would have happened even if you interfered or not."

In the first timeline, you didn't have these scars. It accumulated only after you've lost track of your death and you used your body as a tally mark. The scars were a change that only you understood.

But to other people like Kaibara, it was a sudden change. A change that looked as if it was done impulsively; a change that looked as if it was influenced by your environment. And Kaibara? He believes he's someone who did nothing to change that environment.

“It shouldn’t have happened either way,” his voice was so quiet you almost didn’t hear him. 

“But it did, and it will happen even if you did something or not.” 

You couldn’t remember ever seeing Kaibara angry before. The atmosphere just surged up unexpectedly— broad and vulnerable, raw as a burn. “I just- I don’t understand why—,” he said too loudly, but he stopped when he noticed his tone. 

You glanced at him, brow furrowed in confusion. “Why what?”

Kaibara was silent for a while. “I just don’t understand why that happened. All because of… something so simple..”

"Feelings aren’t simple,” you said, huffing. “If it was, then world peace wouldn’t be so difficult to achieve.” 

“That’s- that’s  not what I meant,” he said, not knowing what else to say. 

“You did all you could do to help me, so don't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault in the first place." You faced him with a frown. He shouldn’t blame himself for the bandages that you yourself inflicted. It wasn’t and never will be his fault. "Okay?"

The silence continued on. You saved him the pressure of being vulnerable by turning away and unwrapping your bandages again. 

You couldn’t see what face Kaibara was making, but whatever it was, he covered it up with a bitter chuckle. "You're the one who experienced most of the unfortunate things, and yet you're the one comforting me."

Blinking, you stopped. "What?"

The sound of someone standing up made you look behind your shoulder, but before you could say anything else, "No, it's nothing. Let's have a 15-minutes break."

Kaibara faced away from you and stretched. Then his eyes seemed to linger somewhere, despite noticing your penetrating and obvious gaze. "You know what? I don't think we had lunch just yet. I'll just buy us something and then let's rest."

Before you could say anything, there he was,  walking far away from you without a pause in his steps.

You pursed your lips, watching how he went to a food stall nearby.

His words from earlier... Did he think you were comforting him? Well, you actually were, but you tried your best to sound nonchalant enough. He should have felt offended by your tone, but..

Did he feel burdened by your words instead?

You let out a sigh. Gosh, teenagers and their sense of justice. They always have to think that they can change everything in the world, and if they didn't, then they'll believe it's their fault… 

As you slowly finished wrapping the new bandages on your wrist, Kaibara came back with a plastic bag in his hand. "I didn't know what you wanted so I bought all types of onigiri," he said. The aura around him seemed to change. You didn’t know what else he did except buy foods, but whatever it was, it definitely cleared his conscience.

Kaibara sat down, placing the plastic bag between the two of you. "What do you want to eat?"

Without turning to him, "I don't mind tuna and okaka onigiri."

The sound of rummaging through the bag echoed beside you, then two onigiri were held into your line of sight.

You stared at it for a while. You felt the urge to just open your mouth and eat it even if there was a wrapping. "How long have we been training again?"

Kaibara folded one of his fingers and began counting. "Uh.. Four hours, I think..?"

The small grumbling of your stomach went unnoticed by the boy, but that doesn't mean that you didn't notice it. In fact, it only bothered you now when you saw that tasty-looking onigiri that Kaibara offered to you.

But you looked back down at your bandages. You still haven't finished tying it up though. With a sigh, you motioned with your head and said, "You can leave it in the bag for now. I'll eat it later."

While you struggled to make a knot with just one hand, Kaibara stared at you with with a frown. "Do you need help?"

You turned to him, blinking a couple of times. You've done your bandages alone most of the time, so it's not that difficult to tie it. But the more your eyes connected with Kaibara, the more you realized how antsy he was when he watched you tie your knot messily— but what can you do? You're using one hand to tie something, and that's entirely difficult by your own standards.

You hummed a long hum. And then an even more exaggerated hum by closing your eyes.

Kaibara deadpanned, but he didn't say anything.

After that exaggerated humming of yours, you showed him a smile and offered your arm. "Don't tie it too tight though. It'll be difficult for me to move around if you tied it too tightly."

Kaibara huffed. "I know. I won't even think of doing that to you."

He faced you, his touch gently hovering over your bandages as he focused on the small knot he was making. The sight of him pursing his lips and putting all his attention on your bandages made you smile wider.

The temperature outside had been too cold, but it didn't affect yours and Kaibara's bodies whenever you started training. You can bear through the cold with your Blueflames Quirk, and Kaibara was the type of person who moved all the time whenever he can. His activeness has caused him to be warm from head to toe, and you can clearly see how he sweated the more you watched him from above.

Before you knew it, you already reached a hand to brush the sweat off of his cheeks.

Kaibara jolted. His wide eyes darted up at you in surprise.

You instantly drew your hand away. "Oh! Sorry, sorry." You raised it in surrender. "I was just brushing off some dirt on your face. Sorry for touching without permission."

Even though you were smiling calmly, your burning cheeks stated otherwise. What's wrong with you today, acting all so close to someone all of a sudden? You averted your flustered gaze away from the boy. 

"It-,” Kaibara cleared his unusually dry throat, “It's fine. I don't really mind," he said nonchalantly.

The silence continued on, but you couldn't focus on anything except the fast beating of your embarrassed heart, screaming ‘why would you do that why would you do that you dumbass’ as every second passed.

"And... It's done," Kaibara said, dropping your arm gently. There was a pink tint on his cheeks since it was still cold outside, so he pressed the back of his hand on his mouth and looked away. "I'll just grab some more drinks for us, yeah?"

This time, before he could stand up and leave, you tugged him back down to sit next to you. "We already have water," you said, noticing Kaibara tense up when his shoulders bumped yours. "Let's just rest together instead! Your training regime is so damn exhausting. How do you even get the energy to move after that?"

Kaibara shifted in his seat. He kept his gaze forward. “If you’re in my position, you wouldn’t have a choice,” he mumbled. Good thing you still heard it.

“What does that even mean? Are you saying you have enough competitive blood in your veins so you can’t sit still for a bit?”

He turned, staring at you with a silent expression. “So that’s how you think.” He looked away. “Good for you.” 

“What does that mean now?” you sputtered. “Hey. You’ve been underestimating me since earlier—”

“When did I do that?” he interrupted, almost offended.

“—But just because you had been training for years doesn’t mean you can relax now!” You jabbed a finger to his cheek, and he did nothing to swat it away. He just stared at you in confusion. “I’m informing you now, but my instincts are golden. Give me a challenge and you’ll see the extent of my sparring skill.”

“Yes, okay.” Kaibara took your hand and placed your onigiri there. “Just eat first and then rest so we can see that sparring skill of yours.”

You glared at him playfully, then unwrapped your onigiri. "You idiot," you grumbled, biting into your onigiri in annoyance. In just a second, you swallowed the last of your onigiri, baffling Kaibara even more at how fast you ate that. "Listen here, ikemen."

"I told you not to call me that," he muttered to himself, but he couldn’t hide his growing smile at your sudden urge to banter.

"The fact that you're underestimating me means that you're weak. That's the only explanation I can think of." 

And then you said something so stupid that it made Kaibara pause and re-evaluate his thoughts.

He stared, unblinking and almost stunned, until a vein popped on his forehead. "That doesn't even make any sense!"

In just a few seconds, you already finished your second onigiri and you folded the plastic wrapper on your palms. "It makes sense to me, so you can't argue with my logic."

You stood up, brushing any dirt away from your body. Then you offered a bandaged hand, with Kaibara gazing at it in silence.

"Come on, let's rest for a while then fight. Or are you actually scared that I can beat someone amazing like you?"

A harsh and chilling breeze passed by the field. You stood under the sun that shone bright, with your hand held out, waiting for Kaibara to respond to your words.

If he can't accept your comfort earlier about your scars, then this was the only way he could accept it: through a challenge. And a little bit of joking.

Kaibara clasped his hand onto yours. "You shouls give me something to be scared of,” he said with his signature charming smirk.

"Oh, you haven't seen all of what I can do, ikemen-kun." You pulled him up, smiling at the fiery look on his face.

Kaibara might have not noticed the change in the air, but you did. And you preferred this confident energy rather than his self-loathing earlier.

You were dead.

Well, not literally dead. But you do feel like dying today to rewind time because you did something terribly stupid.

You stood in front of a cashier, typing out your number into the phone that they lent to you. It rang a couple of times.

You waited. And waited, and waited, and waited—

Until a click resounded.

"Ah! You picked it up!" You held the phone with both of your hands and pressed it to your ears. "Please, hello? Can you hear me? If you can, can you please say something?"

You didn't know how to feel as the silence dragged on. The sounds of a train screeching beyond the phone made your anxiety worsen, but when the person finally released a tired breath—,

"[Hello?]"

Whoever it was that answered the call, he had a deep voice, one that stunned you and one that was so very easy on the ears.

"[... are you there?]"

You had to slap a hand on your cheeks to stop yourself from daydreaming because of their voice. "Yes—! I mean, yes I'm here," you softened your tone. "I'm sorry, but are you carrying a black, school duffle bag? I think our bags got swapped somewhere."

The reason why you were 'dead' was because you misplaced your bag somewhere and now it's missing. If it was placed in your school or in the fields where you trained with Kaibara, you wouldn't have panicked like you did earlier.

But you didn't go anywhere near those places. It's Saturday. You didn't have school, and you certainly didn't have training with Kaibara who had to help out with his house chores for today. What's even worse was that: you were also helping out with your chores for the day.

Sure, it's easy to do normal chores for you, but your father has been fired up lately after the whole Tsukiko incident. He wanted to cook and bake for you the entire time you rested in your house. If it weren't for the fact that you had to plead for him to let you go out, you wouldn't even have any chores to do.

Which brought you here, doing your.. supposed chores, which is just basically you taking some presents and ingredients from your grandmother in Itabashi City.

The one-hour train ride from Tokyo to Itabashi was quite fun. You spent it by writing a story your notebook. But when you left the train station and tried to find your wallet in your bag, you realized:

You switched your bag with someone else's on the train.

As someone who wasn't that dumb, you left some money on your pockets and paid the nearby convenience store cashier to let you use their phone— which brought us to where you were, right now.

"I didn't take anything from your bag, I can guarantee you," you said after a minute of silence. "But do you think we can meet somewhere right now? My bag has some very important items there and I don't want to get in trouble if I lost it.." Moreover, you hoped this handsome-voiced person wouldn't steal the ingredients in your bag 'cause (1) That is foul, and (2) You don't want to kill yourself and rewind the day again. You already did it when you accidentally fell into the river and had a huge cut on your legs.

"[Yes, I do have your bag with me. Even your phone as well.]" The person beyond the call snapped you out of your thoughts. "[Can you meet me somewhere in Omiya Park? I'm still on the train right now, and I'll be dropping off there.]"

Omiya Park...

Where the hell is that?

You're just some hermit who never traveled beyond Shinjuku and Itabashi City, and the rest of the places you visited were places you didn’t know the name of nor did you care enough to know. In your defense, who even cares about street names when every street you go to is always filled with danger?

Despite your thoughts, you hummed to the person's words, "Okay I'll meet you right there. I think it'll take me at least 20 or more minutes to get there. Can you wait for me..?"

"[Sure. I'll see you later.]"

Just as you were about to ask what they looked like, the phone call ended. You stared at the ground rid of all expressions.

How the fuck were you going to find someone specifically in a park? It's daytime as well. Whoever this was, you felt like you were getting scammed.

"Uh, you done using my phone or what?"

You turned your head to the cashier. He wasn't even trying to hide his annoyance from you. "Oh- yes, here you go." You placed a few yen into his hand and his phone on the other. "Do you know how to go to Omiya Park from here?"

The cashier didn't spare you a glance. "Take the Saikyo lines and wait until you reach the end of the station. Omiya is at the end of it, then just go and ask for directions when you're there."

You bowed your head slightly and smiled. "Thank you for the help again!"

You ran out of the convenience store and began counting your spare money.

After half an hour of riding the station and getting aboard a bus, you finally reached the park.

What you expected to be a park filled with a hustling and bustling crowd, it was the contrary. 

Everything was quiet. The cherry blossoms were the palest of pink, as it was winter, and the park only had three or four people and they were all scattered around different cherry blossom trees.

You braced yourself for the shock of seeing a beautiful environment again—unchanged and peaceful— but what you didn’t expect was the sudden ache in your chest. Longing and nostalgia. You missed it, desperately.

Your shelter was surrounded by beautiful cherry blossom trees once too, and overgrown vines and bushes. But after one incident, you had to burn it down. All in order for you to live.

It was a time when you lost your hopes and desires to live. As you watched the flames rage, sending billows of black smoke into the sky, burning down the last of all beauty in that terrible world—

"Excuse me." You jolted, head whipping to where the voice came. "Is this yours?"

Your gaze met a pair of indigo eyes, coming off as a perfect, half-lidded stare that pulled you into a serene silence. There was a softness to his appearance, a kind of warmth hidden underneath the striking yet tired stare of his. His words flew right past your ears and your mind.

You blinked once. "Huh?" 

His distinct hairstyle was the same shade as his indigo eyes, sprawled out and unruly. He was, you had to admit, handsome. Not in the common standards of people around you, and definitely not near Kaibara's, but in your own standards instead.

His eyebrows twitched, annoyance brewing in his mesmerizing eyes. Only then did you notice how he was holding out a bag to you.

Your eyes widened. "Oh! That's mine!"

You took the messenger bag off of his hand,  rummaged through it and counted your things. You even checked your wallet to see if he took anything from it. And when nothing seemed amiss, you let out a relieved sigh that even your father could hear from his place.

"Thank you so much for keeping this safe. I don't know what will happen to me if anything was missing..."

"It's nothing," the handsome stranger said with his equally attractive low voice. You couldn't say anything except gape at him. "How long are you going to keep my belongings though?"

"Oh— sorry, sorry. I'm just a bit distracted," you laughed to mask away your flustered voice. Then you offered him his bag, to which he accepted gently. 

He looked at you. "Thank you."

You smiled politely. "You’re welcome."

The indigo-haired boy looked at you weirdly. His brows furrowed, as if he was thinking something, and in his silence did you realize: you need to get out of this social situation.

The stranger didn't seem to like socializing as well, but it was such a shame. His voice calmed you down when you were reminiscing earlier, and it's saddening how you wouldn't have to hear it ever again.

But that's how life works. You meet people once, some will stay, while some will be gone the next day. Overall, meeting him was still an experience that you were glad to have (you may never know, maybe you'll hear another person with a handsome voice in the future once again.)

Bowing once more, you prepared to say your goodbye.

"(L/n) (Y/n), right?" But you stopped when your name rolled off of his tongue naturally.

Gods above, does this guy have an ASMR account somewhere? Even just him counting sheeps would be good for you. He had such a mature and deep voice that you couldn't even stop yourself from daydreaming.

You tilted your head at him. "Yeah, that's me. How did you know my name?"

"It's written in one of your notebooks." He reached a hand to his neck, rubbing it awkwardly. "I didn't mean to look into your notes. I thought it was mine at first, but then the penmanship was different, and it was pretty late when I finally realized that it wasn't actually mine."

You mentally clutched your heart as he rambled on. That was the longest sentence you heard from him, and you secretly wanted more. But on the outside, you nonchalantly said, "Yeah, I had the same realization as well when I was trying to find my phone."

He hummed, glancing away from you. How the hell are you going to answer to that?

"Well- um, how about you? Can I ask your name?"

"Oh," he perked up, as if he realized something. "It's only right for me to say my name since I know yours." He offered a hand, nodding at you once again. "Shinso Hitoshi."

You clasped your hand on his, shaking it and smiling widely. "Well, Shinso-san, thank you once again." Where did you hear that name again...? You let go of his hand, noticing the way his eyes gazed past you. "I'll have to go now though, since I still need to travel back in Tokyo and catch the train there."

Shinso simply nodded. His eyes darted back to yours and he said, "Alright, thank you too for keeping my things... safe." He hadn't checked just yet, but the way he didn't regard you meant that he trusted you didn't do anything to his bag. Or maybe he just didn't care about you.

You wanted to cry. If he didn't care about you, a stranger whom he doesn't know at all, then it definitely hurt your feelings. (Hanging out with Kaibara seemed to make you even more dramatic, huh?)

Disregarding all your thoughts, you bowed your head and turned around to leave.

But a hiss came through your ears.

You stopped in your tracks, staring down at a blob of brown with white spots, and a tail that stiffened up at the sight of you. Then—

"Watch out!"

It pounced on your face.

"Ow! What the fuck!"

The cat clawed on your nose, digging its other claws on your cheeks. You had to use all of your strength to get it off of your face, but even then, the feral cat continued hissing and clawing at you.

What the hell did you do to this cat?! You were already sad after being unconsciously rejected by a stranger, but now you were also getting a taste of anger from a cat?!

You felt a heavy hand place itself on your shoulder, and after a few seconds of crying out and struggling, the cat had finally been separated from your face.

You stumbled down onto the floor. You backed away fast and stared at the cat with horror filled eyes.

Shinso held the cat by its nape, extending his arm far away. The cat continued to claw into air. Angry. At what, you don't know!

You watched him, with your burning and bleeding face, walk away from you to throw the cat outside of the park's border.

You tried to touch your cheek, but you flinched when a searing pain came over your wounds. Then your eyes darted to where Shinso was coaxing the cat to go away, and you couldn't help but want to tear up.

"...Am I really that ugly?"

If only you had proper tear ducts, you would have cried already at this unexpected turn of events.

Shinso soon came towards you. He slowed down when he saw you examining your bleeding face in your phone, and for a moment, a guilty expression came over his face.

"Hey... are you okay?"

He grimaced at his question. The sight of you having cuts all over your face was enough proof that you weren't, in fact, okay. But of course, he's a normal and nice human being. You understood the sentiment of asking first.

You sighed. "It's fine, I just need to disinfect it then I'll be okay.."

Maybe it's time to die. Nothing seemed to be going right for you. You also hated the pain that cat had brought you, so it's only right for you to rewind before all of this happened.

"Can you stand?" But Shinso snapped you out of your decision once again. You stared at his held out hand, and your silence only made him continue. "Let's go to a pharmacy. I'll buy you medicine to disinfect it and band-aids as well."

Your eyes widened, and you shook your head. "No, no! It's okay! I can buy it on my own, so you don't need to worry!" If you weren't feeling dramatic enough to sulk over the pain, you would have been flustered at his offer. 

"I insist," Shinso said without taking his hand away. "It's my payment as well since I made you travel far here."

You glanced at his outstretched hand, then back at his determined yet nonchalant expression.

...maybe this day isn't gonna be so bad after all.

Nodding as an answer, you took his hand in yours and he pulled you up on your feet.

The walk to the pharmacy was an awkward one.

People stared at your face in shock. Some were confused, while some just ignored you— you didn't know which of them was the worse reaction, but one thing was for certain: all of them irked you off. You knew you didn't have a handsome face like Kaibara nor did you have a memorable face like Shinso over here, but did that cat really have to scratch it to remind you about that fact?

Shinso didn't speak the entire time you walked with him, and you understood why. Even you wouldn't know what to say to someone who had their face scratched off by a fucking cat.

You crouched by the side of the shop, watching how the vehicles passed by you in a blur. It didn't take long before the sound of bell chiming snapped you out of your thoughts.

Shinso's unruly indigo hair came through your sight, and you stood up immediately.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," you said, guilt etching itself on your face. "I could have brought these with my own money."

But Shinso simply motioned with his head, "Follow me," then he walked away with the medicines and band-aids in his hands.

The wind briefly touched your face, and it almost made you want to hiss in pain, but you bit your lips and just followed Shinso to a bench.

He placed all the items down the wooden bench and you sat beside him. "You should apply this first before putting the band-aids. It'll help with cleaning your wounds to prevent it from being infected."

You took the ointment off of his hand, staring at it with furrowed eyes. Well, guess you have to start applying medicine to your wounds once again. Nothing different from your past, but it was definitely unwelcomed.

You sighed a long one. You opened the ointment from its box and ignored the way Shinso stared. You thought only your body will have its cuts and wounds, but apparently you'll also have band-aids on your face. Great. This is all thanks to that cat whom you didn't even do anything wrong!

"Did I... step on its tail or something?" you asked the quiet boy, positioning your phone's front camera to show your face.

Shinso leaned on the bench. His eyes traced over your flinching form. "Nah, it was pretty far away from you actually."

"Then why the hell did it scratch me." A deep scowl came over your expression. Your words carried off a vulgar tone too.

"I... I honestly don't know. Maybe you angered it along the way?"

You immediately shook your head. "No. That's impossible. I was distracted the whole time I was travelling." Your lips formed into a straight line. "I almost ran into a truck earlier by how distracted I was, and I don't ever remember seeing that cat anywhere near me."

Shinso could do nothing but stare at you in confusion. "...How can you admit that so easily?"

Instead of saying any response, you just continued tapping your wounds with the ointment on your fingers.

This was one of what you hated the most: applying medicine to your wounds. After realizing how you can just rewind time by dying, you prefer temporary death than a consistent pain of healing wounds and injuries. If only this guy wasn't right next to you and talked you into coming with him, then you would have already burned yourself alive.

The sound of someone sighing came through your ears, and before you knew it, a hand took the ointment from your hold.

"Here, let me," Shinso's voice almost sent you flying out of the bench. But you sat stiffly, watching how he placed a few drops on his delicate fingers and reached out to you.

He stopped before making contact with your skin, and when your eyes met his, he silently asked for permission to touch you.

You turned your head forward and waited.

The cold sensation of the ointment shocked you at first, but Shinso's gentle touch soothed you. It was almost like he's used to doing these things. He knew how to press on the wounds without giving you more heavy pain. It still hurts to have the cuts be touched like that, but he did it better than you could have ever done, that's why you kept your mouth shut and let him do this instead.

"I read your story," he said, breaking the awkward silence in the air. Then he paused as he realized his words. "When I was checking your name. I didn't mean to pry on anything like that."

Your eyes went towards him, and seeing his indigo gaze focus deeply on your jaw, you just had to look away once again. "It's fine, I don't really mind it," you reassured him. "What story do you mean though?"

"Time travel." Your breath hitched. "About someone who needs to die so they could travel back in time."

You knew that story very well.

If Shinso noticed your sudden tension, he brushed it off. "The synopsis was pretty… intriguing when I saw it. I didn't expect I'll be so interested the entire time I was reading it though." Then his stare flickered over yours. "Do you plan on publishing it?"

It was only when he finished speaking did you realize he stopped applying the ointment on your face. "I don't know. It's just a story that I thought of at that moment, so I'm not... quite sure if it's really intriguing or thought-provoking."

This was supposed to be the story you'll pass on your Journalism club, but you realized how dumb of a move that was, so you had to stop yourself from posting it anywhere.

Of course, most will think that it's just a creative fiction and nothing more than just words in a screen. But the smart people, like All For One? If they get a hold of that story, you would have already been dead once they connected the similarities of that story's Japan to today's Japan.

Shinso continued smearing the ointment on your cuts. "Well, I don't really read fiction that much. I don't have the attention span to do so, but-," his fingers stopped at the edge of your jaw. His eyes met yours, and once again, your breath was taken away by this guy's piercing stare. "I enjoyed reading the story."

Then he pulled away, taking a few band-aids and peeling it. But you were still stuck on your position. Wide eyed staring at him, mouth agape, and a warm hue on your cheeks.

You just.. received a compliment from someone. From a handsome guy. About your writing.

For the very first time, you couldn't handle the burning sensation on your face.

Shinso flinched when he looked back at you. His eyes darted worriedly at your stiff body. "Are- are you okay...?"

"No," you admitted, feeling dizzy from the warmth of your face. "I don't- I don't think I'm okay after what you said, Shinso-san. Right now, my mind is telling me that you're a very amazing person, and I'm really, truly, grateful for your compliment."

Shinso's eyes widened. Again, he asked you after a stunned silence, "How can you admit that so easily..?"

You wanted to cover your face, but you knew you'll only feel more pain if you touched your wounds, so you sighed. "If I'm not at least honest about one thing, I would be even more flustered by now."

Shinso blinked. Your response only raised more questions in his head.

"...what else did you think about it?" you asked sheepishly. You didn't like probing others for responses about your writing, but this guy- this stranger, he read something that you won't let anyone else read. It's fine to ask him just this once, right? It's not like you'll ever see him again, right?

He hummed in thought, placing one purple band-aid on your cheek. "I thought it was a... what's the word... tragic power at first. Having to die at their own hands just to use their power. People won't know about their sacrifices, and they won't even be able to tell anyone about it." His nimble fingers peeled another band-aid.

"Why do you think they won't be able to tell anyone about their powers?" you asked.

Shinso looked at you. He searched through your eyes to see if you were testing him. "Well... because if they did, no one would believe them. And if someone did believe their words, they'll think it's a gruesome power and.." His gaze went downwards, and for a moment, you saw a faraway look in his eyes. "They'll be terrified about what they could do with that power. Other people will think about what the main character have done to them before rewinding the time, and they'll... lose trust, along the way."

You absorbed all of his words. You absorbed every detail as he spoke; the way he said 'terrified' through gritted teeth, the way his usual half-lidded gaze narrowed, and the way his words sounded familiar to you— you noticed it all.

Shinso took your silence in a different way. "Sorry," he dropped his hand to his knee, "You probably didn't want to make your story so... cynical."

"What? Why are you saying sorry?" You tilted your head. "Stories are meant to be interpreted by the reader. The author can only show what they want to show, but the reader often reads it differently than what was written. That's the beauty of literature, you know? You don't have to say sorry about that."

Shinso raised his gaze, furrowing it in confusion. "Then... am I correct? Will the main character.. terrify people around them? Will they turn cynical and lose hope in the future?"

You stared back, before grabbing a band-aid and peeling it yourself. "Hm, who knows? I think I'd like to keep an air of a cliffhanger for you."

Shinso watched how you tried to place a band-aid over your cheek but you missed, making him touch your wrist and take over. "You can't even give me a hint?" he huffed with a light-hearted tone in his voice. He placed the band-aid gently on your wound. Compared to you who was a bumbling mess, Shinso was much more organized at placing band-aids on your face, so you let him do so.

"Well..." You closed your eyes in thought. A memory flashed in your mind. Then you opened your eyes, smiling briefly at the boy. "Maybe I can say this to you, Shinso Hitoshi."

It was the Sports Festival, an event that everyone looked forward to.

"It's going to be a tough path for the main character, I'm sure you noticed that already. But I'd like you to think about the character's personality. When you read the first few chapters, and when you saw how their mind worked, what do you think is their personality?"

You peered towards Shinso, whose eyes held unfathomable emotions within them.

"Do you think the distrust from their people will stop them from achieving their dreams? Do you think it'll make them revengeful enough to abandon their goals and desires?"

"... What exactly are their goals and desires?"

"Let's just say, they want to be a hero." There was a brief widening in his eyes, but when you blinked, it was gone. "Let's say that they're willing to sacrifice themselves just for the sake of saving everyone in the future. They'll do it even at the cost of their life and pain, and now, do you think they'll let those negative opinions from others sway them out of their goals?"

Shinso kept his silence.

You probed further, "What do you think? As a reader, and as someone who knows what's going on inside the main character's mind, what do you think they'll do?"

It took a long while before he answered, "He'll ignore it and prove them wrong."

You smiled. "Dedication is difficult to have, Shinso-san. But the future isn't just a straight line for anyone in the world. The people who will disapprove of their power, and the people who won't trust them— they're not the only people we will meet, you know? Sooner or later, the main character will meet someone who they can trust, and they'll meet people who will believe in them wholeheartedly. Wouldn't that be enough to make them less cynical of the world?"

A comforting silence went between the two of you after your words. You would have basked in that silence, if only you didn't have a realization.

"Ah!"

Shinso flinched at your loud voice.

"I told you so many things! No!" You ruffled your head in annoyance. "I was just supposed to say a hint, but I ended up rambling instead... Noo.."

As you sulked in your hands, Shinso held a short silence for himself. In the end, he couldn't help but smile at you. "Thanks for answering my question. I guess your air of cliffhanger is replaced by an air of interest."

You peeked at him, eyes widening at the toothy grin he showed. "Shinso-san... has anyone ever told you you're handsome?"

Shinso's eyes widened even more. "Huh?"

You straightened up, your cheeks blushing at your own confession. "I just— I was already seeing it earlier, no, I was hearing it even when we were just calling. Your voice is really attractive and- and, then I saw you and you looked really really handsome. Like. Really." You made tons of hand gestures, and Shinso didn't know what to say nor feel about that.

But the heat that gathered on his cheeks was enough to snap him out of his gaze. He glanced away, covering a hand on his lower face. "Well... no one has ever told me that before." 

"Ehh? You- you don't get confessions? Not even once?"

Shinso fully turned away from you. "No. Usually, they're too scared of me to even approach me."

"Is it because of your Quirk?"

He froze. The hand on his mouth faltered, and before he could control his expression, he turned to you with narrowed eyes. "How do you know that?"

You didn't expect his voice to suddenly drop low and dangerously like that. But that didn't deter you from your words, "Let's just say I'm someone who reads into everything too much and I end up assuming things in the end."

The moment he went on a rant about the mistrust of future characters to your story, you realized the reason why his name sounded familiar.

He was Shinso Hitoshi, that guy from the General Education Studies in Sports Festival.

You didn't hear much when you watched his fight with Midoriya, but when he started shouting about how everything was unfair to him and his Quirk— you understood his sentiment.

You've always thought your Quirk was something dirty. Something that you won't ever touch in your entire life. But fate wasn't so kind to you, nor was it kind to him, that's why you ended up appreciating your Quirk all of a sudden.

You didn't know how he was after the Sports Festival, but you're sure that in the future, he met people who looked at him as a dedicated hero instead of a villain in the making.

"I don't know much about your Quirk, but I do know how it feels to be excluded because of something you can't control." You offered a smile at him, and you saw how his stiff shoulders loosened at your confession.

You wanted to say something, encourage him about his Quirk, or even about his dream of becoming a hero. 

But you kept your mouth shut into a smile.

You're just a stranger.

You won't meet him again after this. Today was just a coincidence, a chance that you didn't expect to have. You don't need to intrude into everyone's lives just because you knew the future. You have to cut yourself some slack. If you don't, you'll end up wanting more than what you can have once again.

"Well!" You stood up, snapping Shinso out of his own conflict. "I'm going now, wooh, didn't expect me to ramble too much about my stuff, you know."

You chuckled, before grabbing your bag and making sure it's not Shinso's.

"I'll see you around, then—!"

"Not so fast."

You flinched when Shinso's cold fingers wrapped around your wrist. 

"You're just going to leave without letting me know if you'll publish your story?" He stood up as well. 

"Ah... about that," you turned to him, your brain buffering.

"You're not going to publish it, right?"

You nodded, making Shinso's gaze soften.

"Well, I figured as much." He released your wrist and shrugged. The disappointment in his half-lidded eyes struck you in your heart, and you struggled to find an excuse for him to not feel that way.

"W-well, you see, um there are many wonders in fictional stories, and one of them includes imagination!"

Shinso hummed. "How about exchanging numbers with me?"

"Like, for example, you can imagine what the main character will do at this scenario you thought of— wait. What?"

As you processed his words in your head, Shinso showed you his phone, and right on the screen was his contact number. "Here's mine. I can put it in your phone if you'd allow me."

Stunned by his straightforward words, you gave him your phone. Once you unlocked it, he added his number on your phone then he typed something on his. "Here," he said, placing your phone on your open palms.

In just a few seconds, there was a new message in your phone.

[Shinso]

— I look forward to the next chapter.

Your eyes darted to his indigo ones, not missing the way he stared at you in amusement. "Eh?"

"You shouldn't walk back to the station dumbfounded like that," Shinso said. Even when he wasn't showing a smile or a smirk, his eyes showed the delight he had at seeing you flustered. "You'll get scratched by cats in the streets once again."

Your cheeks warmed once more. "That- that's a one time thing! Cats usually tolerate me!"

Shinso chuckled lowly. He was about to say something else, but the sound of his laugh was enough to malfunction you. The sight of you struggling to say something back, with your unbearably stiff expression, Shinso was beginning to feel bad.

In the end, he just sighed his words out. "Follow me," he said, slinging his duffle bag on his shoulders. "I'll show you the way to the station."

He waited until you were functioning enough to follow after him, and when you did, you began to ramble, "I swear cats don't usually hate me. This is the first time one of them scratched my face, I can promise you that."

Shinso huffed, almost sounding like a chuckle, but he hid it from you. "Sure, I can believe that."

The two of you were silent the entire walk to the station. You bought your ticket and waved at him, with him waving back alongside his never changing expression of nonchalance.

The moment you sat down on the seats, you melted instantly. "Crap..." you muttered to yourself. You only admitted he was handsome right on his face because you knew you won't be meeting him any time soon (until UA, of course.)

But him suddenly asking for your contact information? Oh, and was that him messaging you to stay safe once again?

Somehow, you applaud yourself for being shameless. It brought you into situations you didn't even expect, so you guess you can compliment yourself for that.

That day was a chaotic day for you and your family, but to an indigo haired boy who stared at the ceiling of his room when he got home, it was a day he spent full of thinking and remembering.

Chapter Text

❝There are things that humans cannot see. ❞

Maybe the problem was your face. 

You were just an innocent passerby. A peaceful citizen of your city who does nothing but walk around defenseless, but suddenly, they had the audacity to hold a grudge against you for reasons unknown.

By ‘they’, you mean cats. 

"This is the third time, the third time already," you grumbled to yourself, hugging your arms and glancing behind you. Who would have thought that your one time incident with Shinso would repeat until you could never escape it, ever again?

The terrible tragedy first happened when you met Shinso in that park— a cat scratched your face for unknown reasons, and you dismissed that as bad luck for the most part. Nothing more, nothing less.

Then as you went home from school yesterday after Kaibara parted ways from you, another tabby cat came near you. You were wary of it, of course. You believe you were careful enough to not anger it or even get in its way, but as if you did the most forbidden thing and offended its entire ancestors, the cat pounced on your face, and you ended up struggling in a life-or-death situation. 

Okay. Maybe that one was another coincidence; you may never know if the cat had some nasty backstory before meeting you, so who were you to judge its actions? (Even though it scratched the living daylights out of your face)

The third time, however, happened today.

You didn't even do anything except wait for Kaibara to come to your training's meeting place. He was a little late, so you sat down on a bench and waited for him.

But apparently, being alone is a crime to the stray cats in the park.

In just a few minutes, one cat hissed at you and began to jump as far away as possible. This brought the other cats nearby to hiss and chase after your damn face.

Again, you didn't do anything wrong! You were just minding your business, waiting for your friend, and now you were running for your life against these felines.

Poor Kaibara had been spamming your phone with messages asking where the hell you are, but the only response you gave him was, 'I can't come, I'll die if I do.'

It was probably the wrong thing to send since you didn't give any context. But when you are being chased by angry felines, how will you have the chance to relax in the streets full of strays?

Kaibara was currently panicking at your message, but you didn't know that. The only thing you know was that you scraped your bandages after tripping from your run, and now you came to the pharmacy to buy a new one.

"Mummy..." You flinched when someone muttered those words. You whipped your head to the side, and behold— there was a small kid staring up at you with a wide-eyed starry gaze.

What.

Do I really look like a mummy?

You weren't even covering your face with bandages. You only had a few band-aids here and there, but you still looked like a mummy to this kid?

Calm down me, calm down.

Kids are the type to often exaggerate things they don't understand. Maybe you just looked like a mummy to him because this is his first time seeing someone full of wounds and stuffs.

The kid's mother noticed how her son kept notably glancing at you, and she began to reprimand him. The more you listen to her scoldings, the more you get sulkier and sulkier. 'You shouldn't bother someone on the edge of death's door'— like, did you hear that correctly? Why would you say that to a child?!

In the end, you just tuned them out and paid for your stuffs.

It's fine, you're fine, you look okay and amazing. Kaibara even said so.

You sighed, lolling your head up to stare at the bright sky above.

With your training being halted by cats running after you, you're not sure what else was there for you to do today.

Should you relax for once? Maybe go home, watch a few action movies or eat your father's pastries? After all, there had never been a day where you relaxed properly. Even now, as you stood still on the quiet sidewalk, you didn't have the time to release all the stress built up in your mind. I mean, how can you?

The UA exams was approaching.

In just one more week, your efforts will start to root itself into the game. This was just a game for All For One after all, a game where he's planning on winning in the end. But unbeknownst to him, an unpredictable variable like you will make sure he won't get the very thing he wants to have. 

Everyone will survive this time. You promise that to yourself.

Grabbing your phone out of your pockets, you grimaced at the multiple text messages from your father, Kaibara, and even Shinso? You scrolled down your contacts, counting at least 5 names that came from your parents, your school friend, your newest friend, and the Hosu Police Force's number.

...you really have no friends, huh?

You opened the messages that came from Kaibara first. After all, you ran away from him when today was supposed to be your training day.

『 Text Messages (6) 』

Ikemen-sama (10:24am)

Where are you？

Why did you leave? Are you hurt? Did something happen？？？？

I went to your house but Mr. (L/n) said you're still not home

Ikemen-sama (10:28am)

If you're okay please message me back or tell me where you are

(L/n)？

Ikemen-sama (10:43am)

did I do something wrong？？？

You (11:01am)

No you didn't, oh no I'm okay.

My phone was on silent the whole time I was running away wwww

♡(> ਊ <)♡ Don't worry your ikemen head, Ikemen-sama, I'm really okay.

『 End of Messages 』

You were about to pocket your phone once again, but you stopped when the word 'seen' appeared right below your texts.

You sweatdropped. He checked your messages so fast you can't even put it away.

A three dotted bubble appeared as Kaibara typed his reply. It was obvious how he struggled to type what he wanted to say, with the bubble appearing and disappearing multiple times. But as you waited for him to send his message, you couldn't help but chuckle when he finally sent it.

Ikemen-sama (11:03am)

Can I call you?

He really was worried, wasn't he?

Kaibara had always been a blunt and straightforward person. He finds it tiring when he needs to hide or stop himself from doing or saying things to others, and that’s how he normally was to most people.

But to you? He was someone who tiptoed all the time on everything he wanted to say.

Maybe guilt was in the way, or regret for not acting out sooner on your bullying, but Kaibara is slowly getting rid of his urge to walk on eggshells when he talks to you. And seeing it happening gradually, it was enough for your heart to knot in multitude ways that you can't even explain.

You didn't need to reply to him. You just tapped on the call button, letting it ring a couple of times.

Then the line clicked.

"Hello," you said with a nonchalant but amused tone. Kaibara's breath hitched at the sound of your voice, "Sorry for running away. I was being chased by cats so I couldn't tell you where I was." Maybe telling him about your situation this way would relieve all worries he had about you.

Kaibara went silent on the other side of the phone. The only sounds you can hear was his slight breathing and the screeching of the train.

You raised a brow, "Are you at a station right now?"

"[... are you hurt?]" he said, after a few seconds of silence. He didn't answer your question, but you understood immediately what he wanted to say.

"I'm alright. Nothing happened to me, so you don't need to worry so much." 

"[I see...]" Kaibara said calmly, though if you tried to listen close, you could hear the shaking in his voice— he was anything but calm when he heard you. However, he shoved it all out as an exasperated sigh. "[Did you just say cats were chasing you?]"

"I know. Pretty hard to believe, huh?"

"[No, I think I can believe that really well.]"

His words pulled your lips into a frown, "What? Why? Am I really that repulsive that everyone thinks animals will attack me all the time?" you said all of that with a bit of a free and light-hearted tone, but a breath of silence followed afterwards.

"Oh my god, please say something."

Kaibara released a small laugh, a warm sound that did wonders to all the insecurities you had. "[Is this why you've been feeling insecure lately? Because of cats?]"

Heat crawled from your neck and to your cheeks. "Well... if you say it like that..." Your words didn't help stop Kaibara's chuckles. "Listen! I told myself it's all a coincidence since it only happened twice. But it happened thrice now— three. Damn. Times! If there's a deity playing with my life expecting me to shrivel up in self-loathing and suffer, I think they're going to succeed."

Kaibara continued to laugh. Although you could hear him yelp when he almost tripped on the sidewalks, still, he laughed at your endearing embarrassment.

Hearing him be so carefree like that really made you smile softly. "So? You understand now as to why I dipped from our training session today?"

A hum came through your ear, and as if debating, Kaibara asked in his quiet voice, "[Where are you right now?]"

"Uhh..." You turned to look at the streets, then your eyes landed on what you assumed to be the street post. "Somewhere around the ramen shop we went to before. I'm beside the pharmacy there."

"[Hm, alright. Wait for me, okay?]"

Your heart fluttered at his voice. You cleared your throat and scratched your heated cheeks to ignore it. "I mean- yeah, sure. Please get here safely...?"

Without any hesitation, Kaibara said, "[I'll be there soon.]"

The call ended.

You stared down at your phone, face unbearably warm and deadpanned. These pretty people really don't know the effects they have on others, do they? It's still such a miracle that you've befriended someone so popular and kind like Kaibara himself. You wondered just what exactly did you do to deserve this new experience.. But you’re not going to complain about it now. You do like this new budding friendship of yours, even if it started out with you not wanting anything to do with someone like him.

You checked the rest of your messages and saw your father worried because Kaibara went there and asked for you in a hurry. You ended up reassuring him, of course, and you did the same thing to your mother who also asked about your whereabouts in concern.

Then you opened Shinso messages.

『 Text Messages (3) 』

Shinyan (10:03am)

How are your wounds？

If you don't mind me asking.

I found a couple of medicines that I can give to you if you ever need to heal the cuts fast.

You (11:06am)

... will you believe me if I said new cats scratched my face yet again？

People are actually looking at me really weird

A KID EVEN SAID I LOOKED LIKE A MUMMY!

T_T please... I just want to be loved by cats again...

What did I do to deserve this

『 End of Messages 』

Shinso became your friend really fast.

The first message he sent to you (that wasn't telling you he wanted to read more about your updates) was about his science homework. And at that time, you realized you knew more about the topic than Shinso, and so you helped him out.

It was a bit awkward at first considering you weren't used to texting people up until 2am. (Shinso couldn't fall asleep, and neither could you), but you got used to it after a few days together. Sometimes he’d send you funny videos he stumbled upon the internet, and most of the time you’d reply with videos you also laughed at. It’s nice to talk to someone who has the same sleeping habits as you do.

"(L/n)!" The sound of someone running made you whip your head in their direction.

You pocketed your phone, walking up to Kaibara who panted and caught his breath in a few seconds of silence. "You didn't have to run, you know," you said, grinning at the tired boy. "I would have still waited for you even if you took your time getting here."

Kaibara furrowed his gaze. There was a moment of hesitation in his movements, but when he finally got his courage, he took a step forward to you. "I have a request."

You raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"Can you let me hug you?"

It's the slightest hint of pink on his cheeks that caught your wide eyes. Kaibara wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. His words and his eyes were always the gateway to his emotions, and underneath his gaze right now was softness, warmth, and comfort.

The words in your throat dried— you didn’t know what to say.

At your silence, Kaibara showed you a defeated smile, placing a hand on his pocket. "It's alright. I expected that answer anyway but I still wanted to try."

The joking tone he had on his voice solidified it even more— Kaibara had finally gotten rid of his anxiety around you. Or maybe slowly getting rid of it is the correct way to describe it.

Were you happy? Yes, yes you were. But were you also flustered by his blunt words? Yes. Definitely.

You pushed your tongue to your cheek, eyes averting from Kaibara's tender gaze. "I- I guess you can hug me for a bit?"

Kaibara paused. "What?"

"I mean. You can hug me but only for like 5 seconds at most!"

Even if you two were close, you still wouldn't be able to function properly if Kaibara decided to hold you in his arms. Was he always so affectionate to his friends? Is this what having a friend means?

As you opened your mouth once more, you froze when arms wrapped around your shoulders.

Kaibara held you in a kind but hasty embrace.

His arms folded around you, one of his hand held your head close to him. You had never been hugged like this before. There was something so warm, something that felt right in an embrace that you can't even begin to fight against it. You let your body relax, your muscles becoming loose.

He noticed, his lips curling into a satisfied smile. "You're really pretty," Kaibara muttered through your hair. In that moment, the arms around you squeezed a fraction tighter, and you breathed more slowly, your body melting more into his embrace.

Then Kaibara pulled away in five seconds. Just like how you said.

"I had to do it real fast or you'll back out." He patted you, his cheeks turning rosy even as he smirked. If he was even just a bit disappointed, he didn't show it. He was respectful of your choices, your boundaries, and now that he got one of the things he wanted, he was satisfied.

And it’s that respect which made you stare at him, mouth agape, and head malfunctioning. "You- you.. doofus," was the only insult you could think at that moment. You didn't know what it was, but the warmth you received in that short hug was enough to make your entire mind stutter, and not only that, he’d called you pretty in the midst of hugging you. "You… you shouldn’t say those things without thinking about its meaning."

Kaibara tilted his head, confusion settling in his eyes, until he understood. "Ah. What about it? I said what I said, you know. You asked earlier if you're 'repulsive', and I just answered."

You're really pretty.

... You rubbed a hand on your face, stealthily ignoring how your skin steamed in embarrassment. "Please don't say anything else. What if I assume you have a crush on me? What, then?"

He should be careful with his words and how he accompanied those with his actions. If it were other people, like the girls in your school, they would have already thought that Kaibara was flirting with them. But you knew better than others that Kaibara is not like that— especially not to you, someone who was just a friend to him.

Kaibara hummed, looking away. "Then I won't do anything about it. Think however you want, I'll still find you pretty either way."

Okay. That was the last straw.

"You—! Listen to what you're saying!" You pointed an accusing and flustered finger at him. "I know you just want to compliment me and make me think less about the cats but- but if you say it like that..." you faltered. Why the hell is it so hard to word your thoughts out all of a sudden?

You raised your gaze to glower at Kaibara, but even then you deadpanned. He had that amused smile on his face, eyes half-lidded in a lazy way, but you can see he's watching you very intently. When you were silently glaring at him, he opened his mouth to say something—

"Don't you dare," you warned him.

Kaibara stopped. "What?"

"You're going to say something even worse." Judging by his amused stare, you knew he would say you looked cute being so flustered like that.

And you were spot on once again, Kaibara's smirk widened even further. "Then that means I'm showing you my real emotions, right?"

"Hah? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that I'm not just giving you lip-service." He placed a hand on his neck and craned his head to look at the sky. "You said I'm just saying all of that 'cause I wanted to cheer you up, but no, that's not really the case. I felt like telling you what I've been thinking most of the time, so you have to accept it as the truth."

He glanced back at you, showing his small fangs with his grin.

"Okay?"

You opened your mouth to speak. But your throat had been dried by the heat on your entire body, and so you shut it back down.

You really need to calm down with all these unfamiliar emotions. "Just— just don't say those stuffs again in that kind of way again," you said loud enough for Kaibara to hear. Then you exaggerated a sigh, "I know you mean well most of the time but if you're not careful, I would end up assuming things faster than the speed of light. Now you don't want that, do you?"

Kaibara went quiet as you said those words in a light banter.

The silence that followed made you compose yourself in an instant. "You still up for training today?"

The boy furrowed his brow at the change of topic. "Well... maybe? Are you sure you can handle training after being almost mauled by cats?"

You scoffed. "Of course. I can't let those cats control my life all the time. I have to at least continue fighting back and appear unaffected or else they'll win." You pursed your lips, making Kaibara smile. "Still though. I don't understand why it's only cats who are targeting me all the time. Back then they're not even like that!"

"Mm, must be because you're irresistible."

"Shut it."

Kaibara laughed. You began walking away, with the boy trailing after you and reaching out to pat you in the head. His touch was still vivid in your memories, but you pushed away all those lingering feelings in your chest.

Maybe, just this time, you can admit that hugs were quite comforting for you.

Out of all the things that happened to you in this week, Shinso inviting you outside was the most surprising thing you've ever experienced.

To think that a fellow student, a living being that has their own mind and consciousness, invited someone like you outside. You'd understand it if it's Kaibara, since you spend time with him almost all the time at school—

But Shinso, who was a stranger to you a couple of days ago?

That took you by surprise.

『 Text Messages (1) 』

Shinyan (11:25am)

How far are you from Saitama?

You (11:29am)

Um... Kinda close？If I can catch a train, it'll take me at least an hour or so.

Shinyan (11:29am)

Can you meet me somewhere around this location？

[Attached location]

You (11:31am)

Oh, yeah. I've been there a couple of times

Do you have a place you wanna visit or something？

Shinyan (11:33am)

Kinda. You'll see it later.

I guess I also wanna talk as well

The examination is by Saturday this week, so I feel kind of restless.

You (11:35am)

Alright, count me in your plans！！꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱

I'll be there at around 12:30

Shinyan (11:40am)

See you there.

『 End of Messages 』

You peeked around the kitchen, eyes landing upon your father who was busy having a stare off with the flour. You smiled and called out softly, "Dad."

Your father's harsh gaze darted to you, and it was as if you dreamed that glare he had, since his eyes turned into one of his soft ones as he waved. "Good morning, sweetie!"

"It's almost noon, but good morning too." Walking to the counter, you eyed the multiple ingredients laid out right before you. "What are you going to bake this time?"

"Well, I was going to keep it a secret but since my favorite child suddenly decided to ask, I'm making an egg tart that your mom really likes."

"I'm your only child," you reminded him, and he hummed.

"Still my favorite either way." He stepped aside, crossing his arms and leaning on the counter. "My favorite child can't be this outgoing everyday all of a sudden. Wanna share a few things about what's happening to your life? How about you and that Kaibara kid, how're things between you two?"

You raised a brow, amused at the smile your father was showing. If you look a bit closer, you can see how his eyes twitched at the mention of Kaibara. "I'm just learning to step out of my comfort zone a bit. Juuust a tiny bit," you said, doing the same thing as your father and leaning on the counter. "Also, Kaibara-kun and I only train together. He's too focused on his goal to even pay attention to me, so don't worry too much dad."

Your father pouted. "I'm worrying for a good reason! Also, how are you so sure he doesn't like you? When I saw how he looked at you that one time, I just knew that boy has a crush on my amazing child."

You blanched, shielding yourself from your father's hug. "You're just making your own problems now! Kaibara-kun isn't the type to get crushes." If he was, then he would have easily fallen for some girls who were the perfect and ideal type for him in your school.

Your father crumpled when you refused to let him hug you. "My child is telling me I'm being dramatic.."

"What?" your confusion was evident, as was a slight degree of panic. "That's not what I said!"

He wasn't having any of it. "You're growing up just like your mother, and now I don't know if it's a good thing or not." Then he turned to you, squinting his eyes a bit. Before he shrugged. "Well, if you're like your mother then boys will have a harder time approaching you simply because you're too badass. Yeah, that's the best outcome that will happen!"

He perked up, and he pinched your cheeks with a determined scowl. "Girls too! With you being so charming all the time, I know you'll get everyone to fall for you. Ugh, why did your mother and I have to create such a cute child like you... Unforgivable!" A fiery aura surrounded the man, that you couldn't help but sweatdrop at.

"Dad, please stop talking that way. Please."

But of course, your words fell upon deaf ears. "What else is bothering you? Didn't you say you're going to study today instead of training?"

Thankfully, he let go of your cheeks. Your father didn't know this but his calloused hand really had a ton of force exerted on them, so you just massaged your burning cheeks and frowned. "I was supposed to study, but..."

He walked to the refrigerator, opening it and grabbing a few more ingredients. "But?"

You followed after him like a duckling. "But my... friend invited me to go out today.."

He paused in his steps, then glanced at you from the corner of his eyes, "Kaibara?"

"No— a different friend. Someone who helped me before."

"Who?"

"Shinso-san."

"Are they a boy?"

"Why does that matter— okay," you deadpanned at your dad's fired-up gaze. You can't even tell him how delusional he's being, but you knew this was his way of showing he cares for you, so you just sighed. "Yes, he's a boy. But he's really nice and he likes cats more than the idea of love."

He squinted at you. "...Why do you have more boy friends than girl friends?"

You stared at him with a deadpan. He's not seriously asking that question, is he?

.. he's seriously asking that question to you.

"I'm not good at making friends, dad," you said in exasperation. But your father simply continued squinting at you. If your mother was here, she would definitely push two of her fingers on his squinted eyes as a warning to not show that scrutinizing face in front of you. "Anyway, I'm gonna go out for a bit. Do you want anything while I'm out?"

Your words made your father's eyes tear up. "I want you to stay."

You couldn't help but laugh. "Dad, please. You can't let me become a hermit all the time you know." You walked over to the counter, grabbing the paper near the bowl and checking the list. "I can buy extra ingredients for you later if you want. I think I can make a quick stop at Hayamura-san's goods shop before I go home."

Your father stared at you, his lips curling into a gentle smile. "Are you having fun lately?"

You blinked and darted your eyes at him. That was such a sudden question. "Um... yes, in a way."

His gaze became softer as you said those words, but he didn't say anything else. He didn't need to say anything more, because as he went to work in a warm silence, you slowly understood what he was trying to ask.

Your father had always been a caring one, more emotionally in-tuned than you and your mother. He’s the sunshine who brings out the liveliness in the house, he’s the more vulnerable between you, while you inherited your mother’s quiet stares and aloof personality. So it’s not a surprise you always pushed him away in your past lifetime, afraid of bringing in worries that might ruin your father’s smile. But even through your coldness, he didn't stop caring. 

To him, being a child was a wonderful thing.

Even during the dystopian future, your father never got rid of the smile on his face. He didn't let you be too pessimistic even when he covered your eyesight at the brutality of the world, and he’d whispered reassurances when you needed it the most. He never failed to say that it's alright to dream about a better future from time to time, and that it's alright to seek safety from adults if you need it.

He never failed to remind you all of that, even when you lost him after days of starving himself just to feed you and your mother.

All your father wanted was for you to enjoy your childhood because, he said once, when he held you gently in that melancholic and hurtful war, "The beautiful child in your heart will be the one protecting you forever."

He was right about that one.

The only one who can save you, your family, and everyone's future is your fifteen year old self whom you never paid attention to before. The you before all of those horrible things happened.

Your father knew how you tried to be mature all the time. That's why, he asked again, "Are you going to have fun today too?"

This time, you smiled.

"I'm going to have fun with my friend today, dad."

Those words that you have never said to your parents in the past and in the present, spoken with a soft and delighted tone— it was enough to make your father's worries to die down.

He smiled back at you.

Shinso held his phone on his hand.

His back leaned against the wall, and time passed by without any stops. When he glanced up from his phone, his tired eyes surveyed the crowds, then within the sea of colors moving through the station, his gaze landed upon you. You, who perked up at him, and you who waved enthusiastically for a second before feeling embarrassed by it. Shinso tried his best to fight back a smile.

"Took you long enough," he said once you got near, staring with a gaze that you considered a killer and far too effective.

Your cheeks turned warm, but you grinned anyway. "Sorry to keep you waiting. This place has too many staircases."

You were lost the entire duration after you got out of the station. If it weren't for that one weird guy with white pointed hair like clock needles, you would have continued wandering around while Shinso waited for you.

Then you perked up. "Oh, that's right!"

Shinso blinked slowly when you shoved a paper bag his way. The sweet scent of baked cookies wafted through the air, an aroma that couldn't stop the way his eyes widened in realization. "This… this is for me?"

When you nodded, he gingerly took the bag, peering inside. Inside, he saw another cute plastic bag filled with cookies in different shapes and flavors. It was still warm even after that long travel that you did.

"Yep! My dad wouldn't let me go until I spent time baking with him, so those are the few things I made." You were planning on giving Kaibara the rest of the cookies tomorrow, so you couldn't help but portion Shinso's a little bit. "Sorry if it's not going to be up to your taste. But hey, I tried really hard, you know?"

"You didn't have to give me anything but you did, so you don't need to say sorry."

Shinso could feel a little laugh in his chest as he took out one cookie. This messy and weird cookie-cut had your signature all over it; he could never imagine anyone creating the same shape as this one. Which made it even better.

On the inside, Shinso felt warm from the cookies. On the outside, his features were as nonchalant as ever.

"It looks wonky," he pointed out.

"Wow. You could be a little more hesitant and careful with your words, you know. Like... you could have acted like I did well and all that." You really tried hard to make that cookie shape in your mind, but it was difficult to do so when your father hovered around you just to cry out that he was super proud of you.

Your words broke Shinso's nonchalant composure. He smirked, amusement twinkling in his lidded eyes. "What made you think I wasn't careful with my words? I'm being very kind right now."

You scowled. "Okay, whatever. Do you not like it? If not then I'll take it from you—"

"I never said I hate it." He leaned away when you tried grabbing the bag. His mischievous gaze softened until it shifted into a genuine one. "Now I have to get something for you since you gave me such a nice gift."

You paused. He didn't think you were that easy to calm down after he insulted you, did he?

Brushing your nose with a grin, you leaned back and puffed. "Is that so? If you think it's fine, then that's enough. You don't need to get me anything back."

Shinso chuckled at how you stood in pride at your cookies. He reached his fingers inside the bag and took out one cookie, biting it in silence.

You watched his actions intently. Shinso kept his features cold, eyes focused at the crumbs on his fingers, watching and thinking. Several moments passed silently between you two, and the smile on your face never wavered.

Finally, Shinso sighed. 

Your smile twitched— was... was it actually bad? You really tried your best to make it, but you might have accidentally overcooked it when you were trying to dissuade your father from being too clingy...

A smile pulled up the edges of Shinso's lips. "Alright, I've decided," he said, slipping one of his hands from his pocket.

"What? What did you think?" you asked, expecting something, anything in response to your baking skills.

He turned to you, reached, and plopped a hand on your shoulder. "The cookies tasted good." You brightened at his words. "So now I've decided. We'll be going to the original place in our plan while the rest after that, I'll leave it all to you."

When you processed the rest of his words, you raised a brow, eyes turning to the indigo-haired boy who began walking past you. "Were you planning on abandoning your plans before I got here?" 

He hummed. "I was going to, actually, but change of plans. I think I can make it work. Any place requests you have in mind?"

"Hm… I don't know... I haven't really thought about exploring outside of Hosu."

"You live in Hosu?" He frowned, attention fully turning to you. "Does that mean you have a good Quirk?"

You let out an unrestrained laughter at his question. "Is that really the first thing you'll ask me after finding out where I live?"

The sound of your teasing voice made Shinso's lips twitch— he didn't know if he wanted to smile or frown at the warmth pooling on his cheeks, but he shoved it all down. "Well, most heroes came from Hosu after all. They said it's always filled with people who have strong Quirks."

You nodded. "That one's true. I got a friend, he can gyrate any part of his body and it's always awesome to see."

"Gyrate, huh..." Shinso went deep into his thoughts, but you continued.

"I don't know if I have a strong Quirk, but I actually just awakened it recently."

He turned to you, raising a brow. "Just recently? Aren't Quirks supposed to appear at 4 years of age?"

"I'm a special case apparently."

Shinso gave you a blank look, then he turned his head away. "Yeah, you definitely are."

Blanching, you pinched his arm and watched how he withdrew from you with a teasing smirk on his face. "You can't just say that without adding more to your sentence! Why did you agree? Do I look weird at first glance?"

"You seem awfully concerned about that," he pointed out. You only flinched at his words. "Aside from your bandages, you're actually really normal, so you're fine."

Your eyes twitched. "I don't know whether to feel flattered or offended, but thank you anyways."

"You're welcome," Shinso huffed, amusement lacing in his tone. "So? What's your Quirk, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hm.. I can make chains come out of my body if I think long and hard about a memory." You're not going to tell him about the flames, but he will see it someday anyway. "How about you? If you don't mind me asking." You knew about his Quirk already, but who were you to admit something like that to someone whom you just met a few days ago?

There was a slight tension in Shinso's furrowed brows at the question, but before you could notice it, he settled into a low drawl, "Brainwashing. I can make anyone follow my commands if they respond to me."

"Oh?" It took a second or two for the new information to sink in, even though you knew about it already, then your lips stretched into a grin. "That's a terrifying Quirk."

You didn’t miss the way his lazy lidded gaze narrowed into a dark glare, and the way his body turned stiff and guarded. But he didn't say anything about it. He just looked away, scratching his neck and forcing a smile on his face. "Yeah, I hear that a lot."

If you were the old version of you, the one who was so focused on catering to other's emotions, you would have stopped talking already. The uncomfortable tone he used, the slight tension in his body, the forced smile, all of them were obvious signs that Shinso didn't want to hear your next words.

"There's so much you can do with that Quirk," you said, humming.

Shinso's shoulders sagged. He didn't notice it, but as you spoke more and more, his steps began lagging behind you. "Yeah?" he forced it out. This is just like him talking to his classmates. The next he knew, he'll have to reassure you that he won't brainwash you and do things that even he wouldn't want to do.

He came out here to forget his worries about his Quirk, but it seems you also held the same perspective as other people. Why should he feel disappointed? He's experienced this multiple times, saw it happen every time he opened up about his Quirk, so why did your words weigh heavily on his chest?

Shinso hoped you didn't notice the hesitance in his steps as he glanced away from you.

"Imagine if I was a villain and I didn't know you're there, you'd easily overpower me. All you just need to do is just tell me 'Stop moving'! And when I respond, I'll be good as dead and you’ll arrest me on the spot."

This time, Shinso did stop moving. "What?"

You stopped also, glancing at his sudden pause. "I'm saying, the possibilities you have are terrifying, even as an underground hero. But what if you aren't? What if you become as popular as All Might and everyone knows your capabilities?" There was a silence between you two, with Shinso grasping to understand your sudden excitement. His mouth slowly opened, gaping and confused, but you didn’t pay him any mind. "You'll be so damn scary for everyone, actually. Your influence will leak out in the battlefield when you're fighting against others, and if they see that you're there, would they be able to speak to each other? Would they even have time to respond to each other? Their pillar of communication will end up breaking, and that's so terrifying to think about, you know?"

You weren't trying to encourage him. You were already thinking of changing many people's lives, but even then, you were not an inspirational person nor were you a good one. You can't just go around giving unrealistic speeches for everyone to hear even if you wanted to.

The only thing you can offer right now was your insight about his Quirk; the thoughts you had specifically when you first saw him at the Sports Festival.

Shinso closed his mouth, his expression becoming unreadable. "If they know about my voice and my Quirk, there's a chance they won't say a thing at all. I can't brainwash people unless they respond to me." He expected silence to follow, and even a distrustful stare from you. Once you reply, he might brainwash you and you may never know.

"Oh, then that's easy. You just have to change your voice?" But you shattered all of his thoughts with your nonchalant words. "There are support items in every Heroics Course, right? You can easily solve that by asking them if they had an item to change your voice."

"I could use my Quirk on you," he said slowly, testing your reaction. His fist clenched and unclenched as your gaze met his. "I just told you how my Quirk works, so if you respond to me I can—"

"Are you going to?"

Shinso felt his entire world stop. The stare you gave him was neutral, rid of all emotions that he saw earlier. There was no shine in your eyes, no excitement, not even a hint of disgust. Instead, what laid there was a glint of curiosity, sharpness, and...

"Will you brainwash me? Is that why you’re expecting me to be scared?"

Trust. 

You looked at him as if you didn't doubt that he would never use his Quirk on you. That made his gaze tremble and his throat tighten. He didn’t like the way his chest constricted, so he pushed it away with his cold bluntness. “I could do it any time, and you won’t even realize it.”

“What would you even do after brainwashing me anyway? You don’t look like the type to lead someone with a harmful prank.” But your response only made his eyes widen more. “Plus, you’re aiming to be a hero, so I don’t see why you’d even consider brainwashing others without any reason.”

It was the first time then that Shinso had ever been tongue-tied. He had a knack for knowing what people wanted to hear; he had been reassuring them under fake smiles, even if it obviously looked forced. He understood how people can be terrified of him and his Quirk; they knew nothing about him, how he is, and what he dreamed of being, so they classified his ability as villainous instead. 

But you didn’t even hesitate. Didn’t even doubt him one bit. You just looked at him, brow raised, lips pursed, as if this conversation confused you. 

For the second time, Shinso had been stunned into silence by your words once again.

"Okay, but can we stop dawdling around now? I feel like we're catching attention the more we stay on this sidewalk," you said, breaking the spell that you had unconsciously casted on the boy.

Whatever other thoughts he had, Shinso quickly snapped out of it. He took a shaky step forward, until the silence dragged between the two of you when he started leading the way.

You didn't need to say anything else. You knew it'll work out for him in the end, with his Quirk and his desire to be a hero, that's why you turned your focus onto the passing cars by the streets instead of your previous conversation.

"You're giving too much trust on someone who you know little things about," Shinso muttered. He didn't care if you heard it or not, but judging by the way your eyes furrowed, he knew you heard him loud and clear.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Shinso wanted to laugh incredulously at your answer. "Not everyone is worth trusting, you know." Especially not in this world where everyone can easily turn against each other.

You hummed, agreeing to his words. "But if I begin to doubt every single person I meet, then I'll end up chaining myself down into nihilism. Besides, I'm sure about it," with my Quirk of coming back in time, "But whoever I end up trusting, I'm sure they already proved themselves worthy of holding that trust."

Sure, you may feel betrayed and it may hurt you once someone breaks your trust, and you knew, out of everyone in this world, any type of despair and agony were things that you wished you wouldn't be able to feel.

But you also knew it wouldn't be your fault. So if it wasn't your fault, why would you focus on such trivial things?

Shinso knew everyone reacted the same, all the time. They find out his Quirk, and they all say the same thing. 'Your Quirk is so scary', or 'You can do so many things undetected with that Quirk', and that, he can't deny. Because it's true.

You were the same as the others, the same who spoke of the terrifying things he could do with his Quirk, but at the same time, you were not. You didn’t get scared. You didn’t think badly of him. You didn’t even waver in your trust on someone like him, a stranger, an acquaintance.

It's... nice. 

The air turned warm. Or maybe it’s just Shinso finally relaxing after all the tension he had against the world.

"Where are we going?" he asked after a minute of silence.

You looked at him, tilting your head. "What? I don't know. I was following you the whole time we were walking."

"But I was following you as well," he accused, eyebrows twitching. "I thought you knew where you wanted to go."

"Me? I just told you earlier I don't go out! I never even went as far in Saitama so why should I know where to go?"

There was a brief pause as Shinso stared at you, mind running rampant, then he released the words he wanted to say since earlier. “You’re so weird.”

You took offense to that. “I thought you’re a fellow introvert, but you think that’s weird? Wait a second. You said earlier we're going to your original plan for today! You know, the place you mentioned you wanted to go to. Don't tell me you forgot about it..."

He didn't want to admit it, but he forgot about it for a moment. Instead of saying that, he turned around and motioned, "Come here. I think we're close enough to where I wanted to go."

Shinso ignored your small grumbling, smiling to himself as he led you to the place where he wanted to go. You thought it was going to be some kind of arcade, or even a normal café at some sort, because teenagers at your age liked hanging out at those types of conventions, right?

But no.

You glared at Shinso, who skillfully ignored your death stare as he pushed the door open to the place he wanted to go into.

"Do you hate me that much?"  you glowered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shinso held the door open for you to come in, but you simply stood on your spot.

"I just told you earlier…” your glare twitched. “Cats. Don't. Like. Me!"

You would have used a softer tone on him if he didn't know the source of your band-aids, but he knew. He also saw it happen right before his eyes. What made him think that you'd be coming out unscathed in a Cat Café, of all places?

"Come on and stop being stubborn." His deep voice snapped you out of your trance. "You might end up being swept away by the crowd if you stayed there."

And he was correct. If you didn't take a step forward, the rushing workers and people would have pushed you back into the streets. You were used to the city life especially in Hosu, but wow, was Saitama a much more busy city than your own.

Since you stepped foot into the cafe already, you glared at him in defeat. "If I end up feeling pain greater than a punishment in hell because I agreed then you're going to pay for my hospital and funeral fees."

Shinso shook his head, amused. Somehow, he's getting used to the exaggeration in your words. He walked to the counter, with you warily following him, and held up two of his fingers, "Table for two please."

He glanced at you for a while, then he leaned on the counter and whispered something low. It was low enough for you to not hear.

When he came back, Shinso tilted his head with a teasing gaze. "I was expecting you to complain more, but you're surprisingly docile."

You frowned. "How much do I have to pay for this?"

Shinso shrugged. "Not much. I told you I'll take care of the price." He walked away before you could say anything else, kneeling right in front of a cat who leaned on his touch immediately.

"What? You didn't say anything about that!" You whispered sharply. But you couldn't bring yourself to follow him. After all, he looked so peaceful and gentle handling that cat, you didn't want to ruin it for him.

Fortunately, the staff showed you to your table. You sat right in front of Shinso, and as you expected— no cats were trying to come near your table. At all.

This was only making you even more depressed.

You weren't an entirely avid fan of any animals, but you do love each one of them equally. Seeing one of them unable to tolerate you hurts your heart so much you ended up groaning and complaining to Shinso.

"Don't look them in the eyes," he suggested. "Cats would think you're trying to fight them if you do that."

"Even I know that much." Your voice was muffled by your arms folded underneath you, and when you looked at him while leaning on your folded arms, Shinso turned his gaze away.

"Relax." He tried not to show he was almost caught staring at you. "Not all cats hate you."

You deadpanned. "I told that to myself a couple of days ago. I don't like lying to myself you know."

Shinso fought back a smile as you dramatically buried your face in your arms once again. But his attention turned towards the staff that was coming your way. "Hey, Look."

You raised your gaze once again, stopping at where Shinso stared at.

The staff stopped by your table, in her arms held a fluffy white Persian cat. She smiled. "This here is Kyara. She likes ear scratches a lot, so feel free to give her as much as she want," the staff introduced, dropping the feline gently onto the wooden floor.

You and Shinso couldn't help but watch as the cat sauntered over to him. He held out his hand, letting the cat sniff it. It didn't take long before she was throwing herself onto him with a friendly purr. That surprised him for a moment but nevertheless, it brought a smile to his face.

"Hello, kitten," he cooed with his low voice, scratching the cat's ears as he cradled her in his arms. You couldn't help but feel your heart bursting at such a cute sight. 

"Wow Shinso-san. You really do love cats." You chuckled, propping your elbows on the table and leaning. "I'm almost jealous."

Shinso blinked at your words. He looked at you and smirked. "Why? Do you want me to call you kitten too?" He meant it as a joke, but his smirk faltered a bit once he noticed the slight tinge of embarrassment on your wide eyes.

"No, I was hoping for some pats myself," you tried to play it off. Shinso examined you for a bit, before chuckling.

He turned his attention back to Kyara, and he spoiled her with all of his touches. You couldn't help but smile as you continued watching him.

"Is this where you go every time you're stressed?" you asked, grabbing a cup of coffee that Shinso ordered for you. "Seems fitting enough since it's you. But if I didn't know about you, I would have thought you hated animals."

"Cats are more tolerable than humans. Who could possibly hate these peaceful felines?"

You snorted. "Peaceful my ass."

Shinso just chuckled at your bitter words. He turned to you, then back at the cat. "Want to try holding her?"

"No way." Your answer was immediate. But you realized how that sounded, so you added to save face, "I mean, I really don't want anymore cat scratches on my face so I'm fine just watching you do all the interactions."

He stared at you with undeterred eyes. "I told you, not all cats will hate you all the time, you know."

You opened your mouth to retort.

"You also said you trust me. Are you backing out of that now?"

That shut you up in an instant.

Shinso shook his head, amused by how your stare silently told him, 'Okay, fair point.'

"Here." He stood up, walking near your seat with the cat cradled gently in his arms. The feline looked at him then down at you, making you flinch in expectations. "Don't be too tense. You'll scare her away if she noticed that."

"It's difficult to be calm when I just got scratched multiple times in only a few days," you grumbled, but you gave in when you noticed Shinso's unamused stare. "Okay. I'll try my best."

When those words left your mouth, Shinso gave one last scratch on the cat's ears. He kneeled beside your seat and passed you the cat.

You tried not to tense up as you felt the feline's fur brush over your bandaged skin.

"There you go." Shinso's drawl calmed you, and he gave more affection to the cat that kept turning to him even if she was placed onto your lap.

"She really likes you..."

Shinso hummed. "You think so?"

"More like I can see it." Maybe it's your voice that attracted the cat's attention, because her head tilted up at you, staring at you with her big baby blue eyes. You wanted so desperately to hug and spoil her with all of your affection too, but you swallowed all those desires down and tried to look at Shinso. Pleading him to take her away from you before she ruins your face.

The indigo-haired boy met your eyes. He simply motioned with his head— he was telling you to scratch her ears.

Hesitatingly, you looked back down and frowned. "You're going to pay for my bandages if I get scratched again," you said, defeated by the cuteness right in front of you. Without expecting any response from the boy, you reached a hand to the cat and dreaded for its reaction.

But your hand simply plopped down into its soft fur.

You blinked. "Eh?"

A smile broke out into Shinso's lips. "See? I told you not all cats hate you."

And right on his words, Kyara, the cat, purred at your unusually warm hand. She was too friendly, too different from all your recent experiences, that you couldn't help but let your lips tremble.

"She's so cute..." you cooed, using two of your hands to scratch both of ears. She seemed to like that a lot.

Shinso stood up from his kneeling position. He looked at the staffs behind him, then back at you. "I told them about your situation. Kyara is very friendly. Unlike most cats, she's warm to everyone so they showed her to us first."

"Kyara..." your voice wavered in delight. "You're so cute, why are you so cute?"

Shinso found your cooing adorable. You ignored the way he chuckled at you. All your focus were placed on the cat, who was being spoiled by all your warm pats and touches.

"Cats are perceptive beings," Shinso said. "They probably noticed you suddenly gained a Quirk, so they're still having a hard time adjusting to you."

You paused, looking at Shinso in confusion. "But... I don't think I have a Quirk that makes the cats wary of me?" After all, what kind of cat gets scared by chains? Maybe fire, but the fact that Kyara was leaning into your warm touch meant that it wasn't your Blueflame Quirk that scared them.

Your eyes widened.

"Do you think... cats can sense other people's lives?"

Shinso was looking at the other cats by the side of the glass pane, but he glanced at you once you asked that question.

"Cause the legend says they have nine lives," you slowly explained. "Do you think they can sense if a person somehow has multiple lives as well?"

He couldn't help but stare at you with narrowed eyes. "You have odd ways of getting inspiration for your story," he said. It didn't even cross his mind that you were asking for yourself, and not for the sake of your story, but that was a good thing. "I think cats know more than they let on. We're probably idiotic looking in their eyes, after all."

"... that makes so much sense," you mumbled to yourself.

Being hated by cats had never happened in your previous life. Even if you developed your Quirk early back then, they didn't become hostile around you because you haven't used it once.

But now that you did, your hands held onto the multiple lives you lost.

Maybe, just maybe, the cats could sense those lost lives of yours and thought you were dangerous, not knowing that it was your own life that you always took instead of others.

Amidst your thundering thoughts, a gentle hand placed itself on your head. You blinked as you took in the new weight on your head, slowly raising your gaze at where it came from.

Shinso continued to brush his hand on your head, smirking when he met your eyes. "You said you wanted some pats as well, didn't you?"

Only when a cat mewled on his legs did he drop his hand away. With his attention being turned from you, he didn't notice the way your face burned from embarrassment.

You can handle pats normally. Hell, you liked it a lot. But with a matching smirk like that and a gaze that could send anyone's knees into jelly?

You had to spend your time trying to silence this rapidly beating heart of yours.

"Hey.." Shinso said once he sat back down in his seat. He didn't look at you, instead, he grabbed a few of your homemade cookies, eyes having a faraway look in its stead. "You're going to UA as well, aren't you?"

You hummed.

"I just—..." he stopped. His words dying down on his throat.

In the end, he sighed and stole a short glance at you.

"Goodluck. To the both of us."

He can't say that he's not nervous. His nerves were the reason he invited you outside after all, but seeing you smile at him right after he said those words to you—

"No matter what happens on Saturday, I know you'll be a great hero, Shinso-san." You didn't need to look at him to know he held those words deep into his mind. All you could focus on were your bandaged fingers that were busy tending to the cat on your lap, unaware of the dazed stare Shinso was giving you.

He really can't figure out where you get the confidence to say those things. Even with things that most people don't admit, you can easily say it without hesitation.

Shinso propped an elbow on the table. He leaned his hand, his gaze softening at the sight of you cooing at the feline.

"You will be a great hero too, (L/n)."

You spent that day hogging all of Kyara's attention and Shinso eating all of your cookies with a satisfied smile. 

Chapter Text

❝ A competitive spirit can sometimes drive a person mad ❞

Today, the UA Examination is beginning.

You sat in the seats of the Shinkansen bullet train next to Kaibara, whose shoulders drooped as he landed beside you. Underneath his usual lazy-lidded eyes were dark circles, and he stifled a yawn. You can't blame him— both of you had to go two hours earlier than your schedule since UA is pretty far from Hosu.

But as you stared at Kaibara, a sharp glint quickly flashed in your eyes. "What time did you sleep?"

Kaibara turned to you. He stared with a dull gaze, silently telling you 'You're asking me about that?'

It wasn't a secret that between the two of you, you're the one who can't sleep most of the time. Your sleeping habits only worsened when Shinso started accompanying you via texting each other late at night. But this was your only chance of revenge on this sleepy boy. Call it petty or childish but you need to torment him like how he tormented you about your sleeping habits.

An eye for an eye, they said.

"You're always sleepy even when we trained together, but you rarely get those dark circles under your eyes," right on cue, Kaibara tensed at your explanation. "Until now. Look at that, you have the no-sleep circle under your eyes right now. There's only one reason why that is so."

Your mischievous grin grew wider, to the point Kaibara had to look away while sweating.

"You couldn't sleep early, could you?"

"Why does that matter?" The boy tried to dissuade the topic. He rubbed his eyes, stifling another yawn that came afterwards. "What's done is done, there's nothing else to say."

Your eyes shot wide open. "What do you mean 'there's nothing else to say'?" You tugged on his sleeves but he just averted his eyes. "You scolded me multiple times about my sleeping habits and now that you've done the same thing for the first time, you don't want me to say anything? I think that's really unfair— no. That is definitely unfair. You're biased to yourself and I am calling bullshit."

"But I only did it once compared to you," Kaibara complained, leaning back onto the soft cushion of the seats.

You deadpanned. "At least I slept very well earlier compared to you."

He sighed once again. "Alright. Fine, you win. I don't know what time I slept but I was pretty up late at night."

"Wow, you admitted?" Your shoulders drooped, and Kaibara noticed that.

"Don't act so disappointed!" he chastised. "Of course I'll admit it. What did you expect, I'll argue with you?"

"Maybe. Arguing could be fun." You wiggled your fingers, grinning deviously at the boy. "It brings the adrenaline and anger out of our system, plus, aren't we supposed to be energized for our examinations?"

"We're not arguing." Kaibara shut you down before you could do anything else to tease him.

You blew a raspberry, making his eyebrows twitch. "That's a shame. I thought I was going to get my revenge on you but—" you leaned your head on the cushion behind you. "Oh well. At least I returned your usual question, so that's a win in my book. I guess."

Kaibara kept his mouth shut. He stared at you, unmoving and expression neutral, before he copied your actions and stared at the ceiling. "Whatever makes you happy," he said in that usual tone of his, albeit more tired than before.

You chuckled, but you didn't say anything.

From your peripheral vision, Kaibara closed his eyes, most likely to drown the slight headache he feels after staying up late. 

"... aren't you nervous?" he asked in a low drawl.

You hummed, glancing at the boy who still had his eyes shut. He hugged his backpack tight on his chest, and for a moment, you began thinking about the warmth his body gave when he held you close like that.

You tensed up.

Did you just imagine yourself hugging Kaibara just from seeing him hold his bag? What kind of thoughts are you even having?!

You cleared your throat, ignoring how your neck began to flare at your own thoughts. "I mean— why... why should I be nervous?"

Kaibara smirked at your shaking voice. "You are nervous too, aren't you? That's understandable. We're taking the UA exams after all."

No, you're not nervous about the exams at all. Rather, you're nervous about your thoughts that flashed Kaibara's hug all of a sudden. You pressed your lips tightly together and willed yourself not to be honest this time. "I'm- I'm actually feeling okay. Maybe a bit excited, but I don't feel anything else other than that."

"Hmm.. really?"

You nodded. "Really. I think I got used to this type of stuff since I always participate in journalism contests. There's always some elimination rounds in those contests, so I guess I'm alright with my nerves already."

Plus, how can you be nervous when you can rewind time to your benefit? Sure it may hurt a lot but temporary pain is better than the anxiety of a failed plan. Not that you're planning on failing this plan or anything like that...

There was no reply to your words. Only the sound of his steady breathing and the train rails rumbled around you.

You turned to the boy, watching how he dipped his head down and leaned his chin on his bag. You've said it countless times already, but Kaibara Sen was truly handsome. Especially when he had his eyes closed. His eyelashes looked so delicate against his soft cheeks and even with his dark circles, his skin looked perfectly smooth and rid of any blemishes. It was as if you're staring at a model rather than a soon-to-be high school kid.

But there was a more pressing issue than Kaibara's cute sleeping face:

His sleeping position.

You heaved out a troubled sigh, glancing a few more times at the boy whose head craned downwards to rest upon his backpack. If he continued sleeping like that, he'll end up having a sore neck once you two get out of the train.

You looked at the illustration by the doorway. The station you were going to drop by would be in Musutafu, the location of UA High. But Hosu— your city— was quite far from that place. It would take at least... an hour and a half to get there.

So, taking one last glance to the boy beside you, you grumbled underneath your breath, "Just one time. Just this once."

As you said those words, your hand softly guided his head to rest on your shoulder. With your arm slipping to hold onto his shoulders, you leaned your cheek onto his messy brown hair and closed your eyes. His hair had the scent of strawberry, it almost took you aback at that unusual combination. The belligerent and cool Kaibara with such a cute shampoo scent? If he wakes up, you would definitely tease him about it (and maybe ask where he bought it, since it was a soft scent that even your sensitive nose liked).

The boy was unusually stiff. You didn't know if he was having a nightmare or if the stress oozed out of his face, but seeing him like that made you readjust his head on your shoulder to a more comforting position.

You stayed in that way for an hour and a half, unaware of the boy that couldn't fall asleep the moment your arms slipped around him.

"I knew UA was pretty high class but I didn't expect it to be like this.." Kaibara uttered in pure admiration.

When you didn't utter anything after his comment, he turned to you.

His expression faltered. "Hey.. is everything okay?" 

"Yeah?" you prompted. "Why wouldn't it be?"

You stood in front of UA High, the school with a long time notoriety for being a school where greatest heroes debut.  

It's no wonder why Kaibara and the other students gazed up at the prestigious school with their mouths ajar. To them, UA is a school with a long list of history hidden behind it. To them, it is a school of wonder and hope entangled together.

But to you, it was a sight of your first shelter.

This school was one of the last pillars of hope in all of Japan alongside Shiketsu High from the West. Even after it crumbled into dust, it still protected civilians like you up until the very end. Seeing the building with no cracks and not even a crater right below— it was enough for you to feel grateful and light about this opportunity given to you.

Kaibara kept his lips shut and watched you who stood there, smile growing, examining the world around as if you're carving every second of this day in your memory.

Sometimes, Kaibara wished he could understand everything behind your expressions. Like how your gaze came off strongly and so naturally with emotions that he can't decipher. Because right now, you had that same, wistful smile you always gave to him, and he didn't know how to feel about it.

Kaibara gripped the straps of his bag tightly. "Let's go follow the other students. We'll probably get lost inside a huge building like this so it's better to follow others."

He's not someone like you— he can't read people's body language, nor can he find the right words to say at the right time. But what he could do instead was to wait for you to say the meaning of your actions.

After all, Kaibara will always be patient for you.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" you asked, following after the boy who walked away.

"Yeah. I have to eat or else I'll die later on." He really got so used to your exaggerated words that he ended up using it unconsciously.

You snickered at that. "You're such a noob when it comes to staying up late."

He glared at you, effectively shutting you up. "That's not something you should be proud of. Don't make it a competition."

"Okay sir."

Silence came afterwards.

Kaibara massaged the bridge of his nose while you averted your eyes from the still-groggy boy. Seriously, why is he still tired after he slept that whole 1hr and 30 minutes in the train?  You didn't understand— a short power nap can make people feel energized afterwards, so why is he still tired?

Unbeknownst to you, Kaibara couldn't fall asleep. He'd be damned if he fell asleep after what happened.

Was it worth it? Well, to him, it was kind of worth it. After all he became a little bit closer to you in that pretty short train ride of yours. Every time was too short all of a sudden when he does things with you, but everything was worth it.

...well everything but the headaches that began to spike right now. He didn't know if he'd be alright taking the test if he's handicapped with such a migraine.

Kaibara soon neared a specific door that towered over him. It was where the proctors gave out their rooms for the written examinations.

As he took the paper, he turned to you, asking, "What room did you get? Mine's near here but I can accompany you for a while before the exams start—"

He stopped talking when his eyes landed on air.

Kaibara blinked three times. And another one to make sure he isn't dreaming. He rubbed his eyes once again—but as he opened it, his sight was still correct.

You were gone. 

You were actually gone and five minutes hasn't even passed by.

Kaibara slapped a hand on his forehead. "God, I'm stupid." He groaned to himself. He was about to walk back and look for you, but something blocked him from walking away.

"Are you a contestant?" A robotic voice asked. Kaibara looked below him and saw a squared robot staring at him. "Your written examinations are starting soon. Go to your assigned room immediately."

Then the robot left him alone.

Kaibara stared at the disappearing robot with his mouth agape. He had two thoughts in his mind.

First of all, that was a cool technology. It was his first time seeing something like that and it was awesome. Second of all...

He clasped his hands together and raised his gaze to the ceiling. "I'm sorry in advance."

He's going to take the written exams without you. This is UA he's talking about, and he'd be damned if he was late at such a prestigious school like this. 

You'll hear apologies later on, but alongside those apologies, Kaibara won't be letting you off the hook for suddenly wandering around when the exams were starting. 

He rubbed his temple once again, groaning to himself. 

Just where the hell did you go?

You just wanted to buy a drink for Kaibara's headache.

You saw one right past your peripheral vision while you were walking with Kaibara, and when your eyes landed upon the cold milk coffee upon the machine— you just had to buy one for the boy.

And... you also thought about getting some snacks for yourself as well. There was a vending machine with ramen right there, and you just couldn't resist the temptation.

But now, it seems temptation has brought you into a dire situation. A situation where you have to use all the knowledge you had in your old lifetime and today's lifetime just to escape.

You were in a situation far beyond your capabilities.

"Wah...! This is just so wonderful! It really made my nerves lessen when I realized you spoke English!" Round face, bright brown eyes, and wavy blonde hair with horns sticking out— her English speaking voice was not the only thing that stunned you into place.

"Aha.. yes, I can speak English.. a bit.." Lies. All of those words came out as a lie from your stumbling tongue. "Do you.. need .. um, help?"

It wasn't just your face that burned in embarrassment. Even your body and your hands sweated as heat pooled in your system. Your accent was so thick against the English you're speaking that you can't even understand yourself anymore.

But the girl did. And her once shy gaze turned into a bright one as she beamed at you. "Yes! I was wondering if you know where the written exams are held for junior high enrollees? UA is too big for me to navigate through, so I got a bit lost when I was wandering around."

"Navigate," you repeated, deadpanning at your pronunciation.

Writing in English was something that you've experienced before. In fact, you're one of the top in your class when it comes to your English subject. But speaking out loud and understanding them in the heat of the moment?

You're far too inexperienced for such a thing.

You just overheard someone speak in fluent English, so you asked if she was okay— all in English as well. To think that your actions lead to.. this...

The girl noticed your silence. She blushed. "O-oh! Sorry! I was just really excited when someone spoke to me in my native language. If it came out really overbearing, then I apologize!" She bowed her head lower, making your panic even worse. She's too formal, it's making you feel bad!

"It's OK!" You flashed her an 'OK' sign. "I understand. Japan is very overwhelming, yes?"

That made the girl raise her head. It was as if your words were like Messiah's to her, since her eyes sparkled like you had said something remarkable. "Yes! You understand!"

You stepped backwards, sweating at the lack of personal space. "Yes. I understand..." Why is she repeating your words? You cleared your throat and looked away.

Kaibara wasn't anywhere near you, and judging by the lack of people in the hallway, you knew the test was going to begin soon.

You turned your gaze back to the girl who continued to look at you as if you were a blessing. That brought a shiver on your spine; Nobody has ever looked at you like that before. You didn't know what to feel.

"You're lost?" You had a bit of an idea of what she was talking about before she ranted. When she nodded vigorously, you knew your idea was correct. "Did you go to a professor who gives papers?"

The blonde girl tilted her head innocently. "Professor? Papers? Where do I find them?"

You held back a sigh. "Yes. You are truly lost." You cleared your throat, placing your hand on your chest and smiling. "I can lead you to the professor room. If you want."

Your voice may sound calm and soothing right now, but that's only because you were trying to compose yourself after such an embarrassing situation. Seems like you have to study more about your English pronunciation when you're able to...

"Please, I'd be grateful!" She bowed again, and you just told her to 'Not do that! It's fine!' When she did as you told, she smiled brightly at you and spoke, "You're such a nice person!"

In Japanese.

She said it in fluent Japanese.

You stared at her with dull, unblinking eyes. "Your Japanese... it's good..."

Were you speaking English for no reason? Were you torturing yourself to speak in a way that your ass, who never left Japan, will suffer from?

She simply giggled, scratching her reddened cheeks and shyly looking at you. "Do you believe so? It is still hard to speak but I am slowly getting used to it!"

"Say 'I'm' instead of 'I am'," you offered her a tip.

"I'm getting used to it," she said slowly. Then she turned back to you and squealed. "I sound fluent!"

Her excitement rubbed off on you, and before you knew it, you were giving her a thumbs up and a large grin. "Good job!"

Then she began thanking you again, with you trying to stop her from giving you too many positive words. It's easier to ignore negative and harsh words towards you, but if it's a praise or compliment? You didn't know what to do.

"Um, excuse me." But thankfully, another person tapped your shoulder and gained your attention. "Can I ask a question?"

You looked behind, eyes landing upon a pair of thin brown eyes and short blond hair. He had a muscular tail with the same fluffy hair at its end, and he smiled once your gaze landed on him. "Do you know where the proctor for the first years examination is?"

Seeing this guy speak Japanese made you feel accomplished. Finally! You won't embarrass yourself by speaking English any further!

You silently thanked the boy in your head, who simply looked at the other blonde behind you and your quiet stature. Then his eyes widened. "Oh- I'm sorry, was I disturbing something?"

You shot your eyes open. "No! It's okay! You're okay!" You can feel the girl behind you nod vigorously, but you couldn't help but sweat when you realized she was tugging on your clothes.

Nonetheless, you turned your attention back to the boy with a tail and offered a friendly smile. "We're actually going to get our assigned room as well. Wanna tag along with us?"

A smile graced upon his lips. "That would be really helpful."

It was only when he spoke in that friendly and warm tone of his did you realize why he was quite familiar.

Wait. Isn't this guy that one hero with the name Tailman, the hero skilled in martial arts?

You didn't know him that much nor did you meet him in your past lifetime, but you always watched his interviews with Chargebolt, whom you quite adore due to his sense of style. Hmm, you wondered if you'll see Chargebolt once you pass the examinations. Since he's not yet popular, he probably would feel creeped out if you acted like he's someone important.. you have to prepare yourself not to act too much like a fan in the future, or else you'll be in deeper trouble. Probably.

The two blond/es began following you once you led the way. The girl with horns didn't try to talk anymore, feeling a bit shy and preoccupied by gawking at the huge doors you passed by. You understood her. During your first time going in UA, you were amazed by the facilities inside of the building as well. You liked how it catered to all Quirks including to mutants. It always left you in awe, even until now.

"My name's (L/n) (Y/n)," you said, catching their attention once again. "What about you guys? What's your name?"

"Ojiro Mashirao," the boy said. His voice was a calming one, holding an air of formality while also being friendly at the same time.

"Tsunotori Pony!" The other girl said, smiling towards Ojiro. "I'm sorry if I say something wrong in advance. I'm still working on my Japanese that is why you need patience!"

You stifled a laugh, watching how Ojiro nervously chuckled at the friendly girl. "I do think I have some patience, but thank you for telling me," he said.

"Same goes here," you said, craning your neck a little to grin at Tsutonori. "It should be 'Be patient with me', not 'You need patience'."

Tsunotori released an understanding sound. "Be patient with me..." she repeated, and she beamed at you again. "It sounds better than what I said!"

Yes, you nodded, it really does sound better than telling Ojiro he needs some patience.

Then it went all quiet afterwards.

Tsunotori was busy measuring the entire hallway with her eyes, while Ojiro was mostly lost in thoughts. He would occasionally do small talks with you, but you weren't the best at answering and so the conversation always died down.

But that was fine with you. They're most likely feeling nervous about the practical examination, which was pretty much understandable. After all, there were at least ten thousand examinees this year, and only forty strong students will be in the Heroics Course.

You shuddered at that ridiculous amount of examinees that can pass. To think that they'd only accept forty people out of ten thousands...

Forget the 5% statistics. It's more like 0.4% will be enrolled in the Heroics Course. That's a percentage that can make anyone's jaw fall into the depths of hell.

"Thank you so much again! Thank you!" Tsunotori was about to bow, but when you got ready to tell her it's fine, she stopped herself. Instead, she just beamed at you and said, "I will never forget our nice meeting!"

Both you and Ojiro exchanged glances, a nervous smile plastered on your faces. You're the first one to tear your gaze away from him. "Yeah, it's really fine. Go do your best in the written and practical exams, Tsunotori-san."

She nodded, her lips pursing into a determined pout. "I will try my best to pass the Heroics Course. That way, I can see you guys again!"

Ojiro's expression softened. "Me too. I hope there will be familiar faces I'd see if I do end up passing."

You smiled, stepping away from the two and glancing at your slip of paper. You were assigned to room 3-B, so you have to go up the third year's floor. "Well, I'm definitely sure you guys are going to pass," you said, unaware of how your words made their eyes widen. "So let's meet again in the Heroics Class, Ojiro-san, Tsunotori-san."

Your voice didn't waver. Of course it didn't. You knew the future and even if you didn't tell that to them, they would still end up passing the exams and become a hero with license. They'll be heroes that every civilian will end up being in awe in the news.

When you raised your gaze at the unusually silent response, Tsunotori's eyes ended up watering. "You are so nice...!" She lunged at you to hug you, but you side-stepped before she did. No matter how cute the girl was, she was still a stranger to you so there's no way you'd let her hug you—

The girl almost fell on the ground. But Ojiro's tail caught her before she could.

Your eyes widened. "O-oh! I'm sorry!"

Tsunotori, who stood up after gaining composure, whipped her head in your direction. She beamed. "It's alright! I understand Japanese people does not like intimacy from strangers!" She showed you an innocent thumbs up, only making you feel guilty even more. "That's why I want to ask.." then her voice became quieter.

She glanced at you, fidgeting with her thumbs. Her cheeks were a bit rosy but she managed to get her words out,

"I- Can I exchange your number!?"

You flinched at her loud voice. Ojiro, who somehow expected this, ended up chuckling at how flustered you suddenly became. Why wouldn't you be? A stranger was asking you for your number, a cute one at that! What's the correct response to that kind of question?

"Um..." you pointed to yourself, glancing at Ojiro who just gave you an encouraging smile. Then you looked back at the blushing Tsunotori right in front of you. "You want to exchange numbers. With me?"

Tsunotori nodded vigorously. "If that is okay with you!"

The more you stared at her round and doe-eyes, the more your resolve ended up breaking. "I mean. Sure."

If you thought the beam smile she had earlier was bright, then you thought wrong. The wide opened smile that she gave you when you agreed to her could only be described as a light closer to the sun— a blinding expression, the smile of an ecstatic angel.

Suddenly, you had a new contact in your phone. Your friendliness has finally reached out into its new heights.

The written exam was shit.

You didn't study that specific subject in Modern Hero History, so you had a hard time guessing which one of the choices you should pick. You decided to just sing in your head and picked the choice that your pen fell under after your song finished. 

After two more hours of doing that, the written portion was finally finished.

You found Kaibara outside of the classroom you were assigned in. He began apologizing to you, even going as far as to offer you a custard bread that he usually buys when there's a vending machine nearby.

Of course, you took it. It's free food so why would you pass it off? But you're not entirely shameless. You reassured him multiple times that it's okay, since you also didn't notice you were gone until you looked for him.

Then finally came the Practical Exams.

Your seat was next to Kaibara, considering the two of you were from the same middle school. He handed you a bottle of water, propping his elbow onto the table and leaning. "I hate that written exam so much," he grumbled while you took the water bottle from his hand.

"That, I can agree with." You opened the lid, making sure to drink the water without touching it with your lips. You don't want Kaibara to feel uncomfortable with you drinking directly into his water bottle.

Kaibara just watched you with a frown. "I haven't drank from that just yet."

"Yeah, that's why I'm not drinking directly from it. You'll need this more than me later on, so—," you patted the bottle to his chest, with Kaibara's hand brushing against yours while you passed back his bottle. "Good luck to the both of us later on."

He stared at the bottle with an unreadable expression. "Right. Good luck to you, as well."

You struck up more conversation with the boy, waiting for the instructor to come.

Everyone knew that the written examination was just a fluke, and that the real challenge begins in the practical examination. But what exactly is the practical examination? What kind of things would you need to do to pass that? 

Many students, who didn't pass, often said that the practical exam was a fight against dummies. Some said that it was a rescue exam, while another said that it was actually a team-building exam in the middle of a dangerous battle. UA High was thorough and unpredictable. Even if they reject a couple thousands of students, their secrets will never be simple to the eyes of the media.

What does that mean, exactly?

It means you will go through this examination blindly.

You may know the future, but you actually don't know about the coverage and goal of the practical exams. Which should have made you worried or anxious. Because your plan was supposed to start here.

But failure wasn't the end for you. Whatever happens after this exam, you'll know what you need to do.

Also...

"To all the listeners in here, welcome to my live performance!"

How can you even be nervous when there's a human-microphone hero right on the stadium?

"Woah, it's Present Mic." Kaibara voiced out the thoughts in your head.

If this was the normal you who was ignorant of the future, you would have been frozen in excitement at the pro-hero whom you listened to every Friday night. He's a popular pro-hero. He's someone who was really nice and in-tuned with his fanbase. Who wouldn't like this guy?

Aside from his friendly and outgoing attitude, Present Mic was a hero you truly looked up to.

When the world was in dire need of someone to cheer them up and give them hope, he was there alongside the others with his enthusiastic grin. When he helped evacuate all the elderly and kids in an entire region, he was there with his entertaining voice. He was someone who never failed to lighten up the dark atmosphere, a hero that gave everyone the escape they needed in that bleak future.

But when he sacrificed himself, like the other pro-heroes, to fight against All For One, that smile on his face became no more.

Now, you're seeing Present Mic grinning beyond the stage, full of life and rigor...

How can you not feel happy about this situation?

"Everybody say YEAHHH!!"

With grateful emotions that threatened to burst, you clenched your fist, grinned, and shouted, "YEAH!"

You were the only one who did that.

But it didn't matter. It didn't matter if Kaibara flinched at your sudden actions. It didn't matter if the people around you began to think you're crazy and dumb for doing such childish things. None of that mattered to you now.

All that mattered was that Present Mic, one of the heroes who deserved to live, was still alive.

And it was all because of your Quirk.

Present Mic's grin didn't falter. He pointed in your direction and shouted, "Examinee Number 4884, you are an amazing listener!"

You flinched at his words. Instead of being embarrassed by your sudden shout, you were more flustered by his (by Present Mic's!) compliment to you.

Kaibara noticed that. He pressed a hand on his mouth and stifled his laughter, but he yelped when you kicked him on his shin.

"—to the listeners present in this stadium, I'll give you the guidelines of your practical examinations. Are you ready?! "

Once again, "Of course!"

Kaibara was really baffled. "Oi, seriously?" he whispered to you, "Everyone's staring at you."

But you simply stuck out your tongue at him and looked away. You've died more than six thousand times already and you're just happy to see this guy right here. Who cares about the people who were judging you? You don't have a reason to be embarrassed. You won't see them anymore once the exam ends anyway.

Present Mic's grin became wider. "Examinee 4884, your number truly precedes you! An awesome listener with an awesome number, your enthusiasm might bring you luck in this type of exam!"

With his compliment striking you once again, Present Mic began to explain the examination.

It was pretty easy to understand.

Robots with points will attack you, you disarm or trap or entirely defeat them, you get points depending on the type of robot you defeated, yada yada. But there were two things that you noticed in this stadium.

First of all, there were four types of robots included in the pamphlet— but Present Mic only introduced three of them. There were no pointing system displayed for this robot in the pamphlet either. You wondered what the goal here was. There's no way they just forgot to add its points here; UA can't be that forgetful, can they?

Then the second and last thing you noticed was that muttering in the air...

"You! With the curly hair!"

You blanched. The hell is this guy doing, openly calling out to someone like that in the middle of ten thousand people?

Kaibara sucked in the air through his gritted teeth. "Wow, that's embarrassing."

You refused to look at where the flustered shrieking came from. Everyone was staring at that guy anyway, so you don't need to add more pressure to his embarrassment. "If that was me, I'd jump off a river and drown instead."

Kaibara sighed at your exaggerated words (he didn't know you meant it). "Even if he was being really loud, he doesn't deserve that kind of treatment."

"No one does. Unless they're really annoying and they're ruining everyone's lives. The guy was just muttering and fanboying to himself, he's not entirely bothering people now, is he?"

He hummed in response.

The explanations continued. Apparently the fourth robot was a 0-pointer, which makes it extremely useless. But because it's useless, its strength and durability were tripled the amount of the other robots.

Basically it's a hindrance robot.

Poor robot. It's been reduced into a distraction, nothing more, nothing less.

"If I were that robot, I would rather push myself off of a bridge filled with piranhas and sharks."

Kaibara just deadpanned at you. "Are you alright?"

"No. I just feel bad about the robot."

Kaibara couldn't even begin to say what was wrong about your words. Of all the things you felt bad about, it just had to be the robot.

In the end, he just sighed at your antics and looked away.

You and Kaibara had to part from each other again.

Apparently, they're not letting anyone from the same school team up with each other. You were placed in Arena C while Kaibara was in Arena D.

You kind of expected that. Most would think about joining forces in these types of situation, so it's only natural that UA would separate everyone who had the motive to work together.

But Kaibara was devastated.

He kept grumbling how he wanted to show you his fighting style, and he was sulking the entire time you went out of the stadium. But you patted him in the head and told him, "If you want me to see your skills, just do your best and get a high score."

That definitely fired him up.

Now here you were, standing awkwardly by yourself while you clicked on your phone's timer.

The numbers [7:59:59] appeared on your screen, making you place the phone inside your bag and stand up.

This one was going to be a real boring exam, isn't it?

The people around you stretched, preparing themselves for the battle that was going to happen beyond the gates. Most of them held an intimidating presence, but there were some, like you, who stayed behind the backs and just watched.

"OKAY, START!"

You paused from stretching.

Wait, what? So suddenly?

It seems everyone was thinking the same thing as you did. They stared up at the tower where Present Mic stood in silence, and nobody else moved. 

"What's wrong?! There's no such thing as a countdown in real life! Now go and run! There's no going back now!"

You gaped at the hero. He wasn't wrong, but the suddenness of everything still shocked you. 

It was only for a few minutes, but the silence in the air broke when everyone started running at full speed.

Ah. So it really was the start of the exams.

Snapping out of your daze, you dragged your feet to run inside the gates. Everyone was struggling to fit inside the big-ass gates. They pushed and pulled each other to gain advantage in speed.

You didn't need to do any of that.

You held out two of your arms and crossed them over each other. "Chains!" you shouted. The chains poked out of your arms and darted at an incredible speed, then—

Crack!

Your chains stabbed onto the gates, digging itself further to keep a tight grip. And with that out of the way, you pulled yourself up and shot another chain to the wall.

Before you knew it, you were already hovering above everyone by the gates. You didn't need to focus too much on gaining attention. That's why the moment you reached inside the gates, you pulled the chains back into your body and rolled on the ground, landing on your feet.

Now, you smirked. Time to start the plan and get the hell out of here.

You ran around, gazing into the fake city created by UA.

If it weren't for the robots that fell one-by-one as students began to find them, you would have enjoyed exploring around such a peaceful street.

But alas, you just continued in your stroll, ignoring how most examinees that you passed by were just staring at you in pure confusion.

You had no points. You weren't doing anything except walking around and noting your environment. Present Mic began telling you to do something or else you'll be disqualified, but even then, you only attacked two or three robots with your chains.

In other people's perspective, you looked like the type of person who didn't know what they were doing. Someone who can't prioritize the most important thing in this exam.

But if anyone can see right through your undeterred gaze, they would know:

This was the second most focused you've ever been in your entire life.

You continued on with your 'stroll'.

"How are you?" you asked Kaibara.

If he was sluggish this morning, then he's definitely even more exhausted after this day. His shoulders slouched and his eyelids drooped.

"Just peachy," he muttered under his breath.

You hummed at his answer, then continued walking to the station with the boy. You didn't need to strike up any other conversation— you were adamant on leaving it at that, and Kaibara himself wasn't complaining.

While you waited for the train, he actually fainted on your shoulders and you had to drag him inside the Shinkansen before you missed your seats.

You glanced at your phone, seeing the numbers [4:25:56].

To think that the whole examinations and its aftermath took at least 4 hours... if you weren't relaxing the whole time, you would have been tired like Kaibara here. 

It took another hour and a half before you got home, and when you did, you sat down on your bed and began drawing on your notebook. You created a blueprint that you tried your best to remember, adding little notes here and there.

It took a long time, but your timer finally rang. You glanced at it, seeing its number struck into the negatives.

"Well, good luck to me then," you muttered to yourself. You stood up, glancing one last time at your notes before letting fire erupt on your entire body.

This time, you'll crush that examination with this plan of yours.

[You have died]
Reviving 8 hours prior]

Your eyes shot open.

The first sight you laid upon was the ginormous gate in front of you.

The people around were still stretching. Some began shouting in enthusiasm, some walked near the gates to get a headstart, while some withdrew away from all the chaos.

You glanced at your phone, seeing the numbers [7:54:32] by the timer. You placed it in your bag and walked forwards.

Each of your step were filled with confidence and assurance, a sight that was far different from the 'you' who stuck behind the crowd earlier on.

Those who caught your stride all looked at you with a scrutinizing glare. They must be thinking you were a relatively easy opponent, someone who's not physically fit and battered enough to compete with their points. Oh, and they must also think you were someone dumb for responding to Present Mic earlier like a child.

This should be where you would've felt anxious at their judgmental stares, or even terrified of making a huge commotion.

But this time, those judgments of theirs— they made your body tingle in excitement.

"OKAY, START!"

You shot your chains to the wall, stabbing it deeply until the cracks formed.

And before anyone else could blink, you already flew high into the air, not even stopping to breathe. Everyone snapped to you, and what they saw, in the midst of their confusion and surprise, was a wide and devious grin on your face.

"See ya!" you accompanied it with a laugh.

Then you shot another chain on your legs, letting it propel you forwards in a fast momentum.

It was a huge advantage for everyone to be stuck in place like that. They were all stunned in silence, unable to move their body at the suddenness of everything. But it seemed like your stunt caused some to act faster than before.

The sound of an amused laughter came behind you, and when you looked at where it came from—

"Nice Quirk you got there!" A boy with a triangular grin shouted for you to hear. Tapes that came from his elbow held him up the same way as it did to your chains, "But I think I'll be the one maneuvering better than you!" With a smirk, he shot another tape on the wall and winked.

He flew past you after his words. You stared at him with an agape mouth. You expected people to have a mobility Quirk, but somehow, you didn't remember that a guy with a tape Quirk would be in the same arena as you... His actions almost stunned you into place. 

But when you saw where he was heading, you clamped your mouth shut and smirked.

"Well then, memory—!" You shot another chain and let yourself be pulled to the side, far, far away from that tape boy. "Don't fail me now!"

It was just as you expected. A 3-pointer raised its robotic gaze up to you, locking upon your form that was high up in the sky. With its multiple guns embedded in its face, it blasted towards you without hesitation.

Most would find this robot difficult, being the most versatile and heavy-loaded than the others. But with knowledge about its attacks, you were the one at an advantage.

Chains appeared on your shin, shooting on the ground, which allowed you to pull yourself down, barely missing the bullets that pierced above your head.

You tumbled, rolling into the ground and shooting out your chains forward to stop you. The momentum of your fall was far too strong, you had to dig your shoes to the ground to fully stop yourself. The friction of the cobblestone scratch against your soles, and you would have paid attention to that scorching pain if only you didn't notice a looming figure casting its shadow above you.

It just so happened that when you landed, you actually fell right in front of that 3-pointer robot earlier— and you were a lot closer than what you initially calculated.

The 3-pointer raised its metallic arm upon you, preparing to smash it down on your position. But you wrapped your chains around your arms like armor, raising it to block the attack.

Clang!

Chains and steel met. 

You skidded backwards, broken stones by your feet flew everywhere and ashes covered your sight. If you weren't grabbing onto the metallic arm right in front of you, you would have flown into the air. But as you glared through the mist of dust and ashes, you saw the disorientation in the robot's body.

Now's the chance! And with a grin, your chains darted out of your palms, wrapping around the metallic arm that you held. More and more chains came out from your arms and your legs, and in one last second—

You crushed the robot with ease.

You pivoted on your heels, darting your chains to the walls and pulling yourself up to the next direction once again.

Strolling around during the first try was such a great idea.

When people thought you were just dazed the whole exam, you actually focused on remembering every detail from nook to cranny of the city. You've memorized the layout. You even remembered where most of the robots were released, as you drew a map and marked them on your notebook right after you came home.

To others, doing such a thing was bothersome and difficult. Who would have any resolve to actually memorize a place that they will only see once in their lifetime?

But of course, it's you. You rarely put focus on anything except writing and surviving, but when you do—

You're not going to do it half-assedly.

The rest was all a blur.

Your body reacted well with adrenaline. The more you pushed yourself, the stronger your chains became. It was a double-edged sword, and right now, it leaned more on the positive side. The only downside was that: you couldn't control the maniacal laughter and grin that came every time you destroyed a robot.

But it's all fine. Your sanity may deplete at this moment, but when you tested it out before, all you needed to do was drink water and sleep so that you can take control over your sanity again. Pretty easy, wasn't it?

You dropped down into a destroyed building, eyes darting at that huge pile of rock at the end of the streets.

There were also moments like these where people became trapped after someone accidentally destroyed a building. And you, with your chain Quirk, you often pull those rocks away from them and run before they can see you. It's better for you to have less interactions with people when you're on your crazy mode, so you tried not to interact with anyone at all. Even if that was a bit difficult, since so many of them kept getting stuck in difficult situations or under rubble.

You ran in the middle of the streets, heavy steps thundering across your ears. You passed by someone who went in a different direction than you, and you wouldn't have paid attention to that person— 

Until he reached out and tapped you on your shoulders. 

You turned your head, eyes meeting blue periwinkle ones and a confident smirk. "I'll take that Quirk, then!"

You dug your heels onto the ground and skidded to a stop. When you raised your gaze, you watched the blond haired guy continue running past you.

What the hell was that?

Maybe it's your crazy, adrenaline drawback that's been keeping you on edge today, but without any hesitation, you chased after that blond by shooting your chains to the side and propelling yourself forward.

He clearly didn't expect you to chase him back, so his eyes widened when you started running next to him. Then he saw that grin on your face. "Can you copy my Quirk?"

The widening of his eyes didn't go unnoticed by you.

What a surprise. You've caught the attention of the copycat hero, the Phantom Thief, and now you're running side by side with him. How wonderful was that? The shaken and confused look that he had only made you chuckle. 

"I got two Quirks," you told him, stopping from running. "One of them is my chains!"

You shot out the steel chains to the 1-pointer in front of you.

The Phantom Thief watched how your lips formed into a crazed-grin. "And one of them is this!"

Then he gasped and staggered backwards when blue fire bursts on your arm. The flames slithered through your chains, travelling faster until it reached the robot trapped by the chains. In just a few seconds, the blueflames raised higher and hotter, until finally—

The robot exploded.

You watched how metals burnt into crisp fell like rain above, and you let out a satisfied sigh. That was what you wanted to try with your Quirk. You were curious if you can combine two of your Quirks together, and to think that it actually worked. 

You turned your head to the blond, who stared at you with the same, disoriented eyes. He has such pretty eyes, you tilted your head. "You saw that, didn't you? Now which one are you going to copy?"

The blond snapped out of his bewildered gaze. "What- how'd you know—," 

You beamed and pointed to the south.  "Come on! You can take that one robot right over there. I'll lead you to it!"

You beckoned him with your hands, grinning wider when he narrowed his eyes at you. He's probably feeling like there's something wrong about you, to which you can't really deny. You were feeling kind of crazy right now and you can't control your emotions because of your drawback. 

"Tch, are you a lunatic?" He grumbled under his breath, though he followed after you anyway.

"I guess I'm a bit crazy right now. It's my Quirk's drawback. Your eyes are really pretty by the way."

The blond choked at your words. "What?!" A fierce blush came over his features— he didn't expect anyone, in the heat of the battle, to suddenly say something like that. "You are crazy, aren't you!"

"If you keep staring at me with your pretty eyes, I'm definitely gonna go crazy!" 

He began spitting out incoherent words, which made you laugh the entire time.

You stopped running, turning to face the boy with a held out hand. "I'm (L/n)! (L/n) (Y/n)! You are?" Instead of answering, the blond aimed both of his hands at you, and your eyes widened. 

You ducked down when he shot out chains from his arms. The chains trailed past your head, and when you looked behind your shoulders—

Crash! The remains of the robot fell down right behind you.

You gaped at the familiar power, eyes sparkling at how he used that so effortlessly.

He huffed, retracting his chains and smirking at you. "Monoma Neito. Now, what were you asking once again?"

The boy's confidence was threading the line between smug asshole and cute, you couldn't help but grin at him even more. "I think I was just asking your name earlier but I'm not sure now. I got distracted by how amazing your Quirk is. You looked so effortlessly cool, Monoma-san!"

Monoma reeled from the suddenness of your compliment. You've been complimenting him nonstop since earlier, most of them were about his eyes. He thought you were just trying to catch him off guard, but..

"Now do it with my fire Quirk! Try it!"

The enthusiasm and excitement in your tone showed that you're really invested and true to your words.

"Oh, but my fire Quirk will hurt a ton if you're not used to it, so unless you have a nullifying Quirk alongside your copying, then maybe don't use it?"

When he got over his initial shock, Monoma couldn't help but let out an absurd laugh. "Did you think that I can't handle a simple Quirk like yours?"

You gasped. "You can?"

Monoma ran a hand through his hair, smirking at you. "Of course I can! What makes you think I can't handle such a weak drawback?" He agreed, as his ego swelled ten times its original size.

"That's so cool!"

He turned around right as you said those words, his ears tinting pink. "W-well what are you waiting for?" He motioned with his head, trying to keep up with his confident vibe. "Lead the way to the enemy!"

With a grin, you nodded vigorously and shot your chains forward. You didn't care if you left the blond behind— you knew he had your Quirk anyway, so he can handle himself.

And just as you thought, the boy easily followed your lead.

You didn't know how long you've been fighting.

All you knew is that whenever Monoma was on the verge of being laser swiped by the robots, you'd help him and lead him to safety. He always became surprised when you do that, especially when you wrapped him in your chains and held him in your arms as you ran away. That one, you think, you deserved getting scolded for. You were basically carrying him bridal style or— even worse— hugging him. You understood why he would be so befuddled by that.

Even though he ended up relying on your Quirks, his way of fighting was far too different from yours. Monoma was cautious, careful with how he delivered his attacks while still delivering a large impact to his enemies. 

But you? You were the epitome of aggressive fighting.

Monoma almost had a heart attack when you slid underneath the robot's legs and pulled it down on you. He only stopped from trying to interfere when he noticed how you shot yourself up in the air by using the robot as your momentum.

He already felt it the moment he saw you laughing while you were fighting, but really, your fighting style was too insane. What's even more insane was your scarily accurate intel that you blurted out at any time whenever you were in a new area.

"There should be a 0-pointer coming out in 10 seconds."

Your ridiculous statement made him turn his head to you. "Ha? In which direction is it?" But what's even more ridiculous was how he believed your words instantly.

You silently counted down, facing the south. "It's there! Let's go!"

And this was another ridiculous thing that Monoma had been dealing with. 

He grasped your wrist, noticing how your bandages were becoming loose and red the more you used your Quirk. "Just stop moving around for a second!"

You flinched. "Eh?" His voice was suddenly really angry. Why is that?

He frowned. "You said it's a 0-pointer. We can't handle that thing when the exam is almost ending. We're all tired, and I'm sure you feel that fatigue as well."

"Well, yes, but—"

"Are you going to suggest coming after that thing, then?" Monoma gritted his teeth. There was a second of conflict that swirled in his eyes. You noted the way his hold on your wrist wavered, and you noted how he forced himself to tear his hand away from yours. "Ugh! I don't even know anymore! Just do what you want!"

Then he turned around to stomp away from you. You didn't understand why he looked so frustrated. Sure, it's a 0-pointer so normally you should avoid it because it's useless— but who said that it was actually useless? Maybe there was a reason why it's there aside from being a hindrance, and if there was a reason, you weren't going to let that chance go.

He was almost a few feet away from you, until he stopped when an equally heavy step came over his ears.

"It's the 0-pointer!"

You and Monoma whipped your head to the location.

In just one simple step, a gust of wind almost blew all of you off of the ground. You coughed, waving past the smoke and raising your gaze up. The sight that greeted you made your eyes widen.

The 0-pointer... it was too far from your expectations. It towered over every building, including the tallest ones, loaded with armory and holes to shoot lasers out of.

It was an enemy you wouldn't be able to defeat.

"RUN!"

You ran. Everyone did. Every instinct told you that this thrice-the-size faux villain was a far too advanced enemy for any of you. If it was shown earlier on, then you would have easily defeated it.

But you knew you were reaching the limits of your stamina, and so did everyone else.

That's why all of you continued running, without looking back and without stopping for anyone else.

"Agh!"

But someone tripped and fell into the ground, and you were wired enough to stop, darting your head in their direction. "Hey!"

You ran to where that person laid still.

You halted right before them, kneeling down next to their body. It was then did you feel the pressure of your drawback— your emotions were heightened, your senses lowered. This person's yellow hair and bruised face were blurry even as you faced them directly, but you didn't need to care about that.

"Can you run?" you asked, holding them up. The person groaning only confirmed that the one you're holding onto was a guy, but you brushed all of those off. "I'll carry you. I hope you don't feel violated by what I'll do."

The blond let out a dazed 'huh?' but he ended up shouting when you pulled him up and slung him on your shoulder. He was heavy for someone like you, but the adrenaline coursing through your veins didn't let you falter. You readied yourself, putting all the last remaining forces on your soles.

"W-w-wait!"

Then you dashed, releasing a chain on your free arm and shooting it forward.

Huge debris of the building plunged down upon you two. "Holy crap!" The guy shouted as you barely dodged it. If it weren't for your chain-Quirk securing your escape every time the building collapses, you two would have ended up becoming stuck and injured under these piles of rocks.

There were only the two of you left in the area of the 0-Pointer. You can hear some people shouting at you to hurry up, but you can't discern their voice.

Your legs constricted, but you pushed through the pain. When you tried to shoot out another chain, your arm became limp. You couldn't even find the time to be horrified at the sudden numbness on your arm— you needed to run away first. You can't waste any time panicking in this situation. 

But the body weight on your shoulder and the numbness of your muscles made you slow your pace.

Was this another drawback of your Quirk? Unable to shoot any more chains? Black dots dancing around your eyesight as you tried to keep it open? More pain?

There was so much a competitive and adrenaline-rushed body can do, but once it nears its end, the body would shut down. You knew that. And you were gradually feeling that in your body, too.

You gritted your teeth and looked behind you.

The 0-pointer caught up so easily. Its large steps cut through all the distance you created, and it was then you realized how unfair it was to have such long strides, even if it was a robot.

You turned back around, preparing yourself to collapse in the middle of the broken roads.

"Crap," you panted. You willed your eyes to stay open and you forced out chains to pull you away faster. "I'm going to pass out. You- you better run away when I pass out, got it?!"

The sight of students yelling at you two was blurry in your eyesight.  Any minute now and you're close to fainting—

"Hey!" The boy slapped a hand on the back of your head. You snapped out of your painful daze. "I'm sorry but please endure!"

You eyed him, narrowing your brows and shouting, "What are you talking about?!" How dare he slap you like that. 

"Please continue running even if I do this!"

You clicked your tongue. You didn't get what he was saying, but you knew you can't stop. If you do, you'll fall behind with this guy being part of your trouble. He didn't seem to have a lot of strength in running anyway so everything was all up to you. 

But then, a spark of yellow came through your peripheral vision. Flickering with a familiar energy that made your eyes shot wide open. "W-wait, you—!"

"Stay awake!"

Electricity jolted through your veins. You yelled in pain, all of your blood rushing and flowing fast inside your body.

Forget all the drawbacks you had. That one single spark caused you to snap out of the crazed and exhausted state you were earlier. As if a splash of cold water was thrown upon you, your entire body ached and your senses awakened. Whoever this was that literally shocked you, you didn't have time to care about it.

All you need to care about now was the end of this examination of suffering.

With that renewed energy and electricity coursing through your veins, you shot your chain as far away as possible. Until it finally landed on one of the buildings where everyone was staying. The 0-pointer wouldn't be able to go there. There's a line that'll prevent it.

You gritted your teeth. You held tight onto the boy on your shoulders and shouted, "Fuck this, it hurts so much!" 

And you let your Quirk pull you into safety.

"ANNNDD! TIME'S UP!"

You didn't know what happened after that.

You dropped on the ground, rolling from the impact your chains had pulled you into. The body on your shoulder also fell alongside you, but he was a lot safer compared to the landing that you did.

You groaned, flipping over your back and looking up at the sky.

Nobody crowded over you. Thank heavens they knew what not to do. But as you slowly closed your eyes, a silhouette rushed over you in an instant.

"Oi! You crazy— I already warned you that going into that is like suicide— don't- don't faint!" The ever-familiar voice rang into your ears. Only one person would call an exhausted and on the brink of death person 'crazy'.

You breathed heavily, closing your eyes to catch your breath. "I'm okay... I'm not going to faint..."

Another silhouette loomed over you. This time, their voice brought annoyance in your head. "Oh my god, are you okay?! I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry!"

This piece of shit who shocked you while you were trying to save him had the audacity to ask if you were okay?

You breathed in once again, calming yourself down.

When you felt like you were slowly getting picked up, you rolled out of their way and pushed yourself up. "I said I'm okay!" you snapped, ignoring how every part of your body ached.

But then your eyes landed upon wide, yellow ones. His blond hair and the familiar black electric bolt caught your attention.

Is that... Chargebolt?

The boy clasped his hands together and bowed his head. "I'm so sorry!" His ever-familiar voice only brought you more into a daze.

That's Chargebolt.

That really is Chargebolt.

This time, you wished you could have fainted instead.

Chapter Text

❝ Let's have the fun we couldn't experience before ❞

The 0-pointer existed to hinder the examinees from farming easy points. They weren't there to harm anyone, but to inflict danger and urgency instead.

The entrance of this faux-villain was supposed to be where the Plus Ultra of some are unraveled, and right now, the staff of UA were examining the clips of every Plus Ultra in all Arenas in the exams. 

"That green-haired boy has quite a heavy drawback," one of the heroes observed.

A certain Number 1 hero's ears twitched. He was currently in disguise instead of in his hero form, so he didn't think much of it when he poured his attention sharply at the mention of his successor.

"Reckless he may be, but the kid has some potential," Cementoss said, leaning his head on the cushion of his seat.

Ectoplasm hummed. "If we're talking 'bout potential, then we can't leave out that explosive kid by Arena A. That guy's tough! He focused solely on fighting. Didn't even have a single Rescue Point."

"And yet he's almost at the top of the list purely by fighting," Midnight pointed out. "But the one that bothers me is that kid with the dual-Quirk. Chains and Flames, wasn't it?"

They all turned to where Midnight was staring at. It was a screen that showed Arena C.

"It's a unique combination," Midnight said, her eyes following the bandaged student whose grin showed an unstable side, one that was filled with crazed entertainment and a rush of adrenaline. "It's probably mutated genes, since Chains and Flames are two unrelated concepts from each other."

The others nodded, thinking the same thing as the woman while All Might hummed to himself. "It's not impossible to have that kind of Quirk combination, but... Mutated genes are quite rare in the fourth generation," he said, turning his gaze back to the screen. "It's even more rare in the fifth generation, which this kid belongs to." 

"Well..." Midnight placed a hand on her chin. "It's understandable if the kid's parents had Chains or Flames as their Quirk, but according to the document, the parents' Quirks are quite normal." She looked back at the screen, then narrowed her eyes. "What's bothering me even more is how exactly the kid dealt with the faux-villains."

The blond loud-mouthed hero placed both of his hands on Midnight's back seat. "Hmmm... that kid..." He squinted, leaning forward to get a better view.

Midnight's eyebrows twitched. She turned her head above and glared, "Don't lean on my seat too heavily!" 

But Present Mic pushed the pro-hero's seat even more, earning another complaint from her. Then his eyes widened when it all clicked, and a large grin overtook his face. "Hey, would ya look at that?! It's that Examinee no. 4884! Kid's pretty cool, huh?" He skillfully avoided Midnight's annoyed words, as if he was already used to her being irritated around him.

All Might sweatdropped, but he turned his attention back to the screen.

"Well, I don't know about that," Ectoplasm spoke up beside All Might, "Some of our faculty members did end up becoming restless because of them.."

All three heroes stopped their movements, heads turning to the one who spoke.

"Eh? How so?" Present Mic asked.

"Well..."

"They can sense where the faux-villains are located." A new light-spoken voice appeared beside them. "Or rather, they know where it'll be released. 

The four heroes looked down, finding the sight of a three-foot-tall mouse wearing a formal outfit. Most people would likely freak out at their first sight of a talking mouse, but the faculty members have gotten used to it. Of course they have—

That's their damn principal.

And right now, he sat back down in his seat and smiled at the screen, beady eyes focused on the bandaged student who ran away from the 0-pointer villain.

"Can you rewind at the start of the exams and just focus on that examinee?" Nezu asked Ectoplasm. He nodded and did as he was told.

All Might furrowed his brows and glanced at the principal. "What do you mean they know where the faux-villains will be released?"

"It's as I said: they know the locations of all the faux-villains." Right at the screen, everyone saw the way the student shot up into the air a few seconds after Present Mic announced the start. It was a shocker for him to see that, but Present Mic brushed it off as that examinee being really good at responding fast to certain situations.

But it seems like this was more complicated than just a student with a 'fast response time'.

"Can a normal person really be able to locate all those things without any type of X-Ray Quirk?" All Might asked what has been prevailing in their mind.

Nezu simply kept his smile. "Who knows? That examinee is an interesting one."

"That, I can agree." A new voice, Snipe, joined in the conversation. "Only because everyone panicked at how accurate that kid's navigation through the city was."

Midnight's eyes widened. "What?! What do you mean 'accurate' navigation?" That can't be possible, they all thought.

Of course it can't.

Every examination was held in a different arena— and with Cementoss there, the entire place was built to be like a maze. Unpredictability is UA's strongest characteristic after all. But now they're saying that someone saw right through all that, even without the use of a Quirk?

It's almost laughable. But—

"It's exactly that," Nezu answered gleefully. "They’ve seen right through our city's blueprint. How they did that is something that even I can't answer just yet."

What's more shocking was the fact that the smart principal had acknowledged that he had no answer about this topic. They can't refute it any longer. A kid, who had two unrelated Quirks, saw right through their unpredictable plan and used it to gain an advantage on the exam.

They turned back to the screen.

"Well, they’re really... passionate? Quite selfless as well." Ectoplasm sweatdropped.

The principal covered a paw to his snout, stifling an amused laughter when the examinee pulled three robots to themselves and made them crash into each other. And they did all of that with a laugh, something that everyone noticed immediately.

This kid has no sense of danger... All Might sweated. The others definitely noticed it as well, but seeing someone like that when it comes to fighting— it was pretty concerning. Of course, he values a selfless attitude for a future hero, but if selflessness means the lack of regard for your surroundings and your own body during unnecessary times, then that's where problems will arise.

"That kid is different from All Might," a low voice drawled.

All Might flinched. Did someone realize he's All Might?! The voice came from someone who approached their group, and when he raised his gaze—

"Oh! Shota! You actually participated!" Present Mic waved with a grin, but he was ignored by the man dressed in all black.

"While All Might is the type to be a selfless idiot based on the situation—," another flinch from the weakened All Might, "— this kid has no sense of danger at all. Nothing to keep them safe from harm, none of that. You can't be selfless if you don't know what kind of danger you'll put yourself into."

It was rare for the usually aloof teacher to join in on the analysis of the clips, but there he was, tired lidded eyes staring intently at the screen where the examinee talked to a blond one. To say that the staff were shocked would be an understatement.

Midnight mirrored Present Mic's grin, albeit a little smaller. "You rarely leave that spot by the entrance. Did you really find that kid interesting?" she asked in her teasing voice.

"More like I find them troublesome,” but Aizawa was quick to respond.

Nezu hummed, clearly delighted by the teacher's participation. "What makes you think they have no danger senses? If you look at their reaction to that 0-pointer faux-villain, you would have seen how immediate they were on their feet."

Aizawa huffed. "Yeah, immediate to run and immediate to stop when there was someone to help."

All Might didn't get along well with the lethargic underground hero, but now that he's in his weakened form, he knew Aizawa wouldn't recognize him. And so, he asked, "Aren’t those the values that the school wanted the students to have?"

He tried not to flinch when a dark gaze glanced at him.

Aizawa was silent, analyzing All Might with his glare. Then he looked back at the screen. "I never said it's a bad thing to be selfless."

All Might heaved out a heavy sigh. Nezu just snickered at his reaction, making the hero heat up in embarrassment. He coughed to hide it. "The-then what did you mean by your words?"

"I meant it like that. They have no sense of danger. Being selfless is one thing, but being unable to think that a situation is dangerous is another." Aizawa placed a hand on his pockets, craning his head to look at the top screen— it showed the kid, whose bandages were becoming loose and wounds opening up, rushing to pick up the electric blond boy and dashing away. "Combine those two together, and you'll get a person who will abuse their own body for their own goal."

Present Mic released a confused sound. "Whaddaya mean they’re unable to think the situation is dangerous? Look at them when the faux-villain appeared! They definitely went running because they knew it was dangerous!"

Aizawa scoffed. "They ran because they knew they couldn’t defeat it in their state. In the end, it's all practicality. Almost all practical and logical heroes still feel fear once in a while— even that green-haired kid who broke his bones, he hesitated at first before saving the girl, didn't he? But look at that kid over here.” He motioned to the bandaged student. “Just by their movements alone, you'd know that they didn't fear any consequences. Instead of knowing their limits, that kid moved. They didn't hesitate even when they were on the brink of collapsing."

His words dawned upon the staff. They watched how the examinee, who was close to fainting while running, ended up pushing themselves even more by throwing their chains at all places. No matter how you looked at it, what Aizawa said was true:

"A hero who does not fear anything..." Nezu placed a paw in front of him, smiling at the screen. "It seems very interesting, don't you think so, Aizawa-san?"

Aizawa sighed. "I told you, that kind of mentality is troublesome. Idiotic, even." There was a slight irritation, a slight edge, on his tone as he said that. "Not everything should be solved by endless self-sacrifice."

He didn't let anyone say anything else. He turned around, leaving the rest of the staff quiet to themselves.

All Might watched the disappearing form of the tired teacher. His words may sound as if he's insulting the kid, but there was something underneath it: a dread, a bad experience that led him to that mindset.

"But the kid's still cool nonetheless! Especially when they laugh while dominating the battlefield. Didn't that look so badass?!" Present Mic broke the tense silence with his signature grin.

All Might sighed, while Midnight began teasing the loud pro-hero by saying he has a favorite student all of a sudden.

Amidst the bickering teachers was the quiet principal. He gazed at the papers on his lap, seeing the name '(L/n) (Y/n)' to it, and with the Quirk section being marked by red...

"Huh." Nezu's smile widened. 

A few hours before that...

Every examinee halted in their place. Their breathing was heavy. Some were injured and some were bruised, but none of that made their stares waver. Not the small robots carrying the unconscious, not the 0-pointer helping some students stuck in a rubble, nothing could stop their surprised stares.

Nothing except the sight of you.

There you lay on the ground, black spots dancing in your eyesight as you stared up at the sky. 

If it was someone else in your position, they would have already fainted from how much exertion your body went through. Just the sight of your reddened bandages and your excruciatingly heavy breathing was enough to show them that you've overused too much of your Quirk in that round. 

But you couldn't faint. Your body was still thinking it was in danger, with your heart throbbing and blood pumping in your veins. So you just laid there, staring in silent suffering as you tried to catch your breath.

The crowd watched in dread as two blonds began to hover around you, panicking. They weren't you, but seeing you like that seemed so painful even for them.

"Wow... that was intense.." one of them breathed out, eyes staring wide-eyed at your laid figure. Your entire face was covered with ashes and scratches, eyes closed and ready to doze off. They thought you wouldn't make it. In their view, you were carrying a person while you were already tired— and yet you still kept on running.

"Are there even any drawbacks to their Quirk...?" one whispered. Alongside your running, you continued using your Chains as if you weren't tired; as if you didn't have any limitations.

In a way, they were awed and terrified of that showcase.

The small robots began to make their way to you, but as their metal claws tried to lift you up to the mattress they were holding—

You rolled out of the way, pushing your torso up to sit. "I said I'm okay!"

Silence blew in the area.

Most of the people stared wide-eyed at you, who sat up quite easily despite the aches in your body. But when your eyes met the electric blond right beside you, you went rigid. And everyone only had one thought in mind.

"They're..." one of them gulped.

"THEY'RE ALIVE?!"

You snapped your head to the side when everyone screamed. "Why wouldn't I be, assholes?!"

Uncomfortably, your lips were curled into a snarl, a sight that made the judging crowd flinch.

You ended up snapping before you could even realize it. 

It's a bad thing to have tons of judging eyes on a person with the sanity of a frayed string, so you said (in your mind) that they deserved it. They were basically assuming you're dead, and that's a huge insult for someone who can't die.  

Instead of apologizing for your shout, you turned back to the two blonds next to you. To say that they're appalled is an understatement.

Chargebolt raised a shaking finger. "Y-y-you—!" His eyes were comical wide, his jaw dropping as he stared back at you. "You haven't collapsed yet?!"

What's up with these people, thinking that you're dead or you'll collapse just like that?

Sure, your body hurts like hell, and black dots actually appeared right before your eyesight, and the wounds on your legs, arms, and even neck were burning. You hate it, you hate the pain so much— but that doesn't mean you can't force yourself to endure it. You may be a dramatic bitch, but you're used to situations like this.

"You- are you a dancing squid?" Monoma blurted out in bewilderment.

Alright. Forget this guy's pretty eyes. He just compared you to a food, to a dead squid that dances when soy sauce is poured over.

“Did you guys talk to me just to insult me?” you spat out, hissing a sharp breath between clenched teeth. 

You don't look that beaten up, did you?

"Oh dear..." The sound of an old motherly voice sliced the air instead. When the three of you raised your gazes, it landed on a familiar elderly lady with a small stature. Your eyes widened, freezing at the way she walked towards you.

She stared with a frown. "Even that green-haired kid isn't as beaten up as you.. you should have let the robots take you to the infirmary."

She was scolding you, but you didn't focus on it. Instead, your eyes went still on her.

The elderly lady still had that gentle and caring look on her face. A stare that could make your weak knees buckle and sob, a warm stare that whispered it was alright to show your anguish.

It was a stare so familiar that you couldn't stop yourself from asking, "Recovery Girl... are you real?"

The two blonds next to you tensed up. They were obviously showing how your words shocked them, but you didn't care. Was it because you're lacking mental stability right now? Was it because you're too emotional, too much in pain, that you're not caring about anything else anymore?

Whatever it was, you wanted to confirm something right in front of you. "Or just— please heal me instead." 

You wanted to confirm if this was truly the Chiyo you knew.

"Yes, yes." Recovery girl sighed. "You don't need to ask me that. That's the reason why I came here anyway."

Recovery Girl was the one who led the lone shelter you resided in after UA collapsed. To you, she was just Chiyo, the only salvation of your shelter.

Chiyo had always been worried about you. She cared for you a lot in your old lifetime, even going as far as to give you most of the supplies that the shelter had, And because of her kindness, everyday, you ended up remembering everything about her. She never let the hopeless situation deter her. She was a warm and caring person through and through.

That's why you mourned for her when she never went back to the shelter.

You didn't know if she died somewhere, but you did know that you cared for her more than you could have shown her. 

You were brought back to reality when Recovery Girl extended her lips and kissed your cheeks.

A wave of drowsiness washed over your body. It pulled on you, heavily weighing over your shoulders and even your legs. You can feel the blood stopping from dripping, and while your scars are still there, you feel like your body is anew.

You looked down, clenching and unclenching your hands. Huh, you never thought you’d feel that same healing once again, but here it was... It cradled you again, like a heavy blanket, warm and comfortable... You were really in the presence of the Chiyo that you knew.

When the silence continued to prevail, you raised your gaze to Recovery Girl.

" Stare ..." Recovery Girl frowned at you.

You stared back at her.

But that was the wrong move to do, apparently.

BONK!

"Ow!" You raised both of your hands over your head, cradling the throbbing pain. What the hell? She'll heal you but then she'll also slap a ginormous syringe on top of your head? Forget all the wounds you have— you might become dumber just because of that syringe's weight. "What- what was that for?" you whimpered.

Recovery Girl's frown only deepened. "I just healed you. Why aren't you sleeping?"

You blinked once. "Oh."

How can you answer that question? Nobody would ever believe you if you said you 'experienced a much more exhausting situation' that made you able to ignore even your desire to sleep. So what's the best thing to say to this question?

You scratched your cheeks and smiled, "I don't feel tired yet."

It was a lie. You felt like you were gonna collapse but you wished you really did. The only things stopping you were the electricity in your blood, the adrenaline in your veins, and the instincts that were used in letting you stay awake when you had too much adrenaline.

You were too busy in your mind to even realize that your words made you look more absurd to the people around you.

"Hm, well, if you have the energy to stand up then you should get stretching immediately," Recovery Girl said. She turned her head to the side, scanning the area.

Just as you thought she would leave, she faced you once again and bonked you in the head.

"Ow!" You leaned down, shielding your head with your arms above it. Again?! What's with her strength all of a sudden?!

"You better get home and rest well, okay?!" Even though she was shouting, her voice was as soft-spoken as you remembered it was.

You're sure that you'll have a bump on your head, or if not a bump then a stunt on your growth spurt, so you just nodded at her words. Hoping that you'll satisfy her and she won't bonk you like that again.

This time, Recovery Girl huffed and then walked away. Most likely to treat other students who were suffering from their injuries.

As you massaged your head with a pout, Monoma nudged you with his foot. "Hey," he said, catching your attention. "After all that running and overusing your Quirk, are you really not tired or is that just your drawback waking you up?"

Out of all the people in this arena, Monoma was the only one who knew about your Chains' drawback. Loss of pain receptors, sudden alertness and adrenaline rush, he stopped using your Quirk when he felt that drawback in him. It was a drawback that made him stagger on his feet the more he experienced it, but...

Here you were, blinking up at him innocently while you sat on the floor.

"I think I'm okay," you said. "That electric shock made me feel all the pain and suffering from my fatigue so I know I'm out of my numbed state already."

Right as you said those words, the other blond kneeled down the ground and began doing a dogeza.

You almost forgot about him being near you.

"I'm really, truly sorry for doing such a thing to you but I had no choice so please forgive me, I promise it won't ever happen ever again so please take my word for it," Chargebolt continued on with a fast and even tone.

You wanted to get mad, or even annoyed. Cause damnit, that electricity definitely snapped you out of your numbed state. Feeling more pain was such an exhausting state to be in, you'd rather be numbed when it comes to it.

But how can you be mad at Chargebolt, the guy with such a cute and carefree attitude? 

"It's okay! It's okay!" The more you stared at his hair with that unique black electric stripe, the more you realized that you were really talking to Chargebolt himself. And now he's bowing. And now you're embarrassed cause what is this situation? "You don't need to bow so please get up!"

Chargebolt raised his head. Seeing his golden set of eyes staring at you widely, you couldn't help but avert yours.

"It's- it's thanks to you that I even had the chance to continue running. So it's okay."

If there are deities listening to you, they're really giving you a hard time. Imagine being electrocuted by one of the heroes that you actually liked?! Resentment and anger, after experiencing that, is okay, but if it's for Chargebolt—

Then you can throw those emotions out of the window.

You tried to glance back at the blond, but you faltered when you saw the slight guilt in his eyes. Your wounds must've looked really bad earlier, that even the cheerful electricity boy couldn't get it out of his conscience.

Then a memory came over you.

It was about an interview for Chargebolt during his internship. You still remember snorting at his answer when the interviewer asked what he wanted to experience just once in his life. The interviewers thought he was joking, and you did as well, but..

Jokes were half-meant as well, right?

"If- if you really want to make it up to me then..." you summoned all the courage you had, facing the boy who perked at your words.

He waited for you to continue your words, urging you with his pretty shade of yellow eyes. 

Summoning up all the courage you had, you cleared your throat. "Wanna... go get boba milk tea someday?"

Chargebolt's eyes widened. "Eh?"

His answer to the interview question was: 'I want to get asked by a girl on a date!'

It sounded really silly to you, but it was quite endearing to see a young hero act his age. That's the reason why you liked tuning into his interviews— he's entertaining, and he makes you feel like the new generation of heroes were actually the same age as you.

As someone who thought that you could achieve nothing in your life, it was pretty inspiring to see that you could also be successful like these kids if you tried, too. 

Chargebolt pointed to himself, confused. "Are you-,"

"Yes, I'm asking you for a date. Do you accept or not?"

This must be the drawback making you talk. It must be. Cause there's no way you'd be saying something like this without stuttering or accidentally using a harsh tone.

He was dazed for a moment, eyebrows furrowed with a little bit of an agape mouth. But there was a click in his head. A click that made realization dawn upon him. 

His cheeks flared red and he leaned forward. "Wait, you actually asked me out—!"

"If you're going to flirt then do it where everyone doesn't see you." Monoma interrupted. 

Seeing how both of you faced him, he turned his head to the side haughtily. He glanced at you from the corner of his eyes and scoffed even louder.

"Do you flirt with everyone you meet?"

You scrunched up your nose, offended. "No? Do I look like the type to flirt with everyone I meet?"

"Yeah, well, you seem to have no trouble buttering up people whom you just met," he said with a bitter voice. You couldn't hear it well, but he grumbled something under his breath and then looked away.

Chargebolt was still dazed by your invite, asking you if you were actually serious. To which you nodded of course. But Monoma would occasionally pop-in, saying things that either flew past your ears or— no, it actually just flew past your ears.

"Then, can we exchange numbers?" Chargebolt, who was now a lot more cheerful than when he was earlier, asked you. He perked up. "Oh wait. I don't think I've introduced myself yet!"

He held out a hand, with a cute and dorky grin adoring his face.

"Kaminari Denki, but you can call me yours!"

You stared at him with an unblinking gaze.

Monoma groaned, placing a hand on his face. "Oh, so that's why you're getting along so well," he said under his breath. He opened his mouth to retort another one, but he stopped.

Kaminari's eyes widened. "Holy crap."

Your cheeks started to flare up. Literally. There were blue flames dancing upon your skin, and it was all because you couldn't stop yourself from feeling embarrassed. "I- well? What?" You didn't know why you felt that rush of heat on your face— no, you did know that Chargebolt- Kaminari was the reason for that, and now your throat ran dry, so you couldn't even utter a response.

Kaminari was elated at your reaction. "You're actually embarrassed! You're so adorable!" 

Even Monoma was baffled by your reaction. "Wait— you can say those pick-up-lines to others but when this guy says it to you, you break?"

You groaned, raising both of your hands and covering your face. "I don't know! I was taken aback! Stop looking!"

Kaminari just laughed. His own cheeks were flushed pink at such a cute reaction, that he can't help but say, "I think I actually fell in love at how cute you are right now."

Oh my fucking hell, no.

You sunk even lower to your hand, wishing that you really should have passed out earlier already.

The sound of someone huffing caught your attention. "It seems like I'm bothering something between the two of you," Monoma jeered in the most mocking way. "I'll leave you two love birds behind. Whatever happens to this crazy lunatic, I won't care."

You snapped your head up, the blush on your face dying down. The blond was quick to stomp away, making you reach out. "Wait, Monoma-san! We haven't exchanged numbers yet!"

Your words halted him for a moment. But it seemed as if you were hallucinating that slight hesitation, since he cackled behind his shoulder like he wasn’t even stopping for you. "Then you just have to pass this and meet me at the Heroics class! I'm not going to exchange numbers with a lunatic!"

He seemed more of a lunatic than you, with the way he was laughing boisterously to himself while walking away.

You pursed your lips, eyes furrowing. So much for good impressions... 

First, you snapped at Chargebolt, then you acted annoyed at everyone in the vicinity, and then came the Recovery Girl situation, lastly was Monoma thinking you're a flirty kid... well, it most likely looked that way because of your dumb drawback giving you no filter.

Groaning, you covered your burning cheeks again with both of your hands. Speaking of Chargebolt... you peeked behind your fingers, and there he was.

Kaminari still had that awed, amused, yet dazed expression on his face. But he snapped out of it when you began to tear a small piece of your bandages.

"Name's (L/n) (Y/n)," you introduced yourself. Even if warmth rushed through your veins, you ignored it. You wiped a few blood off of your bandages, and what you did next made Kaminari's eyes pop out of its sockets.

You handed the piece of bandage to him.

"Here's my number. We can talk about our details later." The end of the examination was going to happen soon anyway, so you don't have time to catch up with this boy.

Kaminari's mouth hung open idiotically. He glanced at the slip of cloth on his hand, seeing a number written down with blood, then he whipped his head back to you. "No matter how you look at this, this is too hardcore!"

He was baffled. Kaminari wouldn't mind exchanging numbers with someone as cute as you— but he didn't expect it would happen in this way. He thought it would be more romantic and more sweet! Not this whole: 'electrifying them and then receiving their number via blood.'

But you didn't seem to care. You just coughed into your hand, refusing to look at the cute boy right in front of you. "Well, we can't really be picky now, can we?" 

Then you forced yourself to stand up.

Ugh, your body hurts so much. It all felt so heavy against gravity— you should have fainted instead. Maybe you can make yourself fall asleep and act like you fainted..?

Forget it. You're wide awake and now you're just feeling pain instead. Great job, body.

You bid Charge- uh, Kaminari farewell. You thought that was going to be the end of it, but he stood up as well and followed you.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked those types of questions, and you would answer properly. But then he'd follow it up with a cute boyish grin that made you malfunction even more—

You really need to rest. You can't even handle a small conversation with a boy like him. You always end up short-circuiting, unaware of how the boy became more and more captivated by your reactions.

You didn't know this, but it was the first time someone actually reacted that way to him. And seeing that had made Kaminari's day even better.

To say the least, it was a pretty tiring walk through the hallways.

Kaibara gaped at you.

"You look like shit," you said, walking past him.

He snapped out of his daze. "Me? I look like shit? What about you?!" he said incredulously.

He followed after you, giving small glances at everything that his eyes fell on.

Even though your bandages had been cleaned, it was actually a lot thicker than normal. Instead of the cute band-aids, bandages wrapped around your forehead and even on your jaw. You truly looked like a mummy right now. That's why you didn't stop once to look at Kaibara.

Why would you? This was pretty embarrassing.

"Can you actually walk?" Kaibara asked.

Your eyes twitched. "Of course I can! I'm walking right now, aren't I?"

"You look like you're going to pass out in the middle of the road."

You just sighed, averting your eyes from his peering stare. "I overused my Quirk," you confessed. "But other than that, I just need sleep. And water. Do you have any water?"

"I drank it all earlier." He frowned, watching your shoulders droop. He knew you're not telling him what entirely happened for you to be so buzzed out like that, but he just turned away. "Want to grab some drinks along the way?"

You nodded. "Yeah, I think I'd appreciate that."

The two of you walked in a comfortable silence. Both bodies were heavy from the fatigue, but you caught the slight stride from the brown-haired boy. "I take it you did well?" you asked, amused at his straightforward body language.

Kaibara turned to you with a tired smirk. "Yeah. It was pretty easy to deal with. There were some cool people I met, one of them had a really useful Quirk." He took his hand out of his pockets and began to motion. "He could weld anything he touches together. His robots became an easy target for me, but he did have a potty mouth when I began to take his welded points away from him."

You couldn't help but snort at that. "You took away his points? What are you, a thief?"

Kaibara's eyes twitched. "Hey. I wasn't purposely taking his points! He just happened to merge all my targets, so I had no choice but to take them out." He dipped his head and grumbled. "But the one watching our exams actually said that I didn't get any of his points since he incapacitated the robots before me. Apparently those robots belonged to him even if I tried to take them away."

You burst out laughing, making Kaibara's cheeks flush red. "You got told your efforts were wasted! That's so embarrassing!"

"It wasn't that embarrassing." He argued, but that only made you laugh harder.

"It's okay—" you coughed out from laughing too much. "It's okay. You did really well. They—" you wheezed, "They probably thought you're the type to sabotage others instead of helping your fellow heroes."

"You're laughing too hard." His entire face twitched in a hot embarrassment. But he just sighed exasperatedly when you tried to muffle out your teasing laugh. "Besides, Present Mic said it already. All of us in the same arena were enemies. It's a fight against other people's skills and time, so my actions are justified."

You chuckled, shaking your head at this one-track minded idiot. "I guess that's true. Good job!" You patted his back, earning yet another flustered sigh from the boy. "You sound like you did great. You even made a friend!"

Just when you thought you finished laughing, Kaibara deadpanned. "He was calling me 'asshole' the whole time. I don't think we're friends."

You broke out into hysterical laughter once again.

Kaibara dragged you to the station, his cheeks heated up while he told you it's not funny. But you just continued poking fun at him.

He ignored all your teasing remarks with his straight face. He even threatened you that he won't buy you a drink if you kept on guffawing at his mistakes— and that shut you up quickly.

With a cup of coffee in his hand to keep him awake, and a lemonade in yours, the two of you settled for a calm silence as you waited for your train ride. It was a nice contrast compared to your loud bickering earlier.

"How about you?" Kaibara spoke up, sipping his coffee beside you. You didn't know why he ordered coffee in this timeline. During your first time after the exams, Kaibara didn't even have the energy to go to any place aside from the bullet train. And when you went inside the train, he dozed off pretty fast.

Kaibara's voice interrupted your thoughts. "Did you meet someone new? And interesting?"

Whatever changed his mind to drink coffee, you shrugged it all off. "I uh.. met a foreigner. If that's what you're asking."

Kaibara blinked. "A foreigner? Did they speak English to you?"

"Yeah... she actually did.." You sweatdropped, remembering the interaction you had with her. "And, uh.. I also met a friendly guy with a tail, and a guy who can copy Quirks. That's all." You purposely left out Kaminari shocking you. If Kaibara heard that, you don't know what kind of reaction he'll have— but you were sure, it's probably not good.

The train arrived just as you finished speaking. You walked in with Kaibara, sitting down on your reserved seats and relaxing at the soft cushion.

Kaibara smiled as you closed your eyes in bliss. The fatigue had settled down when you sat— you were ready to doze off already.

"You're surprisingly being friendly now," Kaibara pointed out.

You opened your eyes and glanced at him, frowning. "Is that a bad thing?"

He shook his head. "No, it's actually a good thing. I thought you'd be more like... uh, more distant. To everyone. It's different from when you were in middle school."

You hummed. That's true. You did notice that as well. 

"I guess it's nice to see other people around me," you mumbled. You closed your eyes, unaware of the boy who continued to stare as you spoke. "I can't forever isolate myself from everyone, you know..?"

He let out a low and warm chuckle. It was a comforting one, a small laughter that lulled you into slumber. "Yeah, you shouldn't isolate yourself."

You felt an arm slipping around your shoulders. If you weren't so tired and exhausted, you would have protested about it. But your closed eyes were glued shut by fatigue, and the soft voice that whispered made your consciousness drift further.

"I'll wake you up when we're there," Kaibara whispered, gently bringing your head to his shoulder. "Sleep well, (L/n)." His soothing words came like a soft spell to your ears.

You drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

❝ The day when everything feels different. ❞

Being in an alleyway has always been a familiar experience to you.

They might be cold and uncomfortable, but back then, the small spaces provided so much comfort rather than just running around in the middle of the streets with nothing but crumbled rocks to hide from. At least, in some way, alleyways gave you a chance to rest; at least it gave you some moment to be safe, for a while. 

Now that you're back in time, you don't have to experience that any longer. You're back in the past, with all the comfort you could get. With all the warmth, the home, and the safe place for you to rest, and you should have been satisfied by that.

But alleyways have always been familiar to you.

They're like a painful reminder of your future, just like the scars on your body. 

You can call it being suicidal or having a death wish, but here you were, standing in a dark alleyway once again. Pinned to the wall, with a knife threatening to slice your throat, and a man glaring holes to your body.

A familiar scene in a familiar alleyway.

"You should be careful about what you say, kid."

You welcomed this familiarity without any protests. 

The guy holding the knife growled. His pupils were dilated, but the anger in his eyes made him sober enough to speak.

You could have escaped from here. From the moment you followed this guy muttering inside an alley, you could have ignored him and went on with your life.

But death with the promise of a reward tempted you to come here.

There wasn't a guarantee that this man has a Quirk— you know nothing about him after all, you only got glimpses of him on the sidewalk. But if there was a chance he had a useful Quirk, you still needed to try it. 

And so you approached. You spoke to him, watched him like a hawk, pushed all the buttons that you could just for him to get mad.

Get mad, he did, and now it led to this situation.

The ends of your lips curled into a challenging smirk, glancing down at the knife that slowly inched towards you. "I don't see what's wrong with what I said. I'm correct, aren't I? You are polluting the air, and you are a bother for the people. Can't you just do something else besides being useless and acting like trash to everyone around you?"

Now, that was quite rude. 

Those were the kind of words that you should never say to anyone, ever. But at this moment, there are bad things you have to say for you to get what you want. If it means being the shittiest person with the sharpest tongue in the world, then so be it. 

"You don't understand what the fuck you're saying," the man growled out. "Everyone says the same thing, they don't bother to know why I do it— they don't bother to see if they're the reason why I do it!"

He pushed the knife near your throat, cutting through your bandages. It's such a sharp knife, as if he had been brandishing it, waiting for a chance to do something like this.

Although sloppy, he still held his glare. "Do you know why I do it?"

The man raised his knife up. 

"It's because of judgmental pricks like you—!" And slammed it down on the wall next to you. The blade buried itself into the broken cement, but you didn't flinch nor did you budge an inch.

You can see it first in his eyes. The tension of his muscles, and soon the inability to think would follow.

"So what?" 

The man's sunken eyes stopped on your manic ones. He froze, watching how a wicked smile crawled on your lips.

"Is it such a bad thing to judge someone like you? I saw what you did to that store clerk earlier. You're not entirely a good guy now, are you? You act like you've been hurt by everyone when all you do now is hurt others to make yourself feel better." 

Reading irrational people was an easy thing to do, but provoking them was easier for you.

The irrational man looked as if he was ready to circuit— his breath started quickening, the veins in his forehead appeared more and more obvious. And he reverted to his old habits. "You piece of shit!" The man grabbed your neck and you hacked up some air.

Suddenly, the liberal opinions of his humanity were gone. His ability for nuance and physical generosity were gone too. 

And so, you grinned, accomplished. This was what you've been waiting for. Now you just have to ignore the pain that follows, and wait for the rewards to come to you. 

But such wishful thinking was not possible in this alleyway of familiarity.

In just a second, a structure of ice stabbed the man's side.

The ice came out of nowhere, temperature lowering at a freezing degree, and that made your eyes shoot wide open.

Drip, drop. Blood dripped down on the ground below you, and the man's eyes,—... his sunken gaze were equally as wide as yours. It was only for a second, but a flash of emotions came upon his eyes; shock, fear, and agony. But as fast as it happened, as fast it disappeared. The light in his eyes turned sullen,

Until he dropped to the floor.

You could do nothing but stare as his fainted body stayed limp, how the sharp ice melted, dripped, and steamed into nothingness. The absurdity of the situation hadn't settled yet in your mind, so you didn't hear someone step into the alleyway.

"It's you again."

You raised your gaze, landing your eyes upon someone with a light blue parka.

His face was hidden behind the darkness of his hood, but even then, you could see how his eyes shone against the shadows. On his palm was a trail of water encasing his skin— it was obvious he had done this. Just like how it was obvious that he knew you.

"I don't understand," he mumbled. He dropped his hand to the side, staring directly at you. "It's always you who let yourself be in danger yet you dare not fight back. You're not weak, quite the opposite, actually. So why?" The moment he uttered those words, you remembered where you saw his outfit before.

He was the hooded guy who watched you during the incident with Tsukiko.

He waited for an answer to his curiosity. He watched you, intending to not leave without satiating his desires for answers. 

But the more you kept quiet, the more questions swirled in his mind. "You've fought back before," he started. "But this time, you are the one seeking the danger. Why is that?"

The air around you turned thinner— or was it his Quirk that made it harder to breathe, harder to feel the normal temperature?

Narrowing your eyes at the approaching boy, you asked, "Who are you?" He didn't seem to be anyone you know from your memories.

"You could have died again." He didn't say it as if he was worried. Instead, his voice showed how confused he was by your actions. "Once death touches you, everything is over. There is no afterlife for you to survive in, nothing to continue from."

You didn't notice how closer he had gotten, until he had trapped you by the wall. With one hand on his pockets, and the other reaching out to your cheek...

You slapped his hand away, and glared. "You're not here to kill me, are you?"

He ruined your plan. 

You could have gotten that man's Quirk had it not been for this guy's interference. If he decided to kill that man, then he should have decided to kill you as well. At least then you'll have a new Quirk to add to your Quirk list.

But with how he acted right in front of you— you doubt he would ever kill you. 

The boy, who seemed to be of your age, tilted his head to the side. Even when he was near you, you still couldn't see past his hood. "Do you... want to die?" His voice was low and sullen, but it held that childish curiosity that you knew all too well. "Why?"

You didn't want to answer that question.

Keeping your mouth shut, you turned your head to the side. At the corner of your eyes was the sight of that man's dead body. No, wait, you can see how his breath constricted as his chest heaved in and out. He was still alive, but he's in a painful state that granted him no consciousness to help himself. 

A continuous state of agony between life and death. 

To think that this boy had done such a thing without any hint of mercy.. He's not a hero, but he tried to 'save' you even when you didn't need to be saved. So what was he? Was he a vigilante? Was he some kind of hero from the future, but you just had no idea about him?

"He's going to die," the boy said, bringing your attention back to him. "I haven't killed him yet. His wounds are clotting and he's going to suffer more as time passes by." He expected you to reach up to your phone, wherever you placed it, and call up an ambulance or even the police.

But he didn't expect you to brush past him without any other glances.

You turned your back on him, squatting down near the almost-dead body of the man. "He's suffering, right?" you asked in a voice that never wavered, not even when he manipulated the temperature around him at its coldest. "Even so, he can still hear me while he's like this. Am I right?"

"He should be conscious enough."

The hooded boy watched you stand up, a contemplative silence striking the alley in your slow movements. 

But everything, the silence, the boy's composure, broke when you stepped on the lying man's body without hesitation.

"I'm sure you can hear me," you said with an even tone. You pushed further, making your foot heavier against the half-conscious man's face. "But I'm sure you've already learned your lesson even if you can't hear me. That wound that you received right now? It didn't happen for no reason after all."

The blood that dripped earlier had stopped. With the ice skillfully trapping his bleeding wound's vessels, you knew how painful this situation right now was to this guy. That's why you stepped even heavier, eliciting a hitch of a breath from him. 

Breathing was the only thing he could do. He can't fight back, he can't scream at you, he can't push you away. He can only feel the pain that you inflict upon him, and that's all that mattered to you at that moment. 

"If you were just a stranger who I knew nothing about, I would have pitied you even just a tiny bit. But you're not just a stranger. You're a predator acting like your actions are of a victim. People who justify their wrongdoings instead of repenting are people who I hate the most."

You've seen this guy around Hosu for months now. You've watched him grope, touch, and even riot when a girl he harrasses ends up reacting at his shitty actions. You tried calling for the police against him in the past, but he always found his way out of the charges thrown at him. He always says the same thing to the women that tell him off, 'You don't even bother to know why I'm doing it!'

"Nobody cares about the reason why you're doing shit." You dug your heels onto his face, not caring if it made bruises upon his skin. "You don't need a reason to justify it. You don't need a reason to continue doing it. Remember this pain and words forever: you're scum, and that's why this happened to you." 

People like this man had been a norm for you back then. In a world where the rules were rewritten as, 'the strongest survives while the weakest dies', everyone will do whatever it takes to overpower the weak. In all different ways, they began their hunt for the weak. And in all different ways, people like this man had multiplied and showed their true colors.

You took your foot off of his face. The sight of his pale skin and painfully wide eyes that begged for help... "You should be glad this is the only thing that happened to you. Count this as a mercy, if you'd still like to feel a bit of hope in the future."

With those as your last words, you turned back to the hooded boy behind you. He had been quiet for a while, letting you talk all of your thoughts to the half-dead man.

"I'm going to call the police on you," you said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "No matter how you look at it, you still used your Quirk illegally to hurt someone."

You brought up your phone, typing the number of the police and staring at the hooded boy. He neither flinched nor reacted to your words. Did he not understand what you were saying?

You sighed, pointing at your phone with a frown. "I'm telling you I'll call the cops. Why aren't you running away?"

You're giving him a chance to escape. Even after he sabotaged your death and your attempt to get a new Quirk, he still tried to save you. That's why you'll look the other way for this boy— he didn't kill the man anyway, so he's not exactly dangerous.

"Why should I run away?" he asked, tilting his head even more. "I can kill you two right here if I wanted to."

Pausing, your eyes raked over his form. From his battered and slightly soggy ends of his parka, to the white fur of his hood— you knew he wasn't bluffing. He's someone who looked ragged and disheveled, but it was obvious from his posture that he was someone who trained until his body got used to its physical toll.

"Your flames are weak," he said, making you turn back to his hooded face. "Even if fire melts ice, my ice can overpower yours in just one second. You're weak enough for me to kill."

"Then why don't you do it?"

There was a brief pause. "What?"

"You keep saying you can kill me, so why aren't you killing me?" With the way the temperature around you turned colder, and with the way his water-dripping palms turned into little icicles earlier— you're sure his Quirk would be useful to you.

The ability to turn anything into a powerful structure of ice, and the ability to even lower the temperature around him... You wouldn't mind getting killed by this guy over here if it means you'll get his Quirk.

He was quiet for a while. Only the sound of you tapping your phone and the dripping of sewage water came through the quiet alley.

"You want to be a hero, but you also want to die," he said slowly.

You raised your gaze and narrowed your eyes at him. "How do you know I want to be a hero?"

The boy didn't respond. Instead, he looked away and faced where the entrance of the alleyway was. "You should leave."

"I'm not going to leave, not until this guy has been taken to the hospital." He didn't answer your question, but you had a hunch on what this boy had done before he appeared to you. "Have you been following me for a while?"

He was quiet once again.

Clicking your tongue, you looked down at your phone. "I'm not sure what you're so curious about, but you won't find anything interesting about me."

You can just rewind the day and try to avoid this stalker guy after all. But... you glanced back at him, catching him staring at you.

You have to admit, you're curious about who he was as well.

Maybe he's someone important, someone whom you'll have to remember in the future. Or maybe, because of you, he will do something that will affect your plans. 

You're curious, because this time, you didn't know a future where someone like him existed.

The line on your phone clicked. "Hello?" you began, your eyes holding a steady glint as you stared at the boy before you. "There's someone who's extremely hurt. He needs help."

As you spoke to the person beyond the phone with your acting skills, the boy waited for you to finish.

When you finished telling the person on the phone about the address, you grimaced at the hooded boy. "I told you to leave, didn't I?"

"You're unusual," he finally said after a few minutes of standing still. "I told you earlier, why should I leave when I can kill you instead?"

To say that you were annoyed would be an understatement. "Like I said, why don't you do it instead of just barking with no bite—"

It all started as a small icicle, then it slid down on your bandages, trailing until the end of your fingertips.

... until the ice gathered in your arm and burst into a glacial structure.

You gasped, eyes widening at the ice that trapped you. The glacial structure was sharp and cold, it chained your arm down onto the floor. Then you hastily stared at the hooded boy, finding his one hand raised into a beckoning form.

He didn't even shoot it out of his hand. He just made ice appear from thin air.

"I told you, your weak flames won't be a match for me. Anything that can be turned into ice, I can control them."

He walked towards you once again, shortening the gap between you two.

"That's why you're cornered now. You have nowhere else to go." He stopped a few feet away from you. There was a short hesitation in his movements, until he slowly pulled his hood down.

It wasn't the ice nor his words that trapped you into place at that moment. No, it was the shade of his soft hair. It was every hue from a white dandelion's seed to a snowy field, all flowing down on his shoulders.

But his eyes were the most mesmerizing thing you've seen right in this alleyway.

"(L/n) (Y/n)," he said. His unexpressive stare kept you in place. A dull gray. It looked almost blue against the sun, but its silver gaze was stronger than its ocean glint. His lashes were white and long, and he narrowed it all at you. "Why do you want to get killed so badly?"

Is there even a reasonable answer to such a question? No matter how much he probes, he won't get satisfied by your answer. That's why you just smiled challengingly. 

"Why else would I want to die?"

Death was everyday for you. But to others like him, it's the end of all things. To him, it's the end of his days where he'll be wishing for more time to achieve his dreams and goals.

To him, death equals the disappearance of his power.

"I don't need to tell you things you won't understand. So unless you want to kill me, then you should release me right now."

The boy lowered his gaze at your arms. "Unusual.." he mumbled, but he did as you told him to.

In just a few seconds, the temperature returned to normal. The ice encasing your arm had melted, and you stared at your soggy arm with a scrunched up face.

"Ah.. now I gotta replace my bandages again. Thanks a lot." Aside from the wet arm of yours, your wounds had ached painfully at the presence of a chilling ice. You were glad it didn't turn numb, but the pain wasn't something that you wanted either. 

He ignored your words and turned around.

"You have other things to focus on, don't you?" you stopped him. You shook off the water on your arm, frowning at the white-haired boy. "Unless you want to be distracted, then I suggest you lose that curiosity of yours. It's for the best of us both."

He pulled his hood back on, clutching it tightly. "You don't have to say it. I already know."

And without sparing another glance, he left you alone.

In a dark and cold alleyway, there you stood. With a groaning man lying injured on the freezing pavement, and with the wounds on your arm aching—

It was all so familiar to you.

『 Text Messages (4) 』

Tsunotori-san (8:21am)

Good morning! I want to tell you that I did really well on the exams!!

( ˘ ³˘)♥ It's all because of U！

I remembered you saying I will do my best

And I did!!!! It was nice!! I will see you on the heroics class!!

You (8:34am)

Good morning! I'm so glad you did good

I didn't do anything, it was you Tsunotori-san who did the best for yourself

Thank yourself some more, okay？

I hope to see you in the heroics class as well.

Tsutonori-san (8:40am)

You are so cute; :DD I am feeling lively because of you

I will keep that in mind!!

Have a great day, (L/n)-san! ( ◜‿◝ )♡
— you reacted Love to this message

『 Text Messages (3) 』

Ikemen-sama (8:43am)

If I pass the heroics course, let's go on an all-you-can-eat buffet

I saw one with a good promo by Tokyo

It has onigiri as well

You (8:47am)

Do I seem like the type to eat onigiri too much？

Ikemen-sama (8:48am)

No, but it seems like you can eat a lot of it if you wanted to

You ( 8:49am )

-__-
— Ikemen-sama reacted 'Gasp!' to this message

Only because we can't waste any food. You know that.

Ikemen-sama (8:50am)

Hai, hai.

Don't be mad now :((((

You (8:55am)

fine

Is it your treat？？
— seen, 8:56am

You (9:00am)

Oi. don't just ignore my message like that!!!
— seen, 9:02am

『 Text Messages (0) 』

You (8:20am)

Shinso-san？you there？

Shinyan (9:31am)

Hm？

You (9:32am)

I just wanted to tell you that I've gotten my wounds checked up

It was pretty difficult to explain to my parents but the doctor gave me some anti-repellant stuff but for cats instead？？

IDK, they said it was a popular made item from a hero agency but I'm still hesitant to use it

Shinyan (9:35am)

You should try to verify it first

I don't know much about that. it seems like an advanced creation for me

But if you verified it, then take it wherever you can

You (9:38am)

Yep, just what i was thinking as well!! (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ

How are you？you haven't told me what happened to your exams just yet
— seen, 9:45am

You (9:47am)

That's fine as well, feel free to message me whenever you can!

Have a nice day, Shinyan :]
— delivered, 9:47am

『 End of Messages 』

You knew you were running late. Where, exactly? 

Well, remember Chargebolt asking you for a date?

Today was the day where you two will have that date. Just a few days before the exam results is announced. He'd asked you immediately after receiving your number, and since you didn't have anything else to do aside from waiting for the exams result, you agreeded. 

You were already dressed, ready to go with your usual outfit. But your mother told you that your clothing might end up getting tangled with your bandages once you get home, so she had to pick you a new outfit.

You were, arguably, never the type to focus too much on what you should wear. After all, your personality tend to make people look away from you if they ever find you boring. That's why you don't bother ever dolling yourself up. But your mom, however...

She must've wanted to do this for a while now. Unbeknownst to her, you could see that excited glint on her usual half-lidded stare. She wasn't smiling nor is she speaking in an enthusiastic voice, but you could see it in the way she moves— so captured and mesmerized by the way she picks your clothes.

In the end, you let her doll you up.

It was the first time you and your mom interacted outside of your dinner after all. And she was pretty endearing with the way she gave you some of her accessories as well (you pointed to her watch, about to ask what time it is, but she misunderstood and she gave the watch to you instead).

If she knew that you're going on a 'date', she wouldn't have put so much effort into making you look presentable..

But let's just keep this a secret for now.

"Oh! Over here!"

You turned your head, eyes landing on a pair of golden ones. Denki, who told you to call him that, grinned as you walked up to him.

"Hello," you said with an equally enthusiastic grin, although you aren't used to using such an expression. But the sight of Denki's eyes brightening up made you feel less awkward by your smile. "Did I make you wait long?"

"Nah, I just got here actually," he lied with his cute grin. You can see the way his forehead was sweating. It was still relatively cold around town, but if you were to stand in the sun for too long, even you would end up sweating bullets at the heat.

"I see." But you're not going to point it out to him. It might only make him awkward if you do so, that's why you focused your attention on something else. "You're... dressed up really well."

Denki chuckled at your awkward compliment. "I can say the same thing to you too, you know. You look really charming today."

You shook your head, hiding your flustered reaction with a smile. "Giving me compliments won't change the fact that it's your treat today."

His shoulders drooped. "I'm not trying to run away from our deal, I swear!"

"Ho?" You raised your chin and grinned challengingly. "Then why don't you lead the way? I'm sure you have something planned already judging by how confident you are about treating me today."

The boy had turned into a shade of beet red, but he masked it with a giddier version of his grin. "Well, if you'd let me—," he offered his folded arm, smiling for you to hold on. "I'll give you the best date you can possibly have in your lifetime. And maybe you'll want to repeat this again once we're done."

His tone was as you remembered it— light-hearted, flirty but warm enough to pass off as friendly. To top it all off, he had that boyish grin on his face as well. How can you say no to that?

You patted his arm, motioning forward with a grin. "Lead the way then, Denki!"

He deflated when you didn't loop your arm on his, but his eyes lit up almost as bright as his electricity Quirk once he heard you say his first name. It was so adorable how he did his best to prevent the growing smile on his face. You swore you could hear the sparks going off around him as he began to lead the way. 

When you have watched Chargebolt on the television, you never thought he would be right here next to you— joking around, rambling excitedly about a TV show, flirting with you. It was such a baffling situation, but were you complaining?

No. In fact, you were enjoying his company the more he tried to act cool. 

Denki would sometimes trip when you turned your head to the side, he'd subtly adjust his outfit when he thought you weren't looking (he often ran a hand to his hair unconsciously too), and there were times when he'd show you something trendy by a shop's windows, but more often than not, the staff would come to your side and explain it instead, which made him listen and try to quip with his own added information as well (they're wrong information, by the way).

You smiled throughout it all, never letting Denki know that you noticed it. 

Today was such a breath of fresh air after an incident with that... white-haired stalker. 

Denki's enthusiastic stories were enough to loosen your tense atmosphere, and you couldn't help but laugh as he tried to give you some corny pick-up lines. (Of course, it caught you off-guard again, but you just laughed your embarrassment off.)

You knew he was a dorky guy the moment he said he wanted to be asked out by a girl, but to think that he would be someone who liked cliché's so much even in real life...

He brought you to an arcade. The most clichéd place anyone can think of if they're going on a date with someone.

You understood his thought process. You also liked the dating trope of going to an arcade and trying out many games with them, but were you confident enough to just go along with the flow of his plan?

Well... yes, and no.

"Come on, you can do this! It's easy!" Denki cheered you on.

You placed the rubber hammer on your shoulder, ignoring your embarrassment by frowning. "I don't know about this. I'm not really good at arcade games..."

It's true. You've never hung out with anyone nor have you ever visited an arcade in your old life. Sure, you may have passed by sometimes, but you never played there. Momoto and the others wouldn't invite you either, saying that there's nothing about you that's entirely fun to be around with, so they don't bother asking you out.

That's why you're a bit... inexperienced with these games.

But Denki didn't seem to mind. "It's alright, you don't need to be good at it. This game is just— babam! A hammer down the mole, then bonk it to another mole, and bam! See how easy that is?"

The way he used his own sound effects made you laugh.

He smiled at that, and with one last motion, "It's really good as a stress reliever. You should try it at least once."

Perhaps he noticed how awkward and tensed you were around him, so seeing him try so hard for you to feel less nervous made you strengthen your resolve, "Alright. But if I somehow disappointed you, then don't blame it on me." You prepared yourself, holding onto the hammer with both hands.

Denki just grinned at you. "Nah, I doubt you'll disappoint."

And right he was. But this time, he actually didn't expect it.

He watched with wide eyes and a slight terrified look on his face as you began slamming the hammer down the moles without any hesitation. You didn't even let any of them breathe— when you see one pop out, you immediately strike them with a strength that almost shook the entire machine. You released all of your frustration, anger, and stress that you bottled up throughout the dying years of yours, and it continued on for a few minutes.

Just as the machine stopped and gave you your score, you grinned to yourself. "That was... so amazing!"

You placed the hammer back to its place. The relief you got from that whack-a-mole game made you so giddy and light.

"You're right, Denki! It's such a good warm-up!" You pumped your fist and faced his way. "Let's go find some more games!"

The sight of your sparkling eyes made Denki sweatdrop. "Aha... yeah... yeah let's find other games.."

Denki noted to himself. If he ever annoys you in the future, he won't ever let himself become a victim of that strength and speed of yours. 

You pulled him to play one of those usual crane games. Maybe then, you could experience that usual trope of getting a plushie from your date— you couldn't help but feel nervous, flustered, and excited at those thoughts.

And Denki knew immediately what to do. He, too, was a sucker for those dating tropes after all.

He smiled widely as he tugged on the joystick, "Which one do you want?"

You hummed, squinting your eyes at the cute plushies. Then you pointed at a yellow chicken with a black tuxedo. "That one. That one's really cute." Plus, it reminded you of Denki's yellow hair and black lightning stripe.

Denki nodded vigorously. He stuck out his tongue, putting all of his focus to get this plushie that you wanted. This was it— a chance for him to prove his skills in the crane game. This was the chance for him to be the coolest man on a date, a chance for him to show off!

You watched with bated breath as Denki looked at the claw from all angles. You couldn't even say anything, your heart stopping when he finally clicked the button. In just a second, the claw grabbed onto the plushie. Denki and your eyes widened. And then...!

The plushie fell.

"No!" Denki whined. "That should have been successful! It was held so perfectly, did you see that?!" he complained to you, his lips pursing into a frown.

This time, you couldn't help but stare at the crane with a dull expression. "This game is rigged. I don't like it at all."

It was held so perfectly, just as Denki said. The claws had circled around the plushie's body, and if only it didn't have a weak grip, then Denki would have gotten it already!

"No. I can't let you down." Denki shook his head, turning back to the game with a new glint of determination in his eyes. "I'm gonna get this plushie for you, just you wait!"

His enthusiasm and vigor affected you, so you shot him a thumbs up and said, "OK! I'm counting on you for this!"

Denki saluted. He placed a coin by the crane game and poured all of his focus into it.

It went on for a few minutes. The fire in Denki's eyes slowly got extinguished as each of his tries failed. Even you were getting pained at his efforts— if you were the one doing that, you would have raged already. Maybe not enough to cause a scene, but you would have definitely rioted.

You glanced at other crane machines, watching how other people were losing and some were winning.

Your eyes furrowed. Maybe... 

"Ugh. It's no use," Denki complained. He leaned his forehead on the glass and frowned at the plushie. "Should we ask the staffs to rearrange the plushies? Maybe we'll get it once they fixed the position of the plushies."

He was getting really annoyed and embarrassed at his failed tries, but your silence caught his attention. He gulped— you're not... mad, are you?

Turning around slowly, he expected you to be by his side, scowling and telling him how he sucks at this game. But instead, he found you leaning forward and narrowing your eyes at the crane machine.

Denki sweated.  "Uh.. is everything okay?"

If there was one thing that Denki didn't want to happen, it was you not having fun in this date.

Ugh, curse him and his lack of experience— the magazines had told him this was a good way to get anyone's date to feel the rush of excitement! To slowly make them feel happy around their date! But with how serious you looked as you glared at the crane game, Denki didn't know if he was doing it correctly.

"H-hey, we can try other games if you want!" He grinned, forcing his nervousness aside. "How about that one? Let's try that one, we can go against each other—!"

"Denki," you said, and he froze at the sound of his name in your serious tone. 

At his silence, you turned to him with a frown and a fiery look in your eyes. "We'll get this plushie no matter how long it takes."

Denki blinked once. "Eh?" 

No, wait wait wait! Isn't that a bad thing? He still wants to try out many things with you, but if you're too focused on the crane game...

You tugged on his arm, jolting him away from his thoughts. "Try it again! Let me tell you what to do!" 

"O-oh, right." He was too stunned to even complain. Besides— when he glanced at you from the corner of his eyes, he found himself feeling nervous yet excited at such a mesmerizing expression on your face.

You were focused, attentive eyes never leaving the metal claws of the machine. For some reason, Denki believed that those eyes existed only on someone who will never give up, even when things weren't going your way. Maybe it's that thought that made him relax as he turned his attention back to the machine. 

When Denki began to play again, you went to the side of the machine and glanced at the different angle,

"Push it a little to the left," you instructed, and Denki did as you told him. "A little to the front- yes, yes, there. Try to shake the claws and rotate it—"

"What? Why? That would make the claw go in all directions.."

"Trust me on this," you said with a serious look on your face. It was a good enough expression for Denki to follow your words. "Okay, keep it like that... yes, then stop! Move it a little to the back and now..."

You turned to him and gave a thumbs up.

"Click the button!"

He did as you told.

You two watched with wide eyes and bated breath as the claws grabbed onto the plushie. It stopped in that position for a few seconds, giving the two of you a climactic moment. But when it tried to bring its claws up—

Denki's breath hitched. "Oh my god—!"

The plushie was successfully abducted. 

You pumped your fist and grinned. "Lets go!" Both you and Denki said together. You turned to him, exchanging a high-five and excited looks on your faces.

"We did it!" Denki gushed. He dropped down, grabbing the plushie and showing it to you. The sight of his grinning face and the yellow plushie's cute expression was enough to make your grin widen.

"We did! We're amazing!" You held the plushie to your arms, laughing as Denki patted it with a proud look on his face. The two of you gushed over the plushie for a long while, before buying more coins (with Denki's money) and trying out other games to play. 

"I didn't know you just have to move the claws for a little so that it doesn't loosen up. You're really amazing to notice that," Denki said, shooting another virtual zombie right at its head. The two of you decided to play a simple game like this instead— it costs less coins compared to the crane machine after all.

"I think it depends on the chances," you said, clicking your tongue when your aim was terrible. "The other machines were like that. The more players tried, the sturdier the claws became. So I thought it all depends on how much movement the claws had. And what did you know? It actually worked."

Denki sighed, but his entertained smile showed that he was far from being upset. "I didn't even know that trick. You're really extreme when you're focused, did you know that?"

You smiled. "I know that very well."

The sound of a game over made Denki raise  his hands with a wide grin. "Whey! I win!"

You scowled. This was his third time winning this game— it must be rigged to his favor or something. No way were you that bad at playing shooting games. "Okay, whatever. Let's try another one!"

Denki laughed when you dragged him away.

The two of you continued playing multiple games. You beat Denki in some, while most of the time, it was him who won. It seems that the more you guys played, the more competitive both of you became— he didn't even noticed that he wasn't thinking about showing off nor impressing you anymore. Kaminari Denki was enjoying this, and so did you.

And the end of the day had slowly arrived.

Both of you walked side-by-side, sipping your favorite boba milk tea while Denki just bought a lemonade.

"The day goes by so fast..." he complained. "I wanted to try out that new rhythm game there. It would be pretty cool if we're the first players to get our initials on the high score screen."

You chuckled at his sulking form. "We can try it out next time."

Denki raised his head. His eyes were wide, but a hopeful glint was hidden underneath it. "We can?"

"Yeah, why can't we?" You showed a toothy grin. "I had so much fun today. It would be nice if we could hang out like this once again."

You didn't notice the lack of steps beside you, but when you did, you turned your head and blinked.

"Denki? Is everything okay?" you called out.

He was staring at you with an expression that was neither a frown nor a smile. But when his eyes met yours— "Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm okay." He showed you a shaky smile.

You didn't know if it was the sunset that made his skin red, or if it was his shaky and flustered smile that made his reaction cute, but you did know that Denki felt the same way as you did. He enjoyed this day as well.

"Let's try the karaoke next time!" Denki jogged to you with his grin.

You blanched. "No way. I don't use my voice often, I'll just end up singing like a toad."

"Aw, but your voice sounds so sweet."

"Your compliments do not affect me."

Denki laughed. He poked your cheeks, smiling widely when you swatted his hand away. "But you're flustered right now, aren't cha?"

You just glared at him instead, making him grin wider.

Today marked the day where you finally experienced what it felt like to go in an arcade.

Was it fun? Yes, definitely.

And you can't help but look forward to more days like this.

『 Text Messages (3) 』

Denshi (7:23pm)

I forgot to say it earlier but

You looked really cute earlier!!

my heart swooned when i saw your outfit (〃ﾟ3ﾟ〃)

You (8:00pm)

Well... thanks？

Okay fine

You win this time. I was a little embarrassed by that

Denshi (8:02pm)

I knew that's the reason why you replied late!

wwwwww so cute

You (8:04pm)

I'll beat you next time.

Denshi (8:05pm)

GAH！not the dot！！！
— you reacted 'Angry' at this message.

『 End of Messages 』

Chapter Text

❝ There are more meanings in one single word if you look deeper into it. ❞

UA's principal is a little bit shitty.

No, you're not a judgmental person. You didn't think he's shit because he's different from you. He's shit because he annoyed you, and now you're not so sure if you want to see his face ever again.

"Hello, (L/n) (Y/n)! I hope you had a good week!" A holographic video came out of the chip that laid on your table.

This is the fourth time you've repeated this message the moment you received it, but each time you did so, the veins on your forehead became even more visible than before.

The mouse that wore a tuxedo raised his paw and smiled. "I know you might be thinking: who is this mouse that's talking, and how is he able to talk? Well, let me ask some rhetorical questions. Am I truly a mouse? Am I a dog? Am I a cat? Or am I something that the human brain cannot comprehend?"

"You're a nuisance and I hate you so much," you said as if he could hear you through the hologram.

"I am nothing of those choices! In fact, I'm the Principal, Nezu! And I'm here to announce the results of your examination!" The principal brought up a paper, and with that ever-lasting smile, "The first is about your written examinations. Although it's barely hanging on the edge, you did pass the written exams. Congrats to you! And now, on the topic of our practical exams..."

This is it. This was the source of your irritation.

"You passed tremendously well, placing first in the ranking! With the scores of 78 villain points and 35 rescue points, your total of 113 points grants you the highest number of points in the entire examination." Nezu brought the paper down, smiling directly at the camera. "It's quite close to All Might's first examination result, but of course, nobody can beat the Number One hero's historical results in his examination!"

You passed. That's what he said, right?

"Unfortunately, your conduct appears to be quite questionable, and as such, we have decided to pull you out of the Heroics Course for certain reasons such as being reckless and too selfless at certain times. If you're bothered by these results, do contact us in our email and try to apply for an appointment with our staff! It might take 5-9 business days before we can reach back, but we will try our best to get back to you as soon as possible."

You passed as the highest ranking contestant. 

So why the hell was he pulling you out of the course?

The first time you heard this announcement, you couldn't help but gape at it. You didn't think you heard that properly, so you rewound it once again. Then it was the same announcement, same annoying voice, and same annoying reason that went through your ears.

You slammed a hand on your table, effectively pausing the hologram. "Why the hell is 'too selfless' even a reason?!" 

All Might exists! He's strong, but he's very selfless, even going as far as to fight in his weakened form just to defeat the obstacle and save everyone before him!

So why is it a problem when it's you? You proved yourself quite capable of being strong and being smart as well. There's no way they have any other reason to deny you this opportunity!

You couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of this. "What? What kind of hero school is shunning out a person who they think is selfless and reckless?" You were beyond baffled. Maybe it's the constant announcements ringing through your ears, but you refused to believe that this was the end of your UA journey when it hasn't even started.

"Ngh!" You deflated on your spot. "Stupid mouse, stupid principal, stupid world, stupid everything. You're making me think what the hell is the problem with this stupid hero school," you grumbled, glaring at the chip right in front of you.

There were so many contradictions from this announcement that you can't even bear to think clearly anymore.

But you had to. You had to force yourself to grit all those frustrations out; you had to force yourself to think outside the box. Because the creature that spoke in your announcements, he wasn't just a creature that became a principal by chance.

No, he was a smart creature. A genius that no other species could ever amount to.

That's why you had to keep repeating the announcements. Right after his information, there was something else that the principal had said.

You resumed the message. "If you are truly bothered by the exam result, then I can offer you a hero school that you could try into. Like the Endoru High by the edge of Tokyo's docks." The principal said with his normal tone, but there was something that tugged you to it. Something told you that there is more to his words than he lets on.

"The tides of the ocean are a lot louder this year, yes? Maybe if you try hard enough, the waves you see by that docks can carry you to the path you wish to take. That is, if you're willing to whisper your wishes upon the waves. A school life by the ocean is something that you should experience once in a while." The principal raised a paw, waving at you as if he knew he'll enjoy whatever was about to come next. "I'll see you around, (L/n)-san! Sankyuu, and one more time. Plus Ultra!" 

The hologram died down, and you were stuck in that sudden silence that made your ears ring.

There's no way you're going to say their motto after hearing such absurdities.

It took you a long while, but when you did, you sat down on your chair, grabbing a paper and a pen. You remembered that principal's amused expression. If he's playing with you after using such a formal message, then who were you to not give him a payback?

Two can play the game of knowledge. And if it means you'll be stuck in an endless loop of deciphering his words—

Then so be it.

"[Ahh, this is the first time I've been this nervous in my entire life.]" Kaibara's voice rang clearly by your speaker's phone. You left it on your table, busy scratching out the amount of papers around you. "[You nervous about the results?]"

It's March 7. The day when the results of the UA examinations would be delivered to your house.

"So and so." You hummed, writing down another word on your notebook and circling it. "I bet a thousand yen you'll pass. If I'm wrong, you get my money, but if I'm right, you'll treat me on that All-you-can-eat buffet."

Today was the day when you'll be rejected by the principal yet again.

Every time the day ends, you would use your Quirk and rewind time an hour before the announcement of results. You can't afford to have a day's worth of ignorance after all. If you missed a single detail about the principal's code, and if you were supposed to know about it until tomorrow, then that would mean your plan has now fallen apart.

You can't retake the exams. You've done so much, too much even, but the principal still found a way to reject you for his own... amusement? Was it? You're not so sure. If he's willing to even turn away someone who's exceptionally well in fighting robots, then you're sure that it will still be the same if you tried to retake the exams.

"[Ha? I thought you said you're going to pay for yourself?]" Kaibara asked incredulously.

"That's why I'm betting with you. Do you accept or not?" This might be called 'cheating' since you already knew he would be a hero in the future, but who were you to pass off the offer of free food?

"[... I'll think about it.]"

You chuckled. This was your first phone call with Kaibara that didn't include you running away from cats. You've ignored his calls a few times when you still haven't regressed, but that's only because you were anxious. Nervous, about the results.

Now, you have nothing to be nervous about. You know you're going to fail but you're a lot closer to finding out why you failed this time.

You stopped from writing, eyes perfectly still at the amount of reasons on your paper. "When someone mentions the ocean, what do you think it means?"

Kaibara coughed on the other side of the phone. He didn't expect you to ask that question, and you weren't supposed to. But after listening to the principal's announcements, and repeating the day over 3 times already— you had to ask someone else for help.

"[Uh... are your parents planning on visiting the beach?]" The sound of tap water running came from the other side of the phone. "[I mean, that's good for you. You're actually going outside today, that's nice.]"

"Oi. I know what you're implying and I hate it."

Kaibara's low chuckle vibrated through the speaker. "[Sorry, sorry. Why are you asking though?]"

It's because this damned principal had used the worst code to ever give to someone normal like you. You're not highly intelligent like him, so why was he giving you a code like this?

"Nothing much, I just want to know since I heard it's pretty loud in Endoru High lately."

Kaibara spat the toothpaste bubbles down on his sink. "[Hm? Whaddaya mean?]" Tap water once again, he cleaned his mouth and turned all his attention on you, "[Endoru High by the docks? The ocean is very quiet this month though. Everyone in Endoru is on a break to be with their family, so there's no way it's going to be loud.]"

You paused. Wait, what?

He continued, thinking your silence was an invite for him to speak more. "[Endoru is really strict about their tourists during March since they can't monitor anyone with their lack of staff. You can't visit them when they're like this. They'll just end up pushing you out of the main gates if you try to force your way through them.]"

As he finished speaking, it was as if a click came over your mind. One by one, the thread of mystery was finally weaving itself in your mind. 

You leaned on your chair, staring intently at your phone that laid by the table. "So... what did you think about what I said? What if I was telling you a code and I used Endoru High and the loud ocean as my code..?"

The line was quiet on the other side of the phone. You didn't know if it was the frustration of being dumb, but you did know that you're using Kaibara to get the answer that you want.

Sorry Kaibara, you wouldn't ask for him to treat you anymore as a payment for giving him troubles. Plus, he's way luckier than you were since you gave him a summarized version of your hypothetical questions. He just had to solve that little question of yours and then he's done. (Unlike you who had to kill themselves multiple times to organize the thought process of a rat.)

"[... is everything okay? Are you in danger?]"

You deadpanned. You totally expected that worry. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm not being threatened by anyone with a code if that's what you're thinking." You can't exactly tell him that the principal gave you such a complex code because he rejected your enrollment, right? "I'm just making a scene right now in my story. I'm using Endoru High as a reference, since it's near bodies of water."

"[Oh...]" Kaibara breathed a sigh of relief. "[I thought you got into trouble with some villains once again.]"

"Once again? I don't get into villain fights everyday!"

"[Yeah yeah. What was the question again? What I think about the ocean?]" When you hummed affirmative at him, Kaibara thought deeply to himself. "[I'm really clueless about secret codes, but if it's someone like you who gave it to me... then... hmm...]"

The more Kaibara thought to himself, the more you realized that the mail was going to come soon. It's almost 10am, you'll have to see if the principal sent you the same code once again (You just can't stop yourself from feeling hopeful that today was different, even if you didn't do anything to change today's outcome).

"It's okay if you can't answer. It's pretty much a difficult code—,"

"[No, no. I think I have an idea.]" You perked up at his words. "[If someone told me that the ocean is loud even though we both know that it's the quietest this month, then I'd think... they're trying to say that they know something suspicious, but they want me to confirm if it's truly suspicious. Because both of us know the truth: the ocean isn't loud at this month, so wouldn't it be uncharacteristic for one of us if we said it's the opposite?]"

Your eyes widened at his words. 

"[Is that it?]"

A smile graced itself on your lips. "Yeah. That's it, thank you very much."

It's the perfect answer that solidified your reasonings.

"[Did that help?]" Kaibara asked in his meek tone. "[I'm not good at sensing any hidden meanings in words, so I don't know if I did it correctly—]"

"You did amazing, Kaibara-kun," you said with a giddy smile. "It actually helped me a lot. So thank you."

After 3 days of deciphering the words, you finally had the answers that you needed.

The other side became silent. You shuffled through your notes, rereading them all as Kaibara released a quiet breath. "[You never called me by my first name again.]"

You blinked. "Eh?"

"[I just- I remembered you calling me Sen before. But you never did it again..]" he trailed off, his voice became softer at the end of his words. "[Ugh, I sound whiny— Ignore that. I'm going to bed.]"

Your eyes widened. You hurriedly grabbed your phone, putting it near your ears, "No, wait, let me explain—,"

"[Bye! Good luck on both of us!]"

Then the line ended.

You stared at the wall in your stupor. "It's not even night time..." Why was he going to bed when the exam results were going to be announced?

With the chair creaking behind you as you sat down, you couldn't help but think about his words. You didn't realize you've never called him Sen except that one time in the past. To him, there wasn't a concrete reason as to why you shouldn't call him by his first name— he was fine with it, in fact, he wanted you to call him that everyday. But every time you see him, you always wondered to yourself:

Was it really alright to be on first name basis with him?

The only reason he was prompted to ask that was because he felt guilty about bringing you in danger from his fangirls. That's it, right? You can't think of any other reasons except for his regret and guilt.

That's why you don't want to say it just yet. You wanted to say it when everything was genuine, when he really wants you to say his name for the sake of his name and not for your sake—...

Your ears flushed red. "You just made it worse," you said to yourself in a hurry.

You decided you'll focus on your notes for now.

Nezu considered himself smarter than most humans.

With his ability to empathize and think more clearly than the humans who experimented on him, it's no doubt that Nezu held himself higher. Which is why he had a difficult time depending on humans from time to time.

Will they betray him yet again? Will they even understand his thought process? Those concerns swirled over his head when he ends up depending on specific people, like All Might and Tsukauchi. No matter how much they proved themselves that they can catch up with him, Nezu still has his moments of doubt within him.

Even when he sent that message to that one eccentric student in the examinations, Nezu still had doubts within him.

He wasn't sure that you'll be able to understand it. Maybe you will understand but only after the allotted time has passed. After all, the other staff think that you're far too unstable to even think clearly about things like this. But the more he watched your clip, the more he realized that you weren't like that.

Your conduct, despite being unhinged and chaotic, was quite good that he can't help but be amazed at your clear thoughts. That's why his expectations of you had been constantly playing in his mind.

Still, he had to remind himself, you're still a kid. You're still a human who wouldn't be able to catch up to his Quirk. He does not look down on you, but he does not think highly of you either. This was a normal expectation that he had towards the other humans around him.

However...

"To think that you'll shatter my expectations on you," Nezu said.

His expression was the same as always, but his tone was far too amused, far too baffled that even he never realized he could have such a reaction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, (L/n)-san."

There you were, the one he never expected, standing right before him at around 9:00am, March 9.

He smiled wider. "It would be quite an understatement if I say that I'm surprised by this turn of events."

Of course it would be. His code was far too complicated to even see right through it, unless you had a context that made it easier to decode. But even then, a normal person would still have a hard time deciphering it in just 2 days.

"Please, take a seat." Yet here you were, doing as he told you at the exact time and exact date that he had given you by the code.

Nezu brought out another cup. He kept one just in case you'll really come, but now that you did, it made him feel quite entertained by this ordeal.

"I'm sure you have a lot of things you want to say, so why not enjoy a tea with me while we're at it?"

You nodded, watching him pour tea over the cups. "Can I start speaking?"

He chuckled. "Of course. I'm not telling you to keep your tongue tied, now, am I?"

No, but his entire presence did. Instead of a little mouse, you see a lion right before you, a creature that ruled over your presence, and you can't help but keep your composure guarded and steeled as you began to speak. "First of all, your reasons for denying my enrollment is bullshit."

You can't make a formal version of that sentence. You're far too annoyed by his reasonings.

You ignored how Nezu chuckled and continued, "UA's entire motto is literally 'Plus Ultra', pushing one's self beyond what they can do and growing further from it. That's why it was dumb to hear that I didn't pass even though I showed something that the school valued."

"You're quite confident about that," Nezu said, drinking from his cup. "What makes you so sure that you showed those aspects in your examination?"

"You said it yourself. I'm 'too reckless' and 'too selfless'. Ignoring the first part, the second part is how All Might is described by literally everyone. Plus, you mentioned that I almost had the same examination results as All Might. I don't see any reason why a successful principal such as you would compare a barely-graduated middle school student such as me to the Number One hero, but the fact that you did only told me one thing: your reasoning is bullshit and you wanted me to complain about it."

Such a vulgar and straightforward way of speaking, Nezu couldn't help but chuckle. "You're correct about that. What else have you noticed, hm?"

You glared at him, trying to break his composed stature. But it seemed to only fuel his amusement so you looked outside the open-window instead. "You said the ocean is a lot louder during this month."

"That, I did."

"But that's false. The docks near Endoru High is known for being quiet at this time around, which means that you were trying to say that there I am, being too openly suspicious and 'too loud' compared to the other students in the examinations."

You reached for your cup, raising your gaze to stare at Nezu directly in the eyes.

"You knew that I was purposely making you suspicious. That's why you said 'the ocean is a lot louder this year', right?"

The reason why you tried your best to memorize the robots' locations was to send a message to a staff in UA.

You wanted them to know that something was wrong with you, that you know something far more than any of them— and Nezu was the only one who saw right through it.

"The ocean, you're relating it to me, is a lot louder and bolder than you expected. A suspicious person is suddenly showing a suspicious action inside a school with high security and high knowledge? It must be absurd to you. That's why you sent me a code: 'If you try hard enough, the waves you see by that docks can carry you to the path you wish to take. That is, if you're willing to whisper your wishes upon the waves.' You're saying that if you, the waves, know what exactly I, the ocean, wanted to do, then there is a chance that you'll help me with it. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless."

Nezu placed his cup down. His expression didn't change even as he thought deeply about your words.

"And by the end of your code, you thanked me and said you'll see me soon. Sankyuu, 3 (san) and 9 (kyuu), you're trying to say to meet you at March 9."

Two days after receiving the examination results.

He failed you in such a formal and classy way, that if you weren't a normal student, you would have been too dejected to even think about the code he sent to you. But you weren't a normal student. You had enough time wallowing in self-pity and dejection back then, so you easily used your Quirk and rewound time to understand his code. 

"That's all that I noticed," you said, placing down the bitter cup of tea back onto its plate. "You want to know my purpose, right? You must have been super suspicious of me considering that I know the blueprint of the arena, and also because my Quirks are two different things, which is a rare mutation in your eyes."

Nezu hummed. "In our eyes, you say? Are you saying that your Quirk is more complex than what we can see?"

"Yes. I have another Quirk."

He paused. "Oya?" And he smiled. "Pray tell, what this Quirk of yours is."

You can't escape this now. No matter how much you try to find a way, Nezu and UA will end up suspecting you in the future events if you don't do this. Why wouldn't they? You're not planning on being docile once the League of Villains had done their first move. If they ever see a student who knows far too much about the villains' plans, wouldn't they think that the student is hiding something?

That's why you confessed, "I can see the future."

It was the truth, but at the same time, it was also a lie. 

"I have multiple Quirks instead of just two, but because my other Quirk is something I couldn't tell to my Quirk Doctor, I kept it a secret."

"You know that withholding information like this to the government is illegal, right?" he interrupted. 

"Yes. Of course I do. But if I tell them this, who knows what they'll do to a kid like me?" They were able to hide Hawks and taught him to serve the HPSC when they found out his Quirk was useful. What if they'd do the same thing to you?

"And you do know that showing such mistrust about the hero government can bring you into a lot of trouble. Right?"

You nodded at his question. You do know. Everything that you're saying right now, you've thought of it all so deeply for three days and three nights straight. So no matter what psychological tricks he does to you, he can't convince you to back down nor can he break your composure.

Like you said before, two can play the game of knowledge. It just so happens that he was against someone who hates and who fears losing the most.

"I see..." Nezu placed his cup down. He leaned on his chair, smiling deeply to himself. "Let's just say that I believe you and that you can really see the future. But what about it? What is it that you want and why are you set on going into UA? You could have given up, looked for other hero schools, and you would still be a hero."

Why do you want to go into UA specifically?

His silent question hung over the air. It's now or never. 

"Because All Might's protégé is here."

For the first time, since you walked into the principal's room, Nezu lost his composure. His beady eyes were wide, and his mouth had curled downwards.

You finally struck the right chords. "If you still don't believe me, then you'll have to believe me now if I say this to you: One For All."

The silence turned thick in tension as you uttered those words outloud.

"I know about All Might's power, how he can pass it to anyone, and how he passed it to someone who will study in UA. I know about All For One who is hiding after being severely injured by All Might a few years ago in their last battle. I know about all of them, because I can see the future, and in this future I see, there's going to be an irreversible damage that none of you can expect."

Perhaps saying almost 50% of your plan sounds foolish to Nezu, but this was the path that you're willing to take. The path where their suspicion would lessen because you came to them so openly and honestly.

"Be suspicious of me now, but I want you to allow me a space in UA High. A space where I can overseer and protect from the sidelines. Allow me to have the chance to change the future—"

"What makes you so sure you can change the future?"

You stopped, eyes staring intently right back at the principal. He now held an unreadable expression, far too unfathomable unlike his everlasting smile earlier.

"You have far too many holes in your arguments, but I won't point them all out. I'm just curious about two things." He held out two fingers from his paws, "One: what makes you so sure that the future can be changed? Nighteye can also see the future of a person, but even he said he can't interfere with it. And two: what is it in the future that you wish to change?"

You clenched your fist, putting them on your thighs. "I can change the future," you said slowly, making Nezu raise a questioning eye at you. "Because I am the biggest clue that the future can be changed."

There was a hesitating silence that followed. You raised your arms, showing the bandages but not unwrapping them.

"These are the wounds that I acquired after changing the future. I was supposed to die but I didn't. The fact that I'm alive, that I'm right here talking to you, proves that the future can be changed."

Lying with a bit of truth hiding is a way for you to get what you wanted at this moment. This was not done right on the spot. You prepared for this situation for months, and now, it is time to show the principal what you prepared.

"I had a situation happen to me a month ago," you began, dropping your hand back to your lap. "You can call the chief of the detectives, Tsukauchi Naomasa alongside my Quirk doctor. Both the doctor and the detective can vouch for me that I had one joint in my pinky toe for 15 years straight. I was still a child when I realized that I can see the future, but I never told anyone about it until I had developed two new Quirks."

"You're saying that your Chains and Flames aren't your original Quirk?"

"No, it's not. I was scared of my original Quirk because the future I can see isn't always a great one. But when a situation in my school happened, I realized that I can change the unsightly future I see into a better one."

Nezu's snout twitched. "I see, so you're also saying that you have proof over your intel, huh?"

You nodded. He stared, gauging out all of your lies and truths that he can sense out. But you were confident you're telling the truth. "It doesn't have to be a permanent choice. I just need to be in UA for a year, only for a year, and then we can end this... thing I'm telling you."

He can be suspicious of you now, he can even ask all the police to watch over you. It doesn't matter— that would be beneficial, actually, to know that your parents would be safe from all harm (even if they'll be surveyed 24/7).

You just need a chance to get in. You just need a chance to act suspicious without being detained by the hero government.

Nezu chuckled after a long silence. "I knew you were an amusing person but you really surpassed my expectations."

Was that... a good thing? You didn't know. You're just annoyed that this principal is giving you a hard time with his code, but you didn't say any of that out loud. "Are you going to add me to Class 1-A?"

"You seem to know where All Might's protégé is already, so who am I not to add you to where you want to go?" Nezu placed a couple of papers in front of it. It was as if he's been waiting for this moment already. But you weren't going to accept that so easily.

"Then... can I have a request?" After thinking so deeply to yourself for 3 days, you've come to a realization.

"Hm, that depends if it's possible. But do tell me and I'll see what I can do."

"Can you... make me an extra student in 1-A?"

Nezu paused. "Pardon?"

You didn't look in his eyes. "In the future that I saw, I wasn't there in that class. I was just someone who watched on the sidelines, while 20 students of both Hero Class became heroes on their own. I don't..." your throat dried, and you had to cough it out. "I don't want to replace anyone in the original list of students."

Each one who will be given the spot in that class will be remarkable heroes and they will be remembered by everyone as a symbol of hope. You realized you can't take anyone's place away from that future.

After all, you can never compare to those heroes who willingly stayed even if they knew the outcome already. Compared to you, who waited for everyone to save you, how can someone like you dare replace them?

"So you want to stay in the shadows by being an extra student, is that correct?"

'Stay in the shadows'... those words left a dirty and bitter taste in your mouth. It felt as if you're eating sand yet again. 

The selfish version of you wanted to be acknowledged for your efforts. You wanted people to know how hard you worked just for you to change the flow of fate.

"...Yes sir, I will stay in the shadows."

But why would they acknowledge someone like you?

If Nezu saw right through your shaky voice, he didn't point it out. He wrote something on the paper and hummed, "There is actually a way for you to be an extra student, but it'll be even more difficult than the path you can take if you were a 1-A student. Do you want to hear it?"

You hesitated. For the first time, after six thousands and more deaths by your own hand, you hesitated.

You wanted the easier version.

You didn't want to struggle any longer.

You wanted to be selfish.

But there is a part of you that didn't believe you would deserve it. After all, you're just a civilian. If you became a student in the Heroics class and replaced someone who trained hard in the old timeline to be in that place... then they wouldn't deserve such injustice to them. They did all they could to be a hero, even going as far as to sacrifice themselves to an end that they didn't deserve—

Who are you to take that away from them?

"I'm... here to change the future," you convinced yourself. "To give a better chance to people like them. To give a better life to the people around me."

Nezu went quiet as you dug your nails on your knees. "If there's a way for me.. for them to continue being a hero... then please tell me."

That hesitation in your voice wavered, and in just a second, you raised your gaze, fully steeling yourself to the path that you're going to take.

The waves were truly observant. They know what the ocean wants, and they can carry their will as long as the ocean tells them. It doesn't have to be a verbal whisper— all the ocean needs is a moment of silence and a moment of hesitation, for the waves to read them.

"Wonderful!" Nezu said with a clap. "I have been meaning to create another Department. Judging by your credentials and achievements in middle school, I think you'll do just fine in this Department I was thinking of."

He offered you the paper, and you took it, scanning with your eyes. "The Journalism... Department..?"

Nezu clasped his paws together and leaned on his table. "You read it correctly. It's a Department that I wasn't so sure on implementing because some heroes hate being part of the Media after all. But the Media is persistent. Even against all dangers, they will still try to find scoops no matter how dangerous the fight may be. That's why I was thinking of creating a training program for Journalists who wish to accompany some heroes."

Your eyes furrowed. This wasn't something that was implemented in the past.

Nezu showed a test paper. It was the paper that you submitted when you were signing an enrollment form to the school. "In our enrollment form, we gave the students a choice to pick what their Department will be. There are four main choices: the Heroics, the General Education, the Business, and the Management Department. But—"

He used a red sharpie and circled another option. He raised it to you and beamed, "There's an 'Others' option here! You must've noticed it before, but this option is available for people who can't choose what course they want to be in. That's why we'll scan through their achievements and decide what Department they'll be suited for."

He wagged his paws and smiled. "But that's not all there is to it! You see, it's also for people who want to try something new. Something that they think we'll offer, but they aren't so sure if we will." Nezu chuckled. "It just so happens that you convinced me to make a new Department, and thus, the people who answered this option will now have a Department of their own."

Nezu offered you a pen, smiling. "What do you say? Do you agree to be a part of them, or do you wish to replace one of the students in Class 1-A?"

He knew the answer already. He just wanted to hear it from your own words.

You took the pen with furrowed brows. "Do I have to take other tests in this Department?"

Nezu nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. There will be a month long practical examination period for this new Department."

Another exam? Really?

He seemed to notice the disgusted look on your face, since the principal let out an amused laughter of his own. "Don't worry too much! Your exams won't be as tedious as the Heroics examination. All you have to do here is be a journalist and follow the rules."

"What exactly are the 'rules' you are talking about?"

Nezu tapped his cheek and hummed. "For example... you'll have to make sure that your choice of words won't be damaging to the reputation of any schools. Not just UA, but to all of the schools you'll deal with."

You raised a brow. "Ha? Are we going to cover other schools as well?"

He nodded. "Yes, I've already called them a few months before. They said that if UA is going through with our plans, they'll leave the Media coverage of Hero Schools to us instead. But I'm sure you'll know more about it in the examinations! What do you think? Do you want to accept this deal?"

The slight hesitation but the short movement of you signing the papers was enough of an answer to the principal.

He took the papers off of your hand and smiled, "Well then. I'll be sure to tell the staff about this additional Department of ours."

"Now wait just a moment," you interrupted. Nezu tilted his head. "How do I know you'll still put me in Class 1-A? If I'm part of a new Department, won't I have a different class schedule than them?"

Oh, but your question only made Nezu chuckle, and a shiver ran through your spine. You felt like an impending doom was slowly coming down upon you just from that chuckle alone.

"I forgot to mention to you, but most of the heroes dislike the media because they tend to warp the story based on their entertainment," he explained. "That's the main reason why I want to create a Department of Journalists in the first place. Which means that the ones who will pass, they will be assigned to each hero classes as their journalist. Class 1-A is included in those classes with their own journalist."

He stamped the papers gleefully, making you sweat even more. "There's at least 250 enrollees who picked the 'Others' option, and out of all of them, we'll only accept 10 students in the Journalist Department."

This is it. The cruel and impending doom you've been sensing from the start.

Nezu's eyes shone deviously. "If you want to be assigned to the Heroics Course, then you'll have to do your best to prove you're worthy of it."

"You're fucking kidding me."

"I will pretend I did not hear that language of yours."

You stood hastily, but Nezu didn't seem to mind it. "No! You said you're putting me in that Department, so why are you suddenly making me do a difficult test such as that?" Also, 10 students? Out of 250? That's another unreasonable percentage, and there is no way you'll participate in a scam like that!

"I also scored the highest in the Heroics examination, there's no way you'll hide something like that after announcing I have the highest score!"

This is unfair. Is he testing you again? You said it earlier already but why is this annoying principal keen on making you suffer?

Nezu just chuckled. "You're right, we did announce that you're the highest in the examinations. But that's why you signed the waiver, yes? Because you agreed that you'll focus more on fighting alongside the heroes with journalism on your mind. Look at this nice signature of yours! Isn't it quite lovely?"

This piece of shit manipulated you to go alongside his flow.

Your eyes twitched. You were fuming deep inside, but with a heavy and pained sigh coming out of you, you had to calm yourself down. "Okay, I see. You're testing me again, aren't you?"

"Of course," Nezu said without skipping a beat. "You said many suspicious things. You're asking me to keep your third Quirk a secret, and you know about the secret of the Number One hero as well." He raised his gaze at you, and once again, you were planted solely onto the ground by his overwhelming stare. "If you pass this test of mine, then I'll agree wholeheartedly to your requests."

For a creature as small and friendly as him, Nezu was quite an intimidating principal.

In just a blink of an eye, Nezu had turned himself back to normal. "Have you calmed down now? If so then I'll tell you an exclusive hint as to what the first examination will be."

You blew a raspberry, rolling your eyes at the principal. Forget all the respect you threw at him back then. He's a vile and manipulative bastard who likes to see someone like you suffer. "What is it?"

Nezu chuckled at your obvious displeasure. "It's an observation for another Hero School to the West. They'll be having their Entrance Examination soon, you see."

The West? You only know one hero school by that location. But... "Is it Shiketsu High? Aren't UA and Shiketsu rivals or something?"

Nezu just smiled at you. And that was a bad sign.

"Oh, no, you vile piece of—"

"I hope you are not forgetting thaf I am the principal, (L/n)-san." Nezu cackled, making you frustrated even more. "If you say such things right in front of me, I can make your progress slower with more examinations on the line."

You deadpanned at him. "Are you enjoying my suffering?"

Nezu grabbed his cup and sipped. "When have I ever given you that idea?"

But his quiet and sadistic laughter had caused him to spill all of his tea's content, making you annoyed even more.

If Shiketsu was the location of the first examination, the rival of UA, then there's no doubt that everyone involved in this Department would suffer tremendously.

Including you. No, especially you.

Because Shiketsu and UA had been rivals for years now, there is no way their staffs and even students would let the UA's enrollees live in luxury. No, they'll do their best to make sure that only 10 out of 250 students will pass in this examination.

Shiketsu High will do their best to create a hell of an examination for all of you.

"The exams will start next Monday. I bid you farewell and goodluck in your endeavors!" Nezu cackled louder as you stomped out of his office without any other word.

For someone who's as unhinged as him, you were quite easy to rile up.

Nezu cleaned his table that were spilled with tea. It had been a long time since a human was able to catch up to his trail of thoughts, but there you were, appearing so suddenly and entertaining him. He's not going to lie, it was quite entertaining to see you get mad at his words. He knows that you're definitely going to pass the examination because you're far too smart even for someone like him.

Now he'll just have to wait and see how exactly you're going to pass this obstacle.

Nezu was thrilled the entire time he cleaned his table. He watched from the open-window, seeing you walk out of the gates with a tensed expression on your face.

There is something he forgot to tell you as well.

But Nezu just smiled. "Well, let's just wait for them to find out about it, shall we?"

You grumbled to yourself the entire time you walked out of the U.A's gate. "Stupid rat, stupid mouse, stupid tea-drinking bear or whatever the hell he is. He's stupid and I don't care anymore."

He thinks it's so funny for you to suffer, doesn't he?

Well too bad! You're not going to give him the entertainment he wants! Not anymore, at least.

You'll just have to ace through those examinations without suffering, and then you'll be alright. Yes?

Your shoulders drooped and you sulked. "As if that's going to be so easy to do..." 

If the future wasn't on the line here, you would have already given up. Which makes it even worse considering that Nezu was willing to make you go through all these new sufferings even if he knew that you were desperate to change the future.

Well, you understood his cautiousness, but it still annoyed you a lot!

As you sighed deeply to yourself, you didn't notice the person that was walking right in front of you.

Until you bumped your shoulders with them. "Oh, sorry," you said, absent-mindedly raising your gaze.

Your eyes widened. "Eh?"

A pair of wide, indigo eyes stared back at you. "You.."

You blinked a couple of times, gazing back at this familiar face before you. "Shinso-san?"

What is he doing in UA at this exact time?

Chapter Text

❝ What do you do when everything goes against you? ❞

"I got disqualified for UA."

"Tell me you're joking."

You wish you were, was what your stare said as you silently slurped on your ramen. 

The moment you bumped into Shinso, you immediately locked your target and dragged him to a place that sold cheap-but-tasty ramen. This boy had been ignoring you for days, and to say that you were hurt would be an understatement. It's not a problem for you if it was Momoto or the others, but your new friends? And your future hero, even? There's no way you'll let him ignore you for that long ever again.

That's why here you sat, on a stool next to him, eating ramen and telling him you got kicked out of UA before you were even enrolled in it. 

The ramen shop was a bit silent. The only customers were you, Shinso, and another couple by the edge of the stool. This wasn't the best shop to be eating in since people didn't like the taste of the noodles, but you enjoyed it a lot. 

The owners wanted to cry when you showed up one day and started eating so enthusiastically. And when you brought Shinso here, telling the owners you wanted two ramen for two people, they immediately started to tear up. Shinso was taken aback by their passion, but you were used to it.

Now, the two of you sat together in an uncomfortable silence as the ramen noodles steamed in front of you.

"How... how exactly did you get disqualified..?" Shinso didn't understand. He thought you were just joking around with him, and at first, he was annoyed by your unfunny joke.

But were you the type to joke something in a bad taste? He didn't think so. Though if you keep this up, he'll have no choice but to think you're truly making fun of him—

"It's really complicated, but basically I was too crazy 'cause of my Quirk's drawback, and now they don't want me in the Heroics course." 

Shinso stared with deadpanned eyes. "You're not that crazy," he said with assurance. Compared to a blond guy who almost brought the entire arena in explosions, you were sane and tamed, even. 

"Right? I'm definitely more sane than other people in the exams." Even saner than the principal himself, but of course you'll keep that comment to yourself. It was a secret that you've met with Nezu after all.

He glanced at your ramen, seeing how you're almost done while his are still.. there. He turned his attention to his food and asked, "Are you really disqualified? I don't think that would be enough of a reason to be disqualified. Plus, weren't you the highest person on the board? UA would be pretty stupid if they disqualified you after showing us the rankings."

"Right!? It's so idiotic that I can't even comment on it anymore." Turning to the boy beside you, you motioned with your head. "Aren't you going to eat? If you wanted something cold you should have told me. I know a shop where they sell cheap but really good cold soba."

Shinso looked down at the food with a frown. There was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes as he glanced at the humming owners past the table.

"It... tastes too salty.." he said in a quiet voice, making sure not to be heard by anyone but you. You noted the way he held his chopsticks tightly. 

If you were going to be honest, the ramen in this place... wasn't quite good for anyone with a normal taste bud. The broth was too salty, as if it's a liquid version of salt, and the noodles itself were too soggy it almost tasted bitter— you're pretty sure it's overcooked, too. That's the main reason why only a few people ate here even if the price was cheap and affordable.

"At least it still has a taste," you said, taking more noodles with your chopstick and blowing on it. "I like it a lot. It makes me feel full and makes me feel like I can still eat healthy food, you know."

Your taste buds and stomach had already been ruined after eating so many spoiled food in your past lifetime. Sometimes you even ate dirt and mud just to fill up your hungry stomach. The fact that you can eat something that tasted salty instead of ashy and disgusting was enough for you to come back here and remember you can still taste with your tongue.

"Healthy...? You think this is healthy?" he asked incredulously, but when he just received a satisfied hum, he released a sigh and looked away. "You really have unusual tastes."

You nudged him with your elbow. "I can eat your food instead if you don't like it," you whispered. "I'll buy you something else later."

His eyes furrowed. He was about to reject your offer.

"Do you want to continue eating it?" But you asked him something that he obviously had an answer. 

So he went silent.

Satisfied by his answer, you finished your food while Shinso looked away in silence.

"Why were you avoiding me?" you asked, direct to the point. He tensed up at your straightforward question. You took his bowl and discreetly replaced it with yours. "Did I do something wrong? Or maybe there's something I said that made you angry?"

It was painful to see him leave your messages on read. Had you known you did something wrong, you would have immediately tried to fix it. But nothing came to mind at the moment. That's why it was more frustrating because you couldn't think of a reason why he was ignoring you.

Shinso continued to stay silent.

You dipped your head down, watching your reflection by the broth of the ramen. "I just- I just want to know if I did something wrong. If I did, then I can let you be mad."

You were reminded of the years when you tiptoed around your classmates, when they would be happy and you would laugh alongside them. Until the next day came, when they would ignore you. Isolate you throughout the day. And you wouldn't know the reason why. You just know they're laughing at you. That they're snickering, poking fun of how lonely you suddenly became just because of their actions.

You didn't like the reminder of that past.

"So please... say something.."

It was your quiet plead that made Shinso's eyes widen. "No, wait. I'm not mad, I—.." when you raised your gaze, he trailed off his words.

You didn't interrupt him. You wanted to hear what he thought, you wanted to know his reasons. And the silent reassurance in your eyes took him aback at that moment.

Shinso looked away. "I'm- well, I'm sorry..." he said, like the words were foreign on his lips. "I didn't mean to ignore you. Things had been really tough lately and I... didn't want to drag you down with me."

Your eyes widened. "Eh? Shinso-san."

"I know what you're going to say," he interrupted, staring at his hands. "But even if I know that, it still doesn't register in my mind. Even if you try to convince me that I won't drag you down with-.. With this.  It's..." It's still impossible to believe in.

He can't silence the part of him that will never believe, not when he had been so used to being the only one who understood himself.

He looked down at the empty bowl that laid before his table. "I didn't pass the practical examinations."

There was a quiet, solemn pause that lingered in the air.

He knew that would happen. That's why he applied to different courses alongside the Heroics Course. Still, he had been so hopeful, so proud of that tiny comment that he heard from you when you were at the cat cafe with him, and perhaps that was the result of his downfall.

The moment he stood in that arena full of Quirks that were powerful, were amazing— Quirks that were more useful compared to his, the situation slowly stabbed itself in his mind. 

Shinso had been too confident. He got carried away after one comment from another person other than himself, and he... he forgot his Quirk wasn't supposed to be of a hero's.

He kept his lips sealed. If he opened his mouth right now, he knew he'll say something painful to you. He knew he'll direct these terrible emotions to you if he ever uttered one word to release his emotions. 

So he let his silence speak instead.

You continued to eat, letting Shinso have a breath of fresh air to calm his mind. The lack of response from you gave him a chance to think, to relieve all of the thoughts that ran through his brain, and it gave him a chance to realize he was being irrational the entire time he was thinking.

"...I didn't mean to ignore you," he finally said after a long, uncomfortable silence. 

You placed your chopsticks down after drinking the last bit of broth in your bowl. "I'm not mad, Shinso-san, I just wanted to know why you were ignoring me. I knew something happened but I didn't want to assume anything about you— I wanted to hear them from you, and not from my assumptions."

The dark circles underneath his eyes became even more noticeable as he stared at the empty bowl before him. You knew that look better than anyone else; he had been keeping these emotions and it's weighing him down. 

"I can understand you not wanting to message anyone after something exhausting, but please, tell me. When you're not in the mood to talk to anyone or when you just don't want to talk to me anymore, tell me. If you suddenly ignored me for no reason, then how would I know if something bad happened to you?" 

Shinso's breath hitched in his throat. 

A bitter smile curled on your lips. "I don't want my friend to be isolating himself, you know." 

He couldn't find anything else to say after hearing your words. You were still warm, and kind, and everything that Shinso didn't expect you to be after he had pushed you away. He clenched his fist tighter, creating moons on his own skin. 

"How about this? Let's have a code message."

Your sudden words brought him back to the present, and he raised his gaze to you. "A code... message?"

"Yeah. We can send or tell each other that message whenever we don't feel like talking. That way, we can know whether or not we're both okay or if we just need some time alone from socializing. What do you think?"

"You don't have to do this," he said, his expression stuck between confusion and bitterness.

"Unless you say to my face that you hate me or that you want nothing to do with me anymore, then I'll still suggest this to you." You offered a hand, beckoning Shinso to place his on yours.

He looked at you with narrowed eyes, but when you simply smiled at him, he relinquished. He placed his hand above yours and suddenly, he was aware of how warm your skin was against his cold ones. "What are you trying to do?" he asked, trying to ignore the thought of your unusually warm hand.

You grinned deviously and then intertwined your fingers with him. "I'm trying to hold your hand~"

His eyes widened, and a blush soon overtook his face. "You—!"

You laughed at his reaction. "I'm just kidding! Just kidding!" You never saw him blush before, but seeing his usually pale and tired face with that flustered red on his face? "You look so cute when you show your emotions more, you know."

Removing your intertwined fingers from his, you took his hand on yours and turned his palms to face forward. You were unaware of the raging fluster that came and etched itself in the boy's face just by your words alone.

"We can use this word to say that we're not in the mood to speak—," you traced with your fingers a character. "Tsuru... Cranes are the most beautiful when they're watched from afar, right? That's why if one of us sends this to each other, it means we should leave each other alone for a moment."

Then your fingers trailed up to his wrist, and there you began to trace another one on his skin. Your warm skin opposed his cold ones.

"And this one, this is what we'll send when we're okay with talking to each other. Uguisu, the bird that tells the beginning of the spring."

"That's an awful lot of kanji for a bird," he said slowly. There was still a hint of red on his cheeks, but it died down as time passed by.

"I like birds," you said without a hint of hesitation. "They're really expressive to their peers. A stark difference from you, Shinyan."

There it is again, that nickname and that snicker you always did when you think you're annoying someone, when it was quite the opposite. Shinso already composed himself so why did you have to pull that out of nowhere? "I'm not a bird so of course I won't be expressive."

"Yeah, but you're human. We're also very expressive creatures. Maybe not in the way of a bird, but more so in our own way." You let go of his hand that was cold against yours. Was it your Blueflame Quirk that let your body be warmer than normal? You didn't know, but it was quite nice to have a contrasting temperature from other people. It made you long for more touches, actually—

Heat crawled on your face as you realized your thoughts. Why are you thinking like that? Ignore it, ignore!

"I mean- we show our care in different ways that a bird can't!" you rambled, saying anything that can make you ignore your thoughts. "So- so even if you aren't fully expressive, you should still learn how to... express your feelings in your own way..."

Shinso stared as you began to fumble with your words. Seeing you flustered for no reason after pulling that trick on him earlier, he couldn't help but smirk.

"You look so cute when you show your emotions more, you know?" he cooed.

You froze at his words. He repeated what you said. He just repeated what you said earlier, so why— why did it have such a great impact to you?

"Stop stealing my line." This handsome piece of shit, you thought, glaring at him with a flustered scowl.

He chuckled. "You suddenly lose your vigor when you get complimented, how cute." He gently reached out to you, taking your hand and making eye-contact. 

Shinso turned your palm, and he traced a word on your skin. "The bird that tells the beginning of the spring," he said with his low but calm voice. He looked back at you and showed his small toothy grin, the rare smile that left its effect on anyone who sees it. "It's what I should write when I want to talk to you, yeah?"

Your entire face exploded into a malfunctioning mess. Seeing you like that made Shinso chuckle even more. "No fair—," you complained, burying your other hand to your face while the other one was held by Shinso. "Everything about this is so damn unfair, you know." 

Why do these pretty boys keep on making you flustered? You don't even know how you could get revenge on something like that! Your charm is next to nothing compared to them!

Shinso just shook his head. "You're the unfair one here, you know," he said with a feigned nonchalance. "Making me have a healthy communication. How quite unfair of you, really."

He continued tracing the kanji of uguisu on your bandages, the satisfied yet small smile on his face never disappearing.

You just let him do what he wanted to do, while you tried to ignore the heat on your cheeks. "I know I'm not yet supposed to say this to anyone but since you're my friend, I'll tell you this." Then you whispered, "Just don't tell anyone else, alright? This is just going to be between you and I."

Shinso hummed, telling you to continue.

"Did you answer 'others' at the enrollment form in UA?"

He looked at you for a while, a brief sorrow passing by his eyes for a moment before he steeled his stare. "Yeah?"

"I was at UA for that reason," you said, making him pause on his spot. "Since I scored top on the spot, I was given a chance to redeem myself first before others know about it. The principal told me what I'll end up doing."

"What do you mean?" Shinso probed, narrowing his eyes.

"We'll have a new Department soon," you said, making Shinso's eyes widen. "It'll be about Journalism. If we pass, we'll be able to go with the Heroics course." You can guess that Nezu will allow for Hero transferee as well, considering that he allowed it in all other courses such as the General Education and the Support Department. "But only those who answered the 'Others' option will get the chances to join this new Department."

He stared at you for a while, dropping his hold on your hand. The way you're leaning closer to him and the way you whispered your words, as if what you were saying were top secret files that should never be uttered anywhere, it made Shinso lean closer and whisper too. "I.. I was at UA for that reason, too. The announcement told me that I could talk to the staffs on March 9th about the 'others' option. I think it was the same as other students as well." 

You paused. "Wait, what?"

Didn't Nezu say that he wasn't so sure if he'll implement this Department, not until he talked to you? Why did they suddenly let Shinso and other students know about the 'others' option, then?

Realization struck down upon you. Oh, that little shit. 

A smile broke out on your face. "That pesky rat manipulated me again, didn't he?"

Shinso leaned away, blinking at the sudden change of emotion in your face.

You can just imagine Nezu laughing while spilling his tea. He never told you that he decided to inform most students already! And what, you felt so special because you deciphered his coded message, but it turns out you didn't need to do that because he. Sent. A. Normal. Message. To. Most. Students?

You will strangle that principal the next time you see him. You swear you will.

"Hey... you're going to break the table if you keep holding onto it too tightly."

You didn't realize how your annoyance seeped through your body until Shinso pointed it out for you. "Oh." You looked down at your hand that gripped the table. "Right. Sorry. I was a bit annoyed cause of a rat."

Shinso perked a brow. "A... rat?"

"A rat. A despicable and a shitty one at that."

You promised to yourself you'll throw him off of a roof, someday. Not now but someday, since he can still expel you whenever he wanted to (like how he pulled you out of the fucking course like the madman he is.)

"Huh.." Shinso sweatdropped at the fiery gaze that you showed. "Can you tell me more about that, though? The Department, I mean. I was supposed to be informed about it but you pulled me away before I can even go inside."

Oh, right. You scratched your cheeks and smiled sheepishly at him. "Sorry, I was overtaken by my emotions."

He shook his head, hiding a smile away from you. "It's alright. It's a good thing since you snapped me out of my..." he trailed off. But he just looked away. "Let's just talk about this new Department you're saying. What's it about? Journalism?"

"Yeah, pretty much what it is. Since apparently some journalists and paparazzi's tend to put themselves in danger, UA wanted to train some people to help them get the news safely. You'll probably be a part of that if you don't want to be in General Education. Plus, it'll be a way for you to train as well since... uh, the Gen-ed is quite tame. It's like a normal high school, you know. If you start out in Gen-ed, you'll be at a disadvantage since you won't be training your body like how the Hero course students will, especially if you join their course next school year instead."

Shinso nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not good at writing anything. I don't even write anything except for my assignments and essays. I don't think I have a chance in that Department." He looked down at his hands. "I would like to try, of course. But I don't want to waste away a spot in the school, even if that spot was at the Gen-ed."

"Hm... you're right. You definitely won't have a chance if you don't know how it works," you said, ignoring the way Shinso turned stiff at your lack of encouragement. "Ne- I mean, the principal said that there'll be 10 students who will pass among 250 others."

Shinso's eyes widened. "What? UA is.. intense."

"UA is dumb," you corrected, making the boy look at you even more appalled. "What makes them think that 10 out of 250 hardworking students would be an 'okay' statistics? I get it, they want the best of the best, but that's so damn annoying. It's literally impossible to pass that unless you're someone with extreme talent in writing."

"You can probably pass," he said. "Your writing is great."

You turned to him with a small smile. "Thank you, but it's not, really. I just write a lot. But sometimes, efforts can be overshadowed by natural talent. With how many examinees we'll meet, there's a chance that we'll meet a genius among them, a motivated genius that surpasses us no matter how much we try."

Shinso went quiet. You knew he understood what you were saying— after all, he experienced that situation firsthand before others. He was overlooked, his efforts and drive to continue being a hero, against the people with a better Quirk. He was overlooked in the middle of the talented people in that arena.

Against someone like him who just had the mental effort but not the resources to be strong, how can he win against those people?

"Ugh, I hate being negative," you complained. "Being negative sucks. I feel like I'm not enough all the time. I hate it so much."

Shinso looked at you with a confused, but surprised expression. "How... how can you admit that so easily?" He found it difficult enough to tell you that he didn't pass, and yet here you were, telling him that you felt negative about this situation.

"I just wanna acknowledge what I feel right now since you're here to listen," you said, shocking the boy even further. "I'll get over it soon, though. Cause that's what we have to do. We need to get past this even if it means we'll fail."

Failure wasn't an option for you, and you didn't want it to be an option for Shinso either. 

You turned to him with a wide grin.  "How about I teach you how to write? Let's try to find what kind of journalistic approach you excel at!"

Shinso tilted his head. "You'll teach me?"

You nodded vigorously. "I'm not going to be a great teacher but it's better than making you go in that exam with no idea how to pass, right? How about it?"

He went silent as he mulled over your words. "I'm... not sure. What if I end up failing? Won't I just waste away my spot at the General Education if that happens? Plus, I heard that I can be transferred in the Heroics Course as long as I try my best to grab attention in that Department."

"You'll be fine, I promise you." His Quirk was a useful one, and you doubt Nezu would ever let go of him if he knew what Shinso was capable of. "I know it's a high risk and high reward for you, but I can promise you that you'll still be in UA no matter what happens."

Even against all the things that pulled him down, Shinso was able to push through it. He was someone who didn't let himself give up on his dreams, someone who grew past everyone's expectations. And what does UA want in their future heroes?

They want someone who can push past their limit. Someone who doesn't give up. Someone who embodies their motto, Plus Ultra.

You grinned. "Believe in yourself more. I know you'll be in UA. I just know it."

Shinso Hitoshi fit that criteria perfectly.

"You.. you're doing that again.." Shinso mumbled.

You tilted your head, not loosening your wide grin. "What thing? Me telling you that you'll do great?"

He immediately shut his mouth as you hit the nail correctly.

"It's 'cause I really believe it. Now answer me already— do you want to train your writing skill or not?"

As a minute of silence passed by, Shinso couldn't help but sigh. "You're really confusing," he said, raising a brow at you. "Are you sure you're human?"

You gasped, offended. "I'm literally the most normal person you can meet. Why are you implying that I'm not?"

"Most normal?" Shinso snorted. "I heard a much better joke than that."

"You're a bastard."

He chuckled, pushing your forehead with his finger. You swatted his hand away with a scowl. "Alright. As an apology, I'll go along with your training session."

When you massaged your sore forehead, you turned to him with expectant eyes. "Really?"

"Really."

Your eyes brightened. "We'll be classmates, then!"

You were so sure that Shinso was going to pass, you didn't see the way he faltered at your words. "Yeah.. we will.." but he forced those thoughts away from his mind.

For now, he'll do his best to pass this. It's a high risk and high reward like you said. It means the end for him if he doesn't pass, but if he does...

Shinso stared at you, watching how you animatedly began talking about tips and tricks about gaining information that're news worthy.

The way you spoke to him, the way you snapped him out of his destructive habits... how can he not have that small hope of believing in you?

Just this time, he'll let himself be drowned in his hope from your words. And once again, Shinso Hitoshi will try his best to prove your words were true.

The day of the first Examination for the Journalism Department was today.

It's around 6 in the morning, and you walked through the dim streets in silence. A yawn came beside you. 

"You didn't have to come with me to the station, you know," you said. 

Kaibara rubbed his eyes that sported an unusual dark circle underneath them. He usually didn't look this tired, but considering how early he woke up to travel to your home and accompany you, you can't blame his visible fatigue.

"I wanted to.." he said, stifling another yawn. "You're not going to be at school for a full week, right..?" 

You smiled exasperatedly at the boy. He just threw a yellow hoodie on him and a pair of sweatpants, but it was still fashionable in your eyes. That's the special talent of handsome people, huh? Looking fashionable despite how casual they dressed up.

"Nope, the UA Journalism Exams exempted me from going to school for a whole week," you answered.

After all, you're going to travel a total of 8 hours everyday just to go in and out of Shiketsu High. The way to the West was a 4 hours travel, and that was the fastest transportation time as well. It sounded quite taxing, but you never really explored the West part of your country. You're quite excited to do so in this timeline.

"But then who will I show the photos I just took a few days ago..?"

You chuckled at Kaibara's sleepy concerns. "To me, duh."

"You're not gonna be here, though."

"You should be glad I didn't take the apartment-offer from UA, at least I get to go back home everyday." UA actually prepared for people like you to have a temporary apartment set up, but your parents didn't agree to it. They kept saying that it's a bit dangerous, even if they were held by the UA High School themselves— but you just knew they'll miss you so you agreed with their reasonings.

"But..." Kaibara sighed. It's so adorable to see him be whiny without him realizing it. You're definitely not going to point it out, so you just kept your smile hidden from him. "When you finish the exams, I'll finish setting up my photo album."

"Oh? You'll let me see it too?"

Kaibara scoffed. "Of course I will." He reached out to pinch your cheek, but you slapped his hand away with a playful glare. "I always show you my photos, remember?"

"Okay then, I'll look forward to that once I'm part of the Journalism Department." You grinned at him, making Kaibara's gaze soften.

He dropped you off of the station, complaining a few more times about how 'you shouldn't even be doing this, you placed first on the practical exams'. But you just laughed it all off.

"It's okay for me," you said, fidgeting with the ticket on your hand. "I didn't really want to be a hero in the first place. I'm not the most heroic person, you see, so I guess I'm not that upset."

Silence followed after your words. Kaibara looked torn between saying what's on his mind. Or maybe he was just sleepy.

It must be quite stifling to hear a heavy topic at such an early time, that's why you released a bitter chuckle. "Don't worry. I promise I'll still be with you at UA, so you don't have to worry about me leaving your side."

You glanced at the time. The train was about to arrive.

"Well, guess I'll have to go." You turned to Kaibara who was awfully quiet and smiled. "I'll see you next time then?"

His jaw clenched as words that he wanted to say couldn't be said. There were so many things that he wanted to deny from your words, how you were heroic in his eyes, how you looked so uncertain by your statement, and how he just can't understand that look in your eyes. He wanted to say something.

But there was nothing he could do except nod slowly.

You noted the silence between you two, the sun that steadily rose in the background, and the train tracks that rattled on as the train approached.

Kaibara's eyes widened when a pair of familiar arms wrapped around his torso. Warm, was his first thought, and he stiffened as you placed your chin on his shoulder. "I'm okay," you said, tightening your hold around him. Your voice snapped him out of his trance, and he held you so quick you almost got shocked by it. Still, you only smiled at his hurried actions. "I know you think I'm a little sad about this, but I'm... happy as long as I can still be with you guys while chasing my passion."

Your efforts for Journalism might have started as a forced effort by Momoto, but who said you didn't enjoy every minute of it?

You pulled away, staring at the surprised expression etched on Kaibara's face. "I'll do my best to pass this. Soon, you'll see my name as one of the top ten journalists of UA a few months from now. Believe in me, okay."

And with those words, the train arrived.

You unlatched yourself from the boy. "Well then, that's my cue. Good luck at school, Sen!"

Without checking his reaction, you ran away, leaving the starstruck boy behind.

There he was, standing still in the middle of the station with arms frozen into the hug that he gave. His eyes were wide and the warmth of your body lingered on his hold. Kaibara couldn't process what was happening, but when he did—

He covered his mouth, a fiery blush crawling to his cheeks and to his ears.

The you, who hated anything that invaded your personal space, initiated a hug with him for the first time.

And you called him Sen, too!

"Ah, damnit," he said with a sigh. "You better pass that exam."

Kaibara didn't know what he'd feel if you weren't going to be by his side anymore.

"Over here!"

A group of students waved at you. They all varied from their appearance, you noticed, and yet only the sight of purple unruly hair came to your sight.

Shinso nodded as a greeting. He looked even more tired this day, but that's understandable. He must've woke up earlier than you since his place was farther away from Okayama.

"You got a bedhead, Shinyan," you greeted him back with a teasing grin. 

Shinso ran a hand through his indigo hair and frowned. "My hair is always like this." 

A girl with bright pink curls peered next to him. "Oya? Ya know each other already?"

Her wide grin revealed a bronze glow upon her brown skin. It was such a carefree smile that you couldn't help but reciprocate it.

Her golden eyes widened. "Oh! Ya smiled! Yer adorable!" she cooed, trying to reach out to you.

Shinso pulled you closer to him on instinct. You looked at him, confused and wide-eyed. Even he looked confused by his actions too, that he ended up letting you go so fast.

The pink-haired girl blew a raspberry. "Bzzt, yer a buzzkill, Shinso! She's the first one to actually smile at me in this group, ya know?"

Woah. She's speaking in Kansai-ben. It wasn't Ese Kansai-ben either— each word she spoke was uttered so casually and naturally, you couldn't help but be enthralled by it. She definitely lives in the West, you just know it.

"That's because it's too early to be energetic and to be smiling like thst..." another person interrupted, the voice coming from behind you.

When you turned, your eyes laid upon a frail-looking boy. He was a bit shorter than anyone else from the way he held himself; drooped shoulders, oversized black jacket, and a bit of a messy hair. But as he turned his vermillion eyes to meet yours, a dreaded fear soon crawled through your skin. 

He had cat ears. This boy, with his messy black hair had cat ears. 

The boy shrunk under your gaze, a scowl painting through his mouth. "What?"

You flinched. Was he... not scared of you? He's somewhat like a cat, right? And cats, they're usually scared of you, so maybe—

"I hate you already. Stop staring at my face."

You reeled from his sharp words. "I- I wasn't doing it on purpose." Was that a part of his cat instincts as well? To hate you?

The pink-haired girl laughed. "That's such a fast hatred, Nekocchi! You hate everyone only after talking to them, but they haven't even said anything to you yet. What's special 'bout them that made you despise their entire existence so fast, huh?"

The boy clicked his tongue and looked away. "I just hate them, nothing more, nothing less." 

Shinso sighed when he got over his sudden surprise earlier. He noticed your drooping shoulders. "Don't worry," he said with a low drawl. "He doesn't like befriending anyone. He said he hated me too when he first talked to me."

You wanted to believe that, really. But maybe it's the fact that another cat openly hated you that made you feel a little bit depressed by the situation.

The catboy glanced at you, looked away, then glanced at you again as if he finally decided on what to say. "You're the first placer, (L/n) (Y/n), aren't you?"

"You know me?" Even if they announced your name on the board, it's a given that UA wouldn't show anyone what you looked like. So how did this guy know it was you in just one simple look?

The catboy tilted his head, and he smirked. "Of course I do. It's my Quirk." His ears twitched, as his tail (that you suddenly noticed now) began to sway back and forth. "I can sense anyone's aura just by their name alone. And you have the same aura as the first placer of the practical exam.."

He rubbed the tip of his nose with a gloating smirk. With the way he spoke, it almost sounded as if he was waiting for you to praise him. You wanted to pat him, to ruffle his hair, to even touch his ears… that swaying tail looked so adorable against his smug grin. 

But if you dare do any of what you wanted to do, you would be labeled as a creep, or worse— you would unleash the wrath of a cat.

So you swallowed all of your thoughts down and said, "Ah, I see. That's cool," nonchalantly.

The catboy paused in that smug expression of his. But as silence settled, he stared at you, furrowed brows and shoulders drooped. "Huh?"

The pink-haired girl laughed even more. "He's waiting for you to pat him and praise him, (L/n)!" 

Your eyes widened, pointing at yourself. "Wait- me?"

"I do not!" He hissed, covering his face with his hand. But because of how pale he was, you can easily see the blush that enveloped even the back of his hand and his ears. "Didn't I say I hate them? I don't want to go anywhere near.. near them! They can't even pass the Heroics Course even if their score was really high, so why would I want to be near someone like that!" 

The laughing girl wiped the fun tears off of her eyes. "Ah, you can't even be honest for once, can ya?" She turned to you and Shinso, ignoring the way the catboy was fuming at her and interjecting that she was wrong. "Name's Asamizu Akira, nice to meet cha! I already know Shinso over here since he was earlier than anyone, but you said you're the first placer, right?"

Shinso was early? You glanced at him. He was avoiding your gaze, but that only made you want to tease him even more. He's eager about this, isn't he?

You chuckled. "Yeah, that's me alright. I guess people already know that I failed the Heroics Course despite being the first placer, huh?"

Akira sighed exaggeratedly. "I don't even understand why yer here! Yer scores were amazin', and I heard from my friend that ya were even more epic during the examination, so why didn't ya pass the exam? Did ya anger a staff or somethin'?"

No, it's far from that. You purposely caught the attention of a rodent, and now he's making you suffer here. 

You rubbed your neck and looked away. "UA didn't really say that they had a Journalism Department, so I gave the Heroics course a chance at first. But when I found out they had one, I just had to drop out, you know."

You could feel Shinso's gaze on you as you lied as easily as you breathed, but you simply smiled at him and hoped he wouldn't tell anyone about what he noticed. Thankfully, he just looked away in silence.

"Ooh, ya like writing more than fighting, eh?" Akira gave a thumbs up and grinned. "As long as yer passionate, then I support it!" She turned to the catboy who was silently fuming at her, and motioned. "This here, by the way, is Nekoaru Yuuta! His twin ain't here to ground him, but he'll be fine since Kuromi is here anyway."

"I'm not someone anyone can control. Not even Kuromi," Yuuta grumbled under his breath. He turned to you, then to Shinso, and then back at you. "You two know each other?"

Shinso raised a brow. "Why does that matter?"

Yuuta's eyes twitched. "You..." he glared at Shinso, who looked as if he wasn't even acknowledging the anger within the catboy's eyes. You could almost imagine a damn electricity firing off their each other's glares. 

Why the hell is Shinso picking a fight with a cat? 

No, more importantly, if this keeps up then Shinso would have a hard time creating friends anywhere he go to! You didn't want that. You already took away the possible friends he made in the Gen-ed course back in the old timeline, so there's no way you'll let him be lonely in this timeline of yours.

You jabbed him with your elbow. "Hey, let's at least try to get along with them," you whispered hastily. "We're going to see each other more from now on."

Instead of looking at you, Shinso kept his gaze still on Yuuta's harsh gaze. "Why don't you say what you want to say now that they're here?" he said, irritation bubbling up in his voice.

You blinked at him. It was the first time you heard Shinso speak in that harsh tone of his, and to think that he was directing it to someone with cat features. 

Understanding his words, Yuuta's cheeks bloomed red. "I wasn't saying anything!" He retreated into the comfort of his oversized jacket, scowling. "You're really annoying, you purple yam!"

Shinso raised a brow. "Purple yam?" But he rolled his eyes at the insult. "Weren't you just saying that you'll ask (L/n) what their 'amazing Quirk' was if you ever talk to them?" 

Yuuta flinched when those words stabbed in everyone's ears. "No, wait—"

"Didn't you also say that you want to get praised by them 'cause they were the one who saved many people in your Arena C?"

"I was just- I didn't mean it like that—"

"Weren't you also saying that 'it would be nice if (L/n)-san could pat me' after you tell them what your Quirk is?"

At this point, Yuuta was already burning red. His tail stiffened up and even his unkempt thick hair began to rise up. "I told you to stop talking! Purple yam!" 

Shinso and Yuuta exchanged one icy and one flustered glare at each other.

Akira laughed louder. "Oh! We got a protective snitch here!" She seemed to be enjoying the entire fiasco.

Were they... really talking about you? Was it really you that's the topic of this conversation? 

You find it so hard to believe. You didn't do much to garner this type of attention.. plus, didn't Yuuta say he hated you the moment he saw you? And he's part cat as well, so isn't him liking or adoring you... a bit impossible?

When you looked at the embarrassed Yuuta, who caught your gaze, he immediately flinched. 

"... is that... true?" you asked. Deadpanned.

"I- well, it's— Ugh, it doesn't matter!" Yuuta shouted, crossing his arms and scowling at you. But when you smiled at him awkwardly, confused, his tail began to sway back and forth. "I don't care anymore. My instincts are telling me I shouldn't talk to you and that I hate you."

Ah, see? There it was. Your magnet for a cat's hatred. 

Of course he won't like you. He can sense something dangerous from you after all. But why...

Why was he staring at you intently, as if he was waiting for you to say something else? 

Shinso loved cats. He usually did. But today, he glowered down at this catboy right in front of you two as if he was a hater in the first place.

Yuuta noticed that annoyance more than anyone else. "Oi, purple yam, I swear you're—!"

"Hey! Hello! I'm here, too!" someone shouted from beside you.

You flinched, turning to them in confusion. What you saw was someone who wore an extravagant outfift,, a puffed up pastel purple dress with tons of frills. They held a round-shaped umbrella with the same color within their hand as well, and they peered at you with their bright purple eyes, grinning at the attention they sought for.

"I want to be a part of the problem as well! I'm Kuromi Meruna, it's nice to meet'cha!" They held out a hand, their short white hair bobbing up and down as they moved animatedly.

If you didn't know anything better, you would have thought that this was an anime. How can someone be so extra in everything they do? 

You just showed a smile and shook their hand. "Nice to meet you, Kuromi-san. I'm (L/n) (Y/n), and this is Shinso Hitoshi."

The two were a stark contrast from each other. While Kuromi was someone who dressed in a light and pastel palette, Shinso was someone who could even camouflage in the shadows. That's how gloomy he looked compared to Kuromi.

Kuromi's brows shot up in surprise. "Oh, what an adorable smile! Nobody here except Asamizu-chan even showed an ounce of happiness since earlier. Where were you when we needed you, huh?"

"Have you ever thought that maybe we don't want to act all buddy buddy with people like you?" Another voice called out nonchalantly. All of you turned to look at them, only to find snickering students whose uniforms looked far too messy as if they wanted to be intimidating. "Seriously, this bastard. He's getting on my nerves even more." 

Your gaze darkened. They weren't even bothering to hide their disrespect. 

It annoyed you how they reminded you of your old classmates, but you kept your lips sealed. If they did something even more, you'll be the first one to punch them in their face. 

"Hey, come on now. That doesn't seem like a good tone to use to your fellow examiners," Akira tried to intervene with a laidback smile on her face.

But the new group all glared at her with contempt and disgust etched in their gaze.

"Oookay then." She took a step back and whistled.

"Yeah, exactly. We're fellow examiners. We're here to compete with each other, not to put on a fake mask and dance around in girly skirts." 

You just breathed in through your gritted teeth and looked away. "Looks like someone has a stick up their ass," you said underneath your breath.  

"What was that?" the guy earlier challenged.

"Hard of hearing?" you said in the same tone as he used, making him even more frustrated.

"(L/n)," Shinso tried to call out. He knew what it meant if someone was insulting another person, and he didn't want any of you to be a part of that. Still, you wouldn't be able to live your following lives if you let others experience the same thing as you did when you were in middle school.

When the indigo-haired boy said your name, the bully's eyes widened. 

"Yeah, (L/n) (Y/n)," you introduced yourself, rid of all friendliness and only settling on an intimidating smile.

You didn't need to say anything else. Just saying your name in front of these thugs made them sweat on their spot. The realization in their eyes— that they were in the presence of the first placer with 113 points in the examination— filled them with dread and made them feel smaller. 

The one who spoke earlier looked away and clicked his tongue. That's right, bullies like him would back down when someone even more superior were near them.

But as fast as their confidence deflated at the sight of a superior person, as fast it went up when they found someone they thought was more inferior than them.

When his stare landed back on Kuromi, as if he regained his confidence again, he smirked. He ignored your warning glare, "You might think that this is a field trip where you can prance around and make friends, but this is UA's examinations. Let's see how long you'll last today. That is, if you will even last." 

You can understand that tone even from afar. That's the tone of someone who wants to feel better than the others around him. Someone who knows he's inferior, but doesn't want others to think of himself like that.

It's not as if you didn't expect this. Most people in this examinations were the people who didn't pass the UA practical examinations, so it's not surprising to see them vent their failure out in different ways. 

Kuromi hummed, placing a hand on their chin. "I thought for sure we were trying out the journalism examinations, an examination for journalists to make connections with people, but to think that it's actually the yakuza we're joining in at the moment.." 

You snorted, and Kuromi discreetly winked at you. 

The guy glanced, unimpressed. You thought that would be enough to embarrass him and turn away from all of you, but then, a sadistic smile crossed his face "Ever the snappy bastard as always, huh, Kuromi. You didn't seem like you grew up past your weird crossdressing fetish either." 

Kuromi pouted, but there was a slight annoyance that danced in their eyes. "I don't understand what you're talking about. I don't think it's considered as crossdressing if this is exactly how I dress, no? Besides," Kuromi scrunched their nose. "All of you stink."

"Hah?" 

"If you have nothing to contribute then just don't open your mouth and be quiet," Kuromi said without missing a beat. "It's past the era of being close-minded. I can dress as a girl or a boy if I wanted to, you don't have to interfere with that."

It seems like you're not the only one who knew that these students were venting their frustration elsewhere.. you expected Kuromi to take it, or even ignore them. It's better to shrug these people off after all. 

But what you didn't expect was Kuromi tilting their head and smiling sweetly. "Unless, of course, you're jealous of me? Or have you developed feelings for me? Aw, I can't believe it! Is this your way of confessing after years of being in the same class as me?"

The bully visibly paled. "What? No! That's fuckin' disgusting!"

"Aren't you the one who's disgusting here? Maybe you should make a habit of looking in the mirror everyday," Shinso said, you can sense the animosity in his words as he stared down the group. "That way, you're not bothering us with your insecurity."  

"Fuck you," spat out the leader of the group.

Shinso simply scoffed. 

Throughout this exchange, you noticed that these guys weren't even trying to acknowledge you. You saw one of them stare at you, but when you stared back, they always looked away. 

It was as if they were avoiding you fully. 

But then they regain their confidence when they see Kuromi, the one that they were willing to torment again and again. No matter how you look at it, it's only making them even more pathetic than before.

You sighed, shaking your head. "Seriously, it's only the first day and there's already a group being immature. Why is liking Kuromi-san disgusting? They're very pretty, so why is that concept horrible to you?" Kuromi's eyes widened at your words. "If you're trying to project your frustration cause you didn't pass the UA Practical examinations, then please hide it well. You just look stupid otherwise." 

The frustrated student finally faced you. He couldn't hide his expression that twisted into one of alarmed and angry, but another one beside him whispered, "Hey man, that's the first placer..." 

You locked eyes, and judging from the student's empty gaze, you waited for him to say anything. 

And say something, he did. 

With a condescending smile, "I wonder which one of us looks stupid and embarrassing. Is it the one who has a chance and took it, or is it the one who passed but didn't qualify to join the hero school?" 

"Ah," you said, understanding the situation fully. "You are stupid." 

Kuromi sputtered, "Pfft!"

The student faltered. "What? Oi!" He didn't expect to be brushed off nonchalantly like that. "Isn't it weird that a hero school rejects someone that passed? If anything, your situation is more embarrassing than ours. I can't even imagine what the hell you did to be rejected by a hero school," he said, gaining confidence as his other friends slowly nodded and agreed with him. 

You are about to save people like this guy over here from a terrible, and yet you're being repaid by insults. Somehow, that annoyed you a lot more than it should have. 

"Maybe that's why they're getting along well with Kuromi," another one said. "You know how they're like in school, especially...- urk!"

The moment that student uttered those words, a dangerous aura swirled in the air. You turned your head to where it came from, and your gaze stopped when it landed on Yuuta.

"Didn't I tell you to get out of my sight? You despicable pebbles." His tone was different from what he used to you earlier. It was much darker, like his rage was pooling under his words. You had no sense of danger, but you do have the common sense to know that someone will get hurt if this atmosphere continued on.

Yuuta stepped forward. The other students flinched, pulling on each other to take a step back. "I said I despise your face. Unless you want me to claw your eyes out, you better leave. Now."

You blinked multiple times. Wow. Such an intense cat. He reminds you of all the cats who clawed on your face mercilessly.

You didn't even notice how those students were forcing each other to move away from your line of sight, until Kuromi waved at them with a chirpy, "Bye-bye, ugly people!"

Ah. You haven't even said your last words... you really wanted to shove it in their face that they were being stupid. 

Kuromi turned to the angry catboy and grinned. "That was so cute of you, Yuuta-chan! Did you do that to protect me?"

Yuuta looked away. "I never said you could use my first name."

"So cute, truly adorable!"

You and Shinso exchanged a glance. His eyes communicated everything at this point: He's tired already. The exams hasn't even started, yet here you two were, already feeling drained by this ordeal.

"Also, (L/n)-chan, right?" Kuromi turned to you.

"Yeah?" Their eyes brightened, and you sweated. There was that feeling once again, crawling back up to your stomach. That feeling that told you something horrible was coming to you.

Kuromi grabbed your hand, holding it gently and grinning. "I love you!"

Everyone froze.

"Huh...?" Your face erupted into a shade of red. "I- you? What?"

Did they just confess?

What- this was the first time someone confessed to you— hold on, isn't this a bit too fast? Crap, what do you say, how do you reject them so quickly without looking dumb in front of the others—

Kuromi laughed. "I'm just teasing you, don't worry too much about your response!" They really looked like a doll when they smiled at you like that. "People are usually overwhelmed by my style so they don't compliment me, but hearing you say that I'm pretty— it made my heart beat so fast. I thought I was in love."

Shinso placed a hand on his pockets and frowned. "That's not love. You're just palpitating from your nerves."

"Buzzkill, buzzkill," Kuromi wagged their finger, making Shinso's eyebrows twitch. That's the second buzzkill count for Shinso today. These guys are merciless when it comes to being fun, huh. "I can choose who I fall in love with, and it just so happens that I can fall in love with this adorable one over here!"

Kuromi tried to step closer to you, but you scooted away and hid behind Shinso. "I'm sorry, Kuromi-san. You are pretty! You really are," you said in a hurry, making Kuromi smile even more. "But I'll- I'll have to, uh, reject you—"

"Ignore them!" Yuuta interrupted. "They just want to get their entertainment from your reaction." He glared at Kuromi, sending a silent warning with his eyes. 

Kuromi puffed out their cheeks. "Yuuta-chan, you're a buzzkill too. You should be with Shinso-chan to complete your buzzkill duo."

Yuuta directed his sharp stare at Shinso, who stared back at him with a deadpan. "I don't like him. He keeps getting in my way earlier. And he also tried to pat me," he said that last part as if he was disgusted.

You sputtered, making Shinso look to the side. "Y-you tried... to pet him?" you asked, stuck between wanting to cry out of laughter or cry out of fear for your friend.

Shinso still held his usual expression, but you could see the red that dusted his ears, "I didn't know he could turn into a cat."

Yuuta clenched his fist and glowered, "Even so, you can't just approach cats like that! I would bite your fingers off if you try that with me again!"

Kuromi laughed. They brought out a pack of chips, handing it to you and grinning. "Yuuta-chan being angry is always a delight to watch. Want some?"

You took the offer, of course, cause it's free food.

Akira came back, and when she saw how Yuuta was glaring at the towering Shinso, she blinked in confusion. "What happened while I was gone? And where are the others?" 

"You mean my stinky classmates? They left," Kuromi said nonchalantly, popping another chips into their mouth. "They're pretty annoying so we chased them out. What about you, Asamizu-chan?" You stared at Akira, trying to remember when exactly she left in the middle of that situation.

Akira grinned and then pointed at the bus behind her. "I got us a nice bus! We'll be able to go to Shiketsu comfortably now!"

Alas, you abandoned your curiosity and let your eyes widen in surprise. "Oh! Is it only for us?"

"Yep! I used my connections to get one, lo and behold!" You and Kuromi clapped as Akira basked in your praises.

UA didn't exactly give you guys a private bus, so the fact that Akira was able to get you one was such a relief.

You had to pull Shinso away from Yuuta, because you knew, from the way Yuuta was standing, that he was ready to pounce and scratch off Shinso's face. But when Shinso was at your side, the catboy directed his annoyance at you instead. What were you supposed to do at that point? You were siding with your friend so he doesn't get cat scratches in his attractive face! 

Realizing what was happening, Kuromi poked fun at Yuuta's 'jealousy' and you had to drag them away from the fuming cat once again. Seriously, you're like a babysitter already and the exams hasn't even started yet!

Shinso sat next to you the entire bus ride. He dozed off with a dark pillow neck supporting his head.

The others, even the students who ran away earlier after being hissed at by Yuuta, began to board the bus. Akira said that most of the students were already at Shiketsu High so only your batch was late (thanks to the lack of buses, to which you blame Nezu for).

But finally, all of you reached Shiketsu High half an hour later.

"You drooled a bit," you teased the boy as he walked out of the bus.

Shinso glared at you. "I don't drool."

But he discreetly wiped his lips, which made you wheeze.

"I'll get back at you later," he grumbled, acting annoyed.

"Yes, yes. Thankfully I don't sleep on the bus, so who knows when you can get revenge on me?" Shinso just flicked your forehead so painfully, it actually irritated you. "Hey! I'm sensitive to pain. Stop it or I'll stomp on your feet and drown you in your sleep!"

He raised a brow, leaning a bit closer, and your heart actually jumped at his actions. You couldn’t help but be captivated by the curious, and almost genuine look in his indigo eyes. "What's that on your face?"

You stared blankly, horrified. Surely he couldn’t mean… You grasped at your face, not noticing the slightest smirk that decorated his lips. "Wha- what are you talking about? There's nothing on my face." Except hidden cat scratches scars that he knows the origin already. "Is there something on my face?"

The two of you stood there, staring at each other for a while.

Until Shinso walked past you without any other words.

You stared at him, furious and horrified. "Wait— what do you mean by that?!"

"Kuromi-san!" Shinso called out, jogging away from you.

Shinso noticed how you weren't trying to come near Kuromi after they 'confessed' to you. He definitely knew that you were embarrassed by that situation, and so what did he do?

He stuck close to them, like the damn menace he was.

Kuromi greeted Shinso, but when their eyes landed on you, their grin widened and they waved at you so enthusiastically, it reminded you of their confession earlier.

"Oi, that's not fair!" You cried out to Shinso, who craned his head at you and smirked.

This guy—! 

You just tried to cheer him up! To think that he'd betray you like this...

You dragged yourself to where Shinso stood, trying to keep your composure relaxed as Kuromi began to ramble to you. It was difficult to keep your face neutral because Kuromi kept on complimenting you— even Shinso would join in from time to time, saying "(L/n) is really good at writing," and "They're also good with words."

Is this his way of revenge? To drown you in compliments? Because he's actually succeeding, and you're not so sure if you're alive anymore.

By the time you reached the field where the Shiketsu High enrollees were taking their practical examinations, all three of you slowed down.

"Hey..." Kuromi said, glancing around. "Is it just me, or are they...?"

Shinso nodded. His eyes no longer held the mirth it had earlier— his stare was cold and unexpressive as he regarded the people around us. "Yeah. They're glaring at us, alright."

The Shiketsu High students didn't hide their distaste at your group.

This was what you feared the most.

With UA and Shiketsu being rivals, it's no doubt that their staffs would agree to give you guys a hell of a treatment— especially if Nezu, that sadistic principal of their rival school, decided to put journalists on their land.

You wouldn't be surprised if Nezu told them to give you guys a hostile environment. After all, a journalist cannot gain information easily if their source of interviews wouldn't give them out.

"Arara, this will be hard." Kuromi pointed a finger on their lips and frowned. "So this is how UA will weed out those who do not have a talent in information gathering, huh?"

This was truly bad for you.

You're confident in your writing skills. You honed it for years after all, so you know you'll do fine. But what you weren't confident in was your ability to gain information from others—

The ability to talk to other people.

Shinso seemed to know what you're thinking as well. He sighed, massaging his nose bridge. "Well, so much for our first day of the exam," he said sarcastically.

The field was full of people who actively ignored the other students who didn't wear any assigned uniform, cause they knew that only UA students were on civilian clothing today. They knew who to avoid, and just by that—

You were doomed.

Shiketsu High... Please, at least try to be kind to you. 

You need to pass this. And if they're not kind to you... 

You sighed. That rodent of a principal really doomed you, huh? 

Chapter Text

❝When you learn to observe, you learn that you can be stronger.❞

You hate it here.

Whenever you tried to go near these Shiketsu examiners, you'd strap on a friendly smile, ask for permission to interview,  respectfully so. 

But do you know what they do? 

They'd look at each other, give a silent message with just their eyes, and then leave you alone. It reminded you of the way Momoto would ask your class behind your back to ignore you. And remembering it wasn't a good thing.

The first years were watching, the second years were by the benches, and the main examiners—the supposed future first years—weren't paying any attention to you. It was so stifling to be in a large field where students blatantly ignored your presence.

Still, you tell yourself, you had to bear through this. Your spot in UA, and the life of everyone's future is on the line otherwise. 

"This sucks," you breathed in annoyance.

Shinso stood beside you, tapping his pen on his blank notepad. "10 students out of 250 examinees... UA really wasn't kidding when they said it's going to be difficult."

You flipped your notepad, stopping on a page with messy scribbles on it. "Yeah, but the first day seems to be easier than the rest. We just need to gather information after all. Since today's the day when the enrollees are doing their practical exams, we need to find a way to interview at least one or two of them and make a detailed report about it."

Snipe had gathered all of you in one corner earlier, where 250 people looked like they either wanted to go home or they're thrilled by this turn of events. Kuromi was the latter. You wondered what went in their mind at that moment, but as long as they enjoy it, then you won't bother them.

"Uh... I don't know what this means but Snipe-san kept saying that we're here as a full-pledge journalist today and not just an examinee of UA's New Department. Aside from gathering information about the entire school... that's about it for all the important stuff," you finished, turning your head to Shinso.

"Great directions," he said dryly. "He failed to mention that everyone hates us. What's next?"

"What's next? We sing and charm everyone like how normal journalists do everyday, duh." The sarcasm in both of your voices only made the two of you sigh. "I think this is a part of the obstacles we need to get past. If we don't do anything, we'll be lagging behind the others." 

Not that the others are gaining an advantage either. Nobody in UA can do anything except watch how the Shiketsu students ignore all of you.

Shinso scoffed. "How can you gain information when nobody is willing to talk to you?"

Between the two of you, Shinso had it more difficult than anyone else.

For some reason, someone from your batch decided to spread the fact that he had a Brainwashing Quirk. That's why every time he walked up to someone, they immediately back away and not even utter anything right in front of him. So he stuck next to you instead, waiting and thinking for a way to pass this examination.

This was the worst exam that could be given for the both of you. With your experience of being isolated in social places, and with Shinso who had been judged for his Quirk alone, it's no wonder you couldn't leave each other's side.

You hesitated for a bit. "Don't... mind them too much. The staff most likely told the students to ignore us, so even if you didn't have your Quirk, you'll still be ignored by the students here in the end." That was your pathetic excuse of comfort. But it's better than nothing, right?

Shinso didn't look at you. "Tsuru."

"What?"

"You don't have to say that." He tore off a page on his paper, handing it to you without a glance. The paper held a barely eligible kanji of the word 'crane', and when you looked at Shinso, you stopped at the sight of his steeled gaze.

"Just watch me. I'll pass this exam even if everyone is scared of my Quirk." 

That was all Shinso needed to say before he walked away.

You didn't need to comfort him. That's what he meant by his piece of paper and his reassured words.

It's not just you who's having a hard time here, it's also Shinso and the others. But even then, they're trying their best to get past this situation, no matter how agonizing every second became. Because those who are driven by their passion and goal wouldn't give up so easily at the sight of an obstacle.

You smiled, tearing your eyes off of Shinso. Yeah, he can handle himself. You taught him the basics after all, and he was a fast-learner.

The one you need to focus on is yourself.

"How dare he be so rude."

Flinching, you whipped your head to see a certain catboy standing a couple of steps away from you. He had a frown on his pale face as he glared past his dark bangs. 

"You're just being worried and yet he dared to tell you to not say anything?"

"Shin- Shinso doesn't mean it in a rude way..." The dark aura from this brooding catboy really made your instincts on edge. What if he jumps on you because of your Quirk? Just the thought of a cat, four times its original size, pouncing on your face and tearing it off made your entire body shiver.

Yuuta's brows twitched. "He's rude to you, and you'll just let it slide?"

You noticed him trying to take a step closer to you but you just laughed it off, backing a little away from him. "He's not being rude on purpose. Think of it like... uhh... it's our own way of talking to each other, yeah?"

He went still. His vermillion gaze paused on your shifty eyes, and soon, his ears drooped. "Are you scared of me?"

Yes. You're scared of him suddenly attacking you due to his cat instincts when you have no way of defending yourself. It's so bizarre how you're not terrified of dying multiple times, but cat scratches were enough to make your entire body go 'flee and flee, no fight please!' mode. But were you going to say that aloud?

"...Kind of?"

Yes, yes you were.

His eyes widened. "Hah? Why?"

"Well..." You scratched your cheek, looking away. "Didn't you say you hated me? I guess I'm just respecting your feelings by trying not to come near you." 

Correction: you're respecting his cat instincts so that you won't receive the wrath of it. That's the entire story. But you can't just say that to him without sounding quite silly now, can you?

You flashed him a thumbs up and a smile, ignoring the way he recoiled at your answer. "Don't worry! I'll leave you alone now. You need to focus on the exams after all!" Plus, it would be better to get as far away as possible from a grumpy cat like him, as much as you really want to scratch his soft-looking ears. 

His black tail tucked between his legs as he frowned. His ears were so twitchy, but it's his quiet voice that made you stop on your tracks. "You... didn't you hear what Akira said earlier..?"

"Eh... what she said..?" Akira said so many things the entire bus ride that you can't even remember some of them anymore. Didn't she tell you about multiple landscapes to visit in Okayama? Or did he mean that one sermon Akira gave about the different ceremonies held in Shiketsu High every month? 

The boy before you turned away with a faltering huff. "Whatever, it's nothing I care about now." 

"Wait, did I forget something important—?"

"Let's just meet up later. With purple yam too!" Yuuta pursed his lips at Shinso's direction. "I don't like him but it's better to help each other with information gathering. Maybe if I observe hard enough, I can trade information that's worthy for you too."

Your eyes widened at that. Right—you forgot about something important.

Yuuta glanced at you, but it was fleeting and he turned his head away in just a few seconds. "You better be useful for this as well. I don't want to come back and find out you did nothing the entire examination."

Just like that, Yuuta stomped away from you. You could see a slight tint of pink on his cheeks but his side bangs covered it before you could observe closer.

That conversation, with Yuuta's tucked tails and calm ears, unlocked multiple perspectives in your head.

Ah. That's right... What am I thinking so narrow-mindedly for?

The first examination is all about information gathering. Which means that this field around you, every people here, their words aren't the only source of information for you. It's non-verbal cues as well.

How can I forget about such an important detail?

If there are some students who won't like talking to you, then there would be other students who would be fine with being interviewed. The world is varied in that way. So you scanned the area, noting every movements that the examinees had.

Only a few of your fellow UA journalists had caught onto the same realization as you did. It was no surprise that Akira and Kuromi took advantage of the situation in just a few minutes of socialization. They're far too charismatic for you, and you can't afford to lose to them either.

Yuuta and Shinso weren't charismatic in a friendly way, but their passive-aggressive stance to this situation had caused the examinees to be riled up. It wasn't something that most journalists and news reporters use, but provoking your interviewee is also a way to make them spit out information and to make them move. That's why you'll hear some reporters ask such personal and triggering questions; it's a way to slip up, and slipping up means more information to write about. As expected of Shinso, he took that stance in an instant. Who knew he had a way with words and how to rile up people around him?

Your eyes locked into someone with an open body language. Hands on both hips, standing upright with a confident posture, wide grin on the face, eyes bright and darting around in excitement… This person should have been the perfect interviewee for most of the journalists, but you've seen them approach him.

He's far too loud. Far too passionate. His words fell on deaf ears as the other journalists just wanted specific info from him, but he derailed from the topic.

He's the perfect person for someone like you to converse with.

Without any hesitation, you marched up to the looming boy with a buzzcut hairstyle and an everlasting grin on his face.

You waved when his eyes swept to you. "Hello! I noticed you gained a bit of an attention from my peers," you began, offering an equally large grin to this bright man. "I'm sure you know us already so I'm just going to be straightforward to you: can I ask for your name?"

You lacked confidence in your ability to socialize. But there was one thing that you're sure you excelled at.

The boy beamed, a stark difference from the glares of the other students. "You're a journalist from UA, right? I'm Yoarashi Inasa, it's a pleasure to meet you!" He bowed at a perfect angle.

With enough preparation, you're confident you can handle enthusiastic people like him.

You bowed your head as well, mimicking his tone. "(L/n) (Y/n) at your service. It's also nice to meet you, Yoarashi-san!" Raising your head, you showed a smile as Yoarashi reciprocated it with his open grin. "I saw you line up with a few of the recommended students. Are you one of them perhaps?"

The students in the field are all grouped in three categories: (1) the enrollees that stood by the left corner; (2) the first and second years that watched by the benches; and (3) the recommended students that were waiting outside of the gym stadium. Yoarashi was one of the 3rd category, but you have no idea why he moved away from the other recommended students though. He must be feeling very quirky and silly.

"Correct. I am a recommended student! I came here because all of you UA Journalists looked like you wanted to talk to someone so now here I am!" Yoarashi answered your unsaid question, making you release a hum in satisfaction. "What kind of heroes do you like? I heard Snipe is outside of the school here waiting for you guys to finish the exams. I like him as well! He's a hot-blooded hero. A passionate one, I believe so! You've been to UA as well, right? You're their Journalist after all so you must have seen how amazing that place was!"

Ah. It's not because he's passionate and that's why your peers steered far away from him.

It's because he became the interviewer instead, that's why your peers tried not to mingle with him.

Even now, Yoarashi kept asking you things about UA and about different heroes you liked, which you listened intently. Maybe he'll slip up and say something about Shiketsu and what they told the students to do. 

Being a listener is a good thing when you need to gain information, but you snapped out of it when Yoarashi suddenly faltered.

You blinked multiple times. "What's wrong?" 

Yoarashi blinked alongside you. "Excuse me for just a moment—did you say your name was (L/n) (Y/n)?"

"Oh, yeah. That's me?"

A pang of realization went through his face. "You're (L/n) (Y/n)?!" His grin widened, and if you thought his voice was loud enough, he began shouting even more. "I saw your name at the top of the practical examination board when I was checking up on UA! I knew your name was familiar but I didn't know I'll get to meet you here. Why are you at UA as their journalist? Shouldn't you be a hero with your hot results?"

From your peripheral view, other people began looking at the two of you. You can even hear some of your peers muttering to themselves, 'Oh, so that's why they were familiar. Did they do something bad for the staff to drop them out of the course or something', but then a familiar hiss would interrupt them as they spoke. Even you could feel Shinso's gaze as you stood with everyone's eyes upon you two.

You raised a hand, sheepishly waving him off with a smile. "Yoarashi-san, let's try not to bother everyone who's preparing while we're talking, okay?" Cupping a hand to your lips, you scooted closer to him as he bent down and entertained your little 'whispery' talk. "What we're going to talk about is a secret, so let's shhh a little, yeah?" 

His eyes widened and a bright smile appeared on his face. "Okay, I understand!"

How can someone whisper and shout at the same time?

You just sighed and tapped on your notebook. If you kept this up, you'll be like your other peers who excused themselves away from Yoarashi because he's far too much for them. You didn't want that. He's the easiest information source for someone like you at the moment.

But Yoarashi kept staring at you in silence. He waited for you to say something this time. It's a huge contrast from his conversation earlier where he kept on adding and adding passionate talks while he asked you a question, so after a while, you smiled at your idea.

"You're asking why I'm here even though I passed the practical exams in UA with a high score, right?"

He nodded. "Just by looking at you, I know you'll be a hot-blooded hero if you continued in the Heroics Course. So why did you become just a UA journalist instead?"

"Yoarashi-san," you began with your most sincere voice, catching the boy off-guard. "There's nothing wrong about being a journalist. When the heroes are evacuating the citizens and fighting the villains, the journalists are there to notify everyone about it. We're not 'just' here. We chose to be here."

You tapped your closed pen on Yoarashi's shoulder, smiling at him. "I'm not here as UA's first place ranker in the Heroics Course, nor am I here as UA's Journalist."

Snipe said it earlier, didn't he?

"I'm here as a full-pledge journalist for passionate young heroes like you, Yoarashi-san."

You found it. The second obstacle of the examination.

Right now, everyone is thinking: 'Oh. UA and their journalists, we shouldn't let our rival school have an advantage over us.' But Snipe's words earlier and the students' glares gave you a clue on what you should be doing here: you have to set your title as a journalist worthy of each student so that the no one will look down upon you.

You would have continued that inner monologue of yours, but Yoarashi suddenly slapped a hand on his face. Hard. 

Your heart lurched in horror. "Y-Yoarashi-san?!"

His cheek was bruised now and his nose dripped blood—wait, how hard was that slap anyway?! "You're... you're right. How could I let myself be clouded with judgement." But no matter how bruised his face was, he didn't lose that vigor in his wide eyes. "Right now, you're not just here as a UA student but you're here as a passionate journalist!"

His words caught everyone's attention. Which wasn't part of your plan, but it's the best turn of scenario, actually.

Yoarashi inhaled a large breath, and then—

"I offer you my sincerest apology for not reading the situation correctly!" He slammed his forehead down onto the floor.

Forget Chargebolt's dogeza. This guy's bleeding forehead was far too much for you to handle.

"Wait- wait, please get up! You don't need to bow that hard!"

Yoarashi raised his head, watching as you fumbled with your handkerchief. His forehead had a cut from that painful slamming on the ground, but he didn't seem bothered by it, "I allowed myself to think so narrow-mindedly, which was not supposed to happen but it did. I really truly am sorry!"

"It's- It's alright, Yoarashi-san. It's not just you who thought that way anyways. It's everyone around you as well." 

"...What do you mean?"

You motioned to his forehead with your handkerchief when he fully raised his body up. "May I?" He nodded, and you began dabbing the handkerchief to his wound. "UA and Shiketsu are rival schools, so it's obvious that everyone only focuses on the fact that we're just students from UA. And that's understandable. We really did come from UA after all."

"But you're not just from UA, right?" You paused, staring at Yoarashi who had a steel and determined gaze. "You're a passionate journalist for future heroes like us."

Even though he appeared as someone who spoke everything in his mind without a thought, Yoarashi was quite intelligent. More intelligent than the people around him, that's for sure.

"Yes, that's exactly our goal for today," you said with a smile. "But not everyone knows about that. Right now, in their eyes, we're people whom they should avoid at all cost."

You understood that, but it's still a bit frustrating to think about.

He listened intently. You watched as the gears behind his expression finally moved and began to turn into the correct places. 

Yoarashi Inasa was an enthusiastic guy. His ability to empathize with others, while appearing a bit boisterous, was a charismatic trait of his. His actions were either too expected that you can't help but be shocked by it...

Or his actions were too unexpected that you couldn't even consider a normal person would do something like it.

Yoarashi shot up from his posture, planting his foot firmly to the ground and opening his arms. “Everyone, I have something to say!”

Oh no. You sweated.

You have a bad feeling about this. 

His booming voice carried over to the field. Everyone turned all of their attention to Yoarashi. Even you looked at him incredulously, mouth agape.

Surely this wasn’t happening. No one in their right mind would do something like this. No one in their right mind would be able to muster up the courage to do what you thought Yoarashi was going to do, especially in a field full of people he barely knew.

But nothing can apparently stop him.

Yoarashi gripped his hands into fists and grinned widely. “You don't have to worry! The UA students here are actually our journalists! They're only here to observe us, future heroes!!"

He really did it. 

Is he insane? 

"That's why you don't need to fear them anymore!"

You didn't know whether you wanted to laugh or cry out of the sheer embarrassment that everyone was now staring at you. But it's alright—when an unexpected scenario happens, the people around will begin to slip up.

"Oi oi, kid," one student walked up to Yoarashi with a glare. "Didn't you hear what the staff told us earlier? They said we shouldn't make it easy for these people here. They're here for their exams, not to relax while watching us."

You discreetly took notes about what that student said, hiding behind Yoarashi's looming figure.

Yoarashi quirked a brow at them. "Observing is already a difficult task, especially if you're going to write your observation for everyone to read. By ignoring them, we end up pushing the journalists away from creating news that notifies the people around us!"

You could hear an annoyed sigh from the student that approached. "I don't know what that kid said for you to be like this, but we're also here to give them a hard time. You can't go against that rule."

"I find that rule a bit unfair!"

"Look. It's not about finding it unfair or anything like that—it's about them overcoming this. What's their motto, isn't it puru.. puru—"

Yoarashi straightened and shouted, "PLUS ULTRA!"

You wrote that enthusiasm down.

"Yeah... Plus Ultra..." Even his fellow student was unable to handle the enthusiasm from Yoarashi. "If you're doing this so that you can get a positive review from them, you're out of luck. These are the UA students. We're rivals. They're here to salvage all positive and negative things about us just to get their scoop of the day, so don't be surprised if they end up talking shit about you in their news article."

Your eyes narrowed at those words. You knew that the media didn't have a good image on the heroes, but their judgement was unfair. Yoarashi thought so as well.

He was about to speak up, but one tap on his shoulder caught his attention. He turned his head, eyes landing on you.

"I'll handle this, Yoarashi-san. Thank you."

Offering one last smile, you stepped forward and observed the student in front of you. He wore the Shiketsu hat, meaning he's a first or second year student. He's definitely not part of the people who are taking the examinations. That means he's here to test you, isn't he? Too bad, you were prepared for a moment like this (not including Yoarashi's declaration, of course).

"Hello, I'm (L/n) (Y/n). But I'm sure you've heard of me already—"

"You're the kid who was targeted by a high school stalker, right?"

You paused. You were going to say that he must have heard Yoarashi's shout about you being the first ranker of UA, but you didn't expect you'll be remembered as... your other incident with Tsukiko.

Yoarashi tilted his head. "High school stalker?"

"I guess I'm a bit notorious in different ways, huh?" you joked, but you received a scoff from this Shiketsu student instead. 

A vein appeared on your forehead. How rude. 

Still, you tried to calm yourself. "But no matter what you've heard of me, I'm not here as (L/n) of UA nor am I here as the (L/n) who got involved in a villain attack. I'm here to be your journalist, someone who will deliver truthful news worthy for passionate heroes like you. Unless you're doing something that can make the world view you in a negative way—" Yoarashi and the student tensed as your smile darkened. "—I can assure you, we value honesty and truthfulness over everything in our work. That's why you don't need to be too paranoid about us, okay?"

In just a blink of an eye, that twisted smile on your face disappeared. It was replaced by a softer looking one as you faced Yoarashi. "If you don't mind, Yoarashi-san, can I ask you some stuff regarding the recommendation exams? It won't take too long since I'll watch you guys later when the exams start."

The other student huffed, understanding that you were finished talking to him already. Well, you figured out his goal quickly anyway so he didn't need to stick close to you. Yoarashi, however...

"Call me Inasa!" He faced you with his almost-sparkling gaze. "That was very passionate of you, (L/n)-san!"

You reeled at his words and enthusiasm. "Ah... Sorry. I-I'm not really used to getting my first name called just yet, so I don't think I can call you by yours..." It was tempting, because his last name was quite a handful for you.

But Yoarashi shook his head vigorously. "It's fine! It just feels like we can grow closer if you called me by my first name!"

He was looking at you with that unbreakable grin on his face. Seriously, how can he keep that up without faltering once? He really must be a genuinely happy person. "Oh... are you sure?"

"Extremely sure!"

"Then,.. Inasa-san—"

"Just Inasa!"

You recoiled. "J-just Inasa?" No honorifics?

Inasa doesn't seem to notice your sudden fluster. "Yes, just Inasa would be fine!"

Your cheeks began to heat up as you processed his words. Surely, by his words that you two 'could become closer to each other', he didn't mean in that way... right?

The more you stared at the beaming ball of sunshine, the more your confusion and embarrassment grew. He doesn't look like he wanted to be intimate with you—he doesn't even look like he's flirting with you! He probably meant it in a friendship way, so why the hell are you turning warm and flustered at this whole 'no honorifics' situation?

"Uh, yes... well, Inasa..." you cleared your awfully warm throat. "In return, you can drop your honorifics for me too."

Inasa pumped his fist and nodded. "Alright, (L/n)! We're really getting closer now, and it's making my heart beat faster!"

If you thought you were flustered earlier, you were malfunctioning now. "Wait- Inasa— your words can be interpreted in a different way!"

But Inasa just turned to you with his excitement bouncing off of your words. "My Quirk is Whirlwind, I can manipulate the air around me with just a 'whoosh!' like this!" He demonstrated, creating a small field of tornado right above his palms. "I don't need to do much but as long as I focus on controlling them, I can even make myself fly into the air!"

"A-ah, wait!"  He went so fast into this conversation, you couldn't even catch up to it anymore. "Let me write it down just a sec—"

Ignoring the furious heat on your face, you put all of your attention into Inasa's words.

Inasa began listing off basic facts about him. His Quirk, his usage of them, his favorite food, how much he liked that udon shop by the edge of Shiketsu High's streets, how a dog greeted him when he was on his way to board a bus, and so much more. It wasn't going to be a part of the article but you did enjoy listening to him talk about his day and how he found out his toothpaste was almost out this morning.

Time passed by so quickly, you only realized it when Inasa was tapped by a fellow recommended student, who told him the exams were going to start.

"Ah, sure! I'll be right there in an instant!" Inasa called out, receiving a nod as the fellow recommended student walked away.

Inasa turned back to you with a sheepish grin. He rubbed his head, "Sorry we have to end our hot-blooded interview session like this. But you'll be watching me later, right?"

He peered at you, that hopeful gaze of his stabbing into your heart. How can anyone possibly ignore someone like this guy? He's just a bumbling mess of happiness, that's what he was. 

"Of course," you said after a minute of composing yourself. "I'll definitely be watching someone as passionate and as cool as you are, Inasa. So you better do your best, okay?"

Inasa's eyes widened for a split second. The grin that you showed him was a pathetic attempt at trying to be enthusiastic. 

But it was genuine. You really wanted him to do his best. 

His Quirk was far too powerful, and judging by his great knowledge about it, you knew he was going to excel in his examination. You're excited to see how exactly he'll excel against the other students. Inasa is the type of person to be unexpected, and just thinking about it made you look forward to his showcase of power.

Suddenly, two large hands plopped onto your shoulders. You blinked multiple times, staring at Inasa who... was looking at you intensely. He wasn't even smiling— his mouth was shut tight, and his eyes were wide. It was as if a realization dawned upon him the moment you said those words.

"(L/n)."

You flinched. "Yeah?"

His grin reappeared, but this one was even wider than his usual grins. "I decided! You're going to be my Journalist in the future!"

"Eh?"

Inasa released you from his hold, leaving you standing there in confusion. "I'm going to do my best, and then you'll have so many things to write about me! You and I are going to work very hard together, so just watch me!"

He laughed, bowing to you in a perfect bow once again. "I'll be in your care from now on, my journalist!"

Your face erupted into a painful heat. It almost felt like your flame Quirk was suddenly becoming out of control. "No- wait, your journalist?"

Inasa stood up and nodded vigorously. He jabbed a thumb to his chest and declared, "I'll show you what it means to be a hot-blooded hero, so just focus on me later!" 

A small burst of blue flame came upon your hair. 

"Yoarashi! The exams are starting soon!"

"Ah! Wait, I have to go now. I'll see you later in the gymnasium!" Inasa bowed once again, unaware of how you were having a hard time processing his words, before he marched up to where the other recommended students were lined up.

You just stood there, with a small puff of blue embers sticking on your hair.

Did he just... misunderstood what you said when you told him you're a journalist for future heroes like him..?

Yeah. Yeah, he definitely misunderstood. That's your only answer for your flustered string of thoughts at that moment.

The examination for Shiketsu's first year enrollment was beginning, and you soon realized that UA and Shiketsu were so different from each other.

Sure, UA might have let the recommended students take an examination earlier than the normal enrollees, but in Shiketsu, both types of enrollees have the same schedule. The only difference is their examination locations.

The normal enrollees were located by a separate arena, while the recommended students....

Inasa darted his head around the unusually wide gymnasium. Everything was spacious in Shiketsu High— even if he dared to fly off to the roof, he wouldn't be able to reach it in just his usual 10 seconds of flight. There were bleachers at each side of the gymnasium, and when Inasa skimmed through the people sitting down...

His grin widened. "(L/n)! I'm right here!" 

You were barely even seated when you turned your head to the sound of your name being called. And when you did, you were greeted by an excited boy who waved with all of his enthusiasm.

You waved back, making his wide grin become more noticeable. He was a bit far away from your bleachers, but even from afar, you can see how eager he was at the moment.

Shinso peered beside you. His eyes lingered on you for a while before he turned to where the waving Inasa stood. "What was that about?"

Of course he would be curious. A Shiketsu High enrollee being on friendly terms with someone from UA? With how loud Inasa's voice was, everyone definitely questioned what happened in the last few minutes when you were chattering with him.

You sighed. "I don't know too. I think he's a new friend...?" 

Shinso went quiet. He continued to stare at Inasa conversing with his fellow examinees who looked as if they didn't pay much attention to his rambles.

You didn't know what exactly he was talking about but you did know you're the topic of the conversation, cause the people Inasa were conversing with all turned to look at you. And Inasa was pointing at your direction every now and then too.

"... What have you gotten yourself into?" Shinso finally asked.

You don't know. You really don't know how everything turned out like this.

"I never thought ya would be able to deal with a guy like him, but as expected from the first placer!" A familiar upbeat voice sat next to you. Your eyes met with golden ones and a fluffy set of pink curls. "I wasn't too sure if I had the energy to reciprocate his demeanor so I kind of avoided him. But ya did really well!"

You smiled at the cheery girl. "Thanks, Asamizu-san. Inasa isn't actually difficult to deal with." He's really nice. Too nice and polite, in fact, it kind of made you malfunction.

Akira waved a dismissive hand. "Just call me Akira-chan, it's not like we're not going to be classmates in the future or something."

You and Shinso blinked at her confident words. She thinks you're going to pass?

Akira understood what your stare was asking, "You two really did a great job handlin' that situation. Especially Shinso here! I was really worried you'll be laggin' a bit 'cause both of you seemed to be too aloof for your own good, but guess I worried for nothing." She laughed heartily, making Shinso look away, muttering a small 'thank you'.

"'Both of you'..." you repeated, before sulking. "Do I really seem that unapproachable?"

Akira shook her head. "Nah, the people around you are just pretty intimidatin'."

You turned to Shinso. He frowned at your stare. "It's not me."

"Then who? I'm not even surrounded by anyone other than you."

Shinso opened his mouth to retaliate, but an arm draped itself across his shoulders. "It's me~ so sorry, (L/n)-chan!" Their playful voice came over the conversation.

"Kuromi-san?"

They sat on the seats behind Shinso, who brushed their touch off of his shoulder without hesitation.

"Kuromi is fine!" They didn't seem to mind how Shinso just dismissed them, so they turned to look at you in excitement. "I saw some of my classmates earlier, the annoying ones, and they were trying to approach you while you were concentrating. How could I ever let them go near someone as cute like you, (L/n)-chan?"

Kuromi sighed exasperatedly, twirling a bit of their hair onto their fingers. "Those annoying people are driven by their self-hatred and projection to others cause they failed so many things in their life, so I thought you didn't need to deal with them. I can deal with them though— so you should tell me if they ever decided to spread bad rumors about you. OK?"

Akira laughed when she saw how flustered you became at Kuromi's straightforward actions. "Yeah, this kid over here is the scary one indeed!"

Kuromi? Scary?

You leaned away from your seat, whipping your head at Kuromi. They had such a pleasant smile and a comforting color palette on their clothes, how could they ever be scary?

"Were they the ones who spread my Quirk as well?" Shinso asked lowly.

You snapped out of your reverie. "Oh, right.. I was wondering who did that thing when we didn't even tell anyone about our Quirks."

Kuromi shrugged, leaning back onto their seat. "It's possible that they did that. Those guys have no shame in snooping around other's privacy after all."

Akira clicked her tongue. "I hope they don't pass. They don't deserve a seat into the Department if they're all so petty like that!"

"Maa, maa, Asamizu-chan! Don't worry! I made sure they won't pass at all." Kuromi giggled, making you and Shinso exchange glances. They noticed that silent stare. "I just did a little convincing to the Shiketsu High students—who, by the way, were really nice if you got to know them a bit!"

"...I'm amazed Kuromi-san is able to converse with everyone when they're all so hostile to us..." you said, and Kuromi crossed their arms and buzzed.

"Bzzt! Kuromi only. Ku-ro-mi!" Then they smiled, tilting their head at you. "Shouldn't I say that to you as well? You were able to deal with that airy guy earlier, and then the atmosphere around the field suddenly changed! It's all thanks to his declaration of course, but he definitely wouldn't declare things like that if it weren't for your influence. So I think that I should be the one amazed at you and not the other way around."

You just forced out a chuckle. It's so difficult to get used to the direct and straightforward compliments you've been receiving lately. "Well, I guess we're all equally amazing?"

"That, I can agree with!" Akira said, showing you a grin that you reciprocated with your own smile.

Shinso didn't need to say anything, but his loose shoulders and his calm expression was enough of a telltale that he was more relaxed in your presence than earlier.

Kuromi hummed, and a devious glint came over their eyes. "I can agree to that... if you tell me what happened between you and the airy guy!"

You tensed up, unconsciously tugging on Shinso's arm. He noticed this, but chose not to say anything. "Nothing happened much, I just interviewed him—"

"No no, I think I heard it clearly earlier. You're going to be his special journalist? His journalist?" You knew what exactly Kuromi was trying to do.

Akira gasped. "What?! That was directed at (L/n)-san?! I thought it was just a random comment for someone else!"

Shinso's stare almost burned a hole in your head. "I heard it too," he said, making you even stiffer than before.

Kuromi's grin widened. "See? Everyone heard it so clearly and loudly."

"I heard it as well." Another person came, his black cat ears were twitching as he forced his way into the conversation. He sat down beside Kuromi, crossing his arms and glowering at where Inasa stood. "That annoying guy earlier... I hate him already. He's loud. He's blunt. How dare he say those words so easily right in front of (L/n)?"

"Oh, Nekocchi! Where's your brother?" Akira greeted him, but Yuuta just frowned.

"I pushed him out of the gymnasium. I don't want him anywhere near us," he said. "But this conversation isn't about him." He turned to you, making you flinch even more because: cat. Yuuta narrowed his eyes. "What's your relationship with that obnoxious guy?"

You almost slammed your head onto your hand, if you weren't holding so tightly onto Shinso's arm. "I just met him! I think you guys are misunderstanding something here like he did, but Inasa is—"

Kuromi raised a brow. "Isn't his full name Yoarashi Inasa? Are you on first name basis already?"

"No- wait, yes, but listen—"

Shinso stared at you with impassive eyes. He wasn't saying anything, but his silence and his stare was enough to make you feel like you did something wrong.

"I didn't do anything wrong though! Why are you guys giving me accusing stares?"

Akira glanced at you and Shinso, before slowly connecting the dots in her head. "Oh! I see!" She pumped her fist onto her open palms and smiled. "Oh, I definitely understand the situation alright!"

The slight twinkle in her peering eyes made you realize the situation. "You definitely have the wrong idea, Akira-san."

Akira just grinned. "I got a good sense of my surroundings so I'm sure I understood the situation perfectly well." 

"I hate him already," Yuuta grumbled, never removing his glare at where the whirlwind boy stood.

Kuromi, the source of this sudden attention upon you, began to laugh when you started to explain the entire situation.

Gosh, how did things turn out this way so fast?

Chapter Text

❝ It's alright, but I don't want it. ❞

You didn't know what came over you. One moment, you were tired after a long day of examination. And the next...

"Everyone aiming for Shiketsu is so passionate! I talked to the second placer, and he said he also liked passionate heroes as well! Did you see me finish that endurance test with ease?" 

"Yes yes, you were really cool earlier, but I think we should sit down somewhere already." 

The next moment you're hanging out with a hot-blooded student whom you just met a while ago. 

Inasa let himself be led by you. He was spouting off things he noticed while he was in that exam gymnasium, thinking it'll help out in your article writing in some way. 

And you can't even bring yourself to reply. You were mentally and socially drained after a tiring first day. Even Shinso looked as if he was on the verge of passing out... Or maybe that's how he always looked like. 

Unlike you, though, Shinso agreed to be in UA's assigned apartment for a week. Which meant that right now, he's definitely passed out in his room. 

While you? You still have a 4-hour long trip to your home. 

You want to die and rewind time just so you could force your parents to let you stay in Okayama for a week instead. However, that means you have to redo the first day of the exam, and you would rather live for tomorrow than repeat the grueling experience of first exam jitters. Those glares from the Shiketsu high students and the blatant ignoring of your existence was something that you do not ever, ever, wish to experience yet again. 

Just as you sluggishly walked away from the students with their assigned apartment, you found someone boisterously calling out to you.

It was Inasa... And he was staying right in front of Shiketsu High's gates. Waving.

Your eyes almost popped out of its sockets when you saw him. He said he was waiting for you since he wanted to invite you to eat udon with him. And also for your number—he wanted to ask for your number—and that only made your shock even worse.

The enrollees of Shiketsu High were released three hours before the UA students because you still had a workshop under Snipe's guidance. So that means Inasa…

He waited for you for three hours right in front of the Shiketsu Gates. 

Three hours.

The guilt you felt for letting him wait that long made you accept his invite. Even if you'll miss the last bullet train before you can go home, you'll accompany this dedicated guy. If you don't— you'll be haunted by his passionate attitude every night as you force yourself to sleep. 

That's why here you sat, the scent of steaming udon wafting in the air, and the sound of the rowdy shop bringing a sense of comfort to your socially and mentally drained self.

Inasa raised a hand. "Mister! One shrimp tempura udon, please!" He turned to you with a tilt of his head. "What about you? This is a treat for my future journalist so just say what you want and don't mind the price!" 

You can't even bother to correct him about being 'his journalist'. You just skimmed over the menu, pointing at it as Inasa shouted out your order with glee, and silently wondered where this boy got his energy. He should share some to you. Your eyelids were so close to shutting in exhaustion now, you had to blink yourself awake for it. 

Determined to keep being alive, you turned to Inasa and asked, "Did you wait for a long time?" 

"No, not really. I was exploring Shiketsu the entire time so I only waited for about an hour."

You glanced at him with a relieved sigh. "Okay, I thought you actually waited for three hours straight. I don't know what I'd do if you actually did that." You'll probably kill yourself to give Inasa a heads-up before he decide to wait for you, but you're glad that didn't happen.

In just a swift minute, the two of you were served your orders. The delicious and warm aroma was enough to snap you out of your lethargy, but it was Inasa's lively 'thank you for the food!' that truly woke you up.

Contrary to his boisterous voice and wide actions, Inasa was quite respectful and even gentle when he's eating. But there was something else that you noticed as well. 

"Inasa, are you from the east as well?"

He turned to you, still slurping on his noodles. He can't answer just yet but his curious wide eyes asked, 'How'd you know?'

"Just an observation," you said with a satisfied smile. "The way you speak actually sounds a lot like the way most people speak in my place." 

He finished wolfing down his first set of noodles and grinned. "You're good at observing, huh. I'm from Yamanashi, actually. Some of the hot-blooded heroes came from around that area, and we're near Hosu as well!"

"Ooh, you're near my home. I'm from Hosu as well."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." 

Inasa's already-wide eyes widened even more. He leaned near you, shoulders bumping next to you. "Then it really must be fate, right?"  

There it was again. That overly-clingy and hyperactive boy bringing you these embarrassing reactions. You didn't even notice it but you were already leaning away from the lack of personal space. 

Inasa didn't seem to mind it. "As much as I miss my home already, I still need to stay here for a whole year." He turned his attention back to the staff and grinned. "Hey, Mister! Can I get more shichimi on my food? I just finished a really exciting day so I need an even hotter food in my stomach!" 

The staff turned to Inasa, and you watched how they chuckled at his giddy nature. "Is that so, Yoarashi-kun? Then I'll prepare more tempura for you as well!" 

Inasa gasped. "Wait, really? Your tempura shrimp is truly the best in the town!" 

Another person spoke up from the stool next to you. "Careful there, Yoarashi-kun. You'll end up making the owner cry once again if you say that!" They laughed, and the owner, who was discreetly wiping his tears away, began to shout at the customer that said that. 

Inasa laughed alongside them. He told them a couple of stories about the examinations, and the entire shop listened to him with a smile. 

It wasn't just to you, but Inasa himself was friendly to everyone around him. 

You knew he was a sociable person, but most of the time, people your age tend to brush him off or tune him out in the background. But the warm atmosphere, the loud laughter in the air, and the influx of tempura shrimp in both yours and Inasa's bowl— it was a stark difference from how people your age treated Inasa.

Inasa glanced at you, catching how you were staring intently at him the entire time. He then tensed up. "Ah! You're not allergic to shrimps are you?! I forgot to ask. I was too hung up on the hot and tasty udon, I apologize!" 

He tried to bow his head, but you shook your hands vigorously. "No, no! It's okay!"

That wasn't the entire reason why you were staring at him at all.

When Inasa was effectively stopped from doing his intense case of apologizing, you sighed out an amazed smile. "I was just thinking about how cool you were, you know?"

You turned back to your food, not wanting to know how Inasa would react to your words. You may be honest at all times, but that didn't mean you weren't easily flustered by your own words.

"You're pretty friendly with everyone around here. I almost thought you're a regular for like 10 years or something." You chuckled. "Why are you staying so far away from your home, though?" 

"Well, this is where my school will be," Inasa said from beside you. "It'd be a waste of money and training time if I kept traveling back and forth from home. That’s why I’m aiming to get my hero license first! If I get one, then I'll be able to maneuver my way faster with the use of my Quirk— oh, I'll also be passionately saving and protecting people in the air too, of course!" 

"But why not UA?" you asked. "UA is in Musutafu so you're pretty near them already if you're somewhere near the Yamanashi ward. Also, didn't you say earlier that you love UA High?"

Inasa went strangely quiet. He looked down into his hands, his eyes narrowed and dark, as if he was fighting a conflict within his mind.

The boy was a lot more open with his emotions than you thought. You could sense the distaste and loathing within his glaring eyes from miles away.

"Inasa?"

Just from hearing your voice, the storm of emotions vanished. He turned to you with a sheepish grin, as if he hadn't just shown an emotion that didn't suit him moments earlier. "You're right. I do love UA a lot. It's home to so many powerful and hot-blooded heroes that I admire. But because I love UA High so much, I’ve decided—for certain reasons—that I want to challenge them for now."

You tilted your head. "You're okay with moving away from your home for your reasons?" 

He nodded, attempting a grin, though the usual sparkle in his eyes was missing. "It’s alright. UA may be amazing, but Shiketsu is the school UA sees as their rival. So even if I don’t attend UA, I’ll still be in a place where passionate heroes are pushed to their fullest potential!"

You had finished your udon once Inasa stopped talking, so you leaned back and hummed. "You're right. Shiketsu is actually pretty hardcore too."

Compared to UA and their high standards, you thought Shiketsu was pretty tame already. But when you compared it to other schools outside UA High, with its 10% passing rate, rigorous training regimen, and strict campus rules, Shiketsu was definitely more intense than the normal hero schools.

"Right? Their rules and their rates make my blood pump really fast in my veins!" Inasa chewed on his tempura shrimp. "But you know, right now, UA is making me curious."

"How so?"

Inasa pointed at you with his finger. "I was wondering how the Journalism Branch will work out. Do you need hero licenses to use your Quirk as well? Or will you get your own licenses in the future?" His eyes started to swirl in a fiery determination. "Or will you branch out of UA once you finished your first year?! If that happens, then I'll have to find you first and ask you to be my journalist before anyone does!" 

You couldn't stop the laughter that went out of you when Inasa stuffed more tempura shrimp on his mouth. "You'll choke if you don't slow down," you warned, with Inasa enthusiastically thanking you for your worries. "I don't really know much about our department. Right now, Snipe is just telling us that we need to focus on the examinations first, but they're probably planning on telling us the details once we pass or something."

"Oh, then you should focus on the exams instead. I know you will do well!" 

You laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to accept that compliment. "Well, enough about me. Tell me more about what happened today. Didn't you say you went somewhere while you were waiting for me?"

Inasa perked up at your words. You listened to him recount the tales of his day, laughing at some of his unconsciously cute and enthusiastic phrases that he said. He didn't mind how you don't offer much to the conversation. He seems to think that just your quiet company was good enough, and that made you relax as well.

The day started out tiring and draining, but now it was nice. Now you're just sitting there, listening to someone talk, knowing that you're not being forced to put up a friendly mask, an intimidating mask, or anything else. 

"Is your rented apartment nearby? I can come along with you. That way, I can also protect you if there is danger nearby!"

Both of you walked out of the shop. It was only then did you realize that the whole 'I never accepted UA's rented aparment' conversation never happened between the two of you at all. 

"Oh, it's okay," you chuckled nervously. "You can just accompany me until we get to the station. I'm fine with that." 

Inasa raised a brow. "Station?" A look of confusion brushed across his features, and it only took a few seconds before he understood what you said. 

He stopped walking. 

You turned to him, pausing as well. "Yeah... I don't have an apartment, so I have to go back home by riding a bullet train..." You scratched your cheeks at the knowing silence that followed.

"...Didn't you say you lived in Hosu?" Inasa asked, still having that confused smile on his face. 

"Yep."

He stared at you. You stared back.

"...You know," you broke the silence. "I've only known you for a while but being this quiet is very unsettling to me." 

Inasa slapped a hand on his face. You panicked when blood began to leak out of the new cut on his cheek.

"Wait- no! I was just joking! It's okay, I didn't mind the staring!"

Inasa didn't listen to your words. He clasped a hand on your wrist, effectively stopping you from your sentence. "I am deeply sorry once again!" 

"It's- it's really okay—"

But then he started walking, dragging you with him. "I even asked you to stay later than usual when we could have eaten any other day, it's truly my fault this time!" Despite his loud declaration of apology, Inasa was careful enough not to let you stagger or trip while he led you away.

"No, really. I don't mind it. I had fun today, so—"

"You still have a four hour long journey, don't you?" 

You quickly shut your mouth at his words.

Inasa may seem like a high-spirited person, almost goofy in a way. His only focus is the passion all around him, but he did have his moments where he was aware of his surroundings. Too aware, in fact, it almost stunned you. He may seem self-centered, but he's in tune with the people next to him. It was almost scary how a person could balance their personality just like that. 

He occasionally made random talks from time to time, but it seemed as if he was rushing to get to the station with you. You understood why— it'll take half an hour before the last station finally took off, so it's obvious he'd be dragging you as fast as he could. 

As you bought your ticket, you turned to Inasa with a sheepish smile. "Sorry I had to make you drag me here."

He only shook his head, offering his wide grin. "It's not your fault. I have to make sure my friend gets home safely so it's not a bother at all!"

"Friend, huh..." you said, your smile softening.

'Friendship' was a topic that you didn't have enough experience to talk about. You weren't the most friendly person in the world nor were you someone like Inasa who can say and claim others as his friend if he wanted to. But...

You held out a hand, grinning at Inasa's confusion. "Today was really enjoyable. Let's eat udon again next time, okay!" 

But things can change. Especially if it involved you. 

Inasa clasped your hand with the same bright grin that he had. "Yeah! I'll see you tomorrow!" 

The 'you' that isolated when people approached with a smile and a grin. The 'you' that needed to abandon others just to survive alone in a cruel world— 

You're ready to get rid of that 'you', even if it means you'll start over once again. 

You smiled. "See you tomorrow, Inasa."

You have a new friend now, and this time, you won't abandon anyone again. Ever. 

The next day. 

When you were finally dropped off of Shiketsu High's gates, you didn't expect to see a swarm of dejected teenagers passing by with nothing but sniffles and annoyed grumbles.

You blinked. Your gaze shifted to the bracelets on their wrist. It's the UA Journalist examinee bracelets that Snipe handed out yesterday. Which meant that these crying students… were students in the UA Journalism exams… but why are they crying?

"Oh, you're here." 

A deep voice muffled by a mask caught your attention. You turned your head, eyes landing on the teacher with his beige gas mask. "Snipe-sensei? What's happening? Why are they leaving? Are we relocating schools that we'll cover for today?"

Snipe skimmed through the clipboard in his hand. He flipped multiple pages without saying a word. Until his eyes landed on something he needed.

He looked at you and nodded. "You passed the first test, (L/n)."

"What?"

Snipe pointed at a set of students behind him. "You should go with them for now. I'll come back and tell you guys what happened once I'm done with the rounds." 

Without any other explanation, Snipe strode towards the new students who just arrived, just like you.

You watched him talk to those new students, seeing how they got angry and shouted at the teacher to explain. But Snipe didn't answer any of their questions. You can almost hear him say 'UA announcement', but it was muffled by the sounds of an approaching step.

"Yahoo, (L/n)-chan!" 

A pastel purple parasol shielded you from the striking sun above. You looked at the perpetrator, finding a pair of purple eyes that grinned at you.

"Kuromi-san," you greeted, stepping away from them a little. "Do you know what's happening?"

Kuromi pouted. "It's Kuromi only, Kuromi," they corrected. They still held the parasol above your head. "And to answer your question: even I don't know much about what happened. But after a while, all of us came to a single conclusion: It seems like the first day was a filtering test."

Your eyes slowly widened. "You mean to say that the first day is just... an elimination round?" 

There were almost a hundred people that walked off earlier. There's no way that they're all disqualified after just one day's worth of examination. 

UA has to be joking... right?

"They're really punishing those who couldn't make a single connection in just a day," Kuromi said with a sigh. "A journalist with no connection is basically useless to them." 

UA was not joking around. 

When they said that only 10 people will pass out of 250 enrollees, they really meant it.

You raised a hand to your forehead, eyes still shaking. Except you and Shinso, there were so many people who were laid back enough yesterday by saying 'It's just the first day. We still have a lot of time during the one week examination.' But it turns out none of you had the time to just 'do it tomorrow' or 'the next few days', because UA was ready to kick you out if you didn't have at least one connection to Shiketsu High on that first day of examination. 

If Inasa wasn't there to answer you, if he didn't let you come near him like the others, and if you didn't have your returner's Quirk... 

You wouldn't even pass.

Kuromi waved a hand right in front of you. "Hello? Earth to cutie, are you there?" 

You stiffened. "Yes..?" Kuromi was way too close to you. Their shoulder bumped on yours and only the umbrella they held became the divider between you two. 

"Wanna know something?" they asked, and a growing bubble of doom came over your stomach immediately.

You have a bad feeling about this. 

Kuromi looked at you and the corner of their lips twitched upwards. "I love you, (L/n)-chan~"

You expected that.

You really did.

But no matter how much you expected it, it still didn't cushion the growing heat that crawled on your face. "Kuromi-san— please don't say those words so easily." Such words should only be said when one person really loves the other, and Kuromi? You just met them! There's no way they developed feelings for you in just a day!

Kuromi's everlasting smile widened. "Ehhh?" they peered curiously, staring at you up and down. "It really didn't work, huh?" 

You stopped. "What do you mean?"

They shrugged, placing a hand on your shoulder and leading you forward. "That's a first for me. Let's see what Kei-chan will say about you as well!" 

With a pleasant hum leaving their lips, and with their tight grip that pushed you to walk, you didn't even have to say anything before Kuromi maneuvered you to move forward.

"Kei-chan!" Kuromi waved, smiling brightly. "This is the one I kept talking about yesterday!" 

Only when you turned your head did you see a new yet familiar face around. You froze on your spot, eyes widening when a pair of sharp red eyes crinkled upwards at the sight of you.

Yuuta...?

No, wait. This guy looked exactly like Yuuta, and he had cat ears as well. But the difference is—

"Oya? That's so strange." 

The boy was a shade of blonde, with his curtain bangs parted to the side, and hair tied up into a short ponytail behind him. 

Unlike the grumpy dark haired cat though, this one had an amused smirk curled on his lips. "Kuromi, you sure know how to find people who are entertaining." He spoke in a velvety tone, one that took you by surprise.

Kuromi poked your cheek. "Yeah, my Quirk doesn't work on them so I thought I should bring them to you instead!"

You blinked multiple times, turning to Kuromi who moved away from you. "Wait- you tried to use your Quirk? On me?"

By the time you uttered your words, Kuromi was already beside the blond-Yuuta. "Yeah, I tried many times actually. But you're not budging no matter how flustered you become." Kuromi sighed. "Kei-chan, what do you think? Isn't that kind of weird?" 

'Kei-chan' held his chin in thought. A stifling atmosphere weighed upon your shoulders just by the sight of his analyzing gaze. 

Something in your mind told you to excuse yourself from here; something in your mind yelled at you to get away from this person's stare as fast as you can. 

His vermillion eyes narrowed, and his smirk widened. "That really is weird."

But something in your mind told you it's already too late.

'Kei-chan' offered a hand. His smirk softened into a pleasant smile on his pale face. "I'm sure you met my twin first but I'm Nekoaru Keita, Yuuta's twin brother." He brushed off Kuromi's resting elbow off of his shoulder, his catlike gaze never leaving you. "I was wondering who was the person that made my little brother all giddy aside from All Might and Shishido. But to think it's you, the first placer themselves."

You stared at the outstretched hand before you. So this is Yuuta's twin brother, huh? 

Unlike Yuuta, this guy had more of a stifling presence than him. And it's not just because you're a little terrified of cats.

His everlasting smirk and his analytical gaze that pierced through you… only someone who's knowledgeable in getting through a person's head had that kind of expression on their faces. 

But you steeled your gaze, landing on the curious Kuromi behind the blond cat. "Yes, that's me," you said, eyes not leaving Kuromi who noticed your stare. "I'm curious about what you think of me, alongside Kuromi-san as well."

You know that you're the topic of most people after certain incidents, but what you were interested about was the meaning of their words. 

"What's your Quirk, Kuromi-san?" you asked curtly. Sharp.

Kuromi tensed up at your straightforward question, and an exhausted smile plastered on their face. "Maa, maa. You suddenly became too cold to me. I'm actually a little shocked." 

Keita chuckled. He tilted his head to block your view of Kuromi, a few of his golden locks falling on his face. "You can torture Kuromi later with your Quirk interview, but for now, focus on me." He showed a small grin. "Yeah?"

You narrowed your eyes. "The two of you know that usage of Quirks is illegal in the public, right?"

"Only when the Quirk is visible!" Kuromi chirped. 

You ignored them and continued. "Did I do something that warranted your pursuit of information?" 

Keita was still staring at you with that unwipeable smirk on his face. "Maybe you did. Did you know that you're the source of UA's gossips already?"

"Yes, I know about that. Do you also participate in useless squabbles like that?" 

He raised a hand in surrender. "Woah, calm down a bit. It's not a bad rumor, actually."

Kuromi snorted from behind him. "It's a bad thing when the Yakuza was involved, Kei-chan."

Your blood ran cold at what they said. "Yakuza?"

You don't remember having any interactions with organizations involved in the Yakuza. The only situations you dealt with were the incident with Tsukiko last month and your meeting with Dabi (but nobody saw you that time, so that can't be it.)  

The blond cat shrugged. "Apparently you had a run-in with the Yakuza last month because you were close to a guy whom the Yakuza's child is fond of." 

You blinked multiple times. You? Close to a boy that the Yakuza's child liked? "Are we... thinking of the same incident?" 

They're talking about Tsukiko, your student council president, right? But no matter how you think of it, Tsukiko wasn't the daughter of a yakuza. In fact, she's dangerous because she was the opposite: her family worked at a famous hero company so nobody could defy her.

So how the hell did the Yakuza became involved in this? 

"Heeh..." Keita's smirk widened, snapping you out of your thoughts. He looked as if he realized something about you, but it all disappeared when he tilted his head. 

"What other incidents have happened anyway?" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, right! There was the stalker incident where a middle school student was followed by someone who wanted to kill them just for talking to their crush. And then there’s the one where a vigilante saved a middle schooler who was being targeted by a hitman hired for the same reason."

He stepped forward, leaning to you with an amused smile on his face. "It's a little funny how rumors can change the story at just the word of a mouth, huh?" 

When that senior Shiketsu High student yesterday knew you as someone with a 'stalker' incident, you brushed it off as a misinformation of your situation with Tsukiko. But you've never heard others mention it as a 'yakuza' incident or even a 'vigilante vs. hitman' incident either.

"It's really easy to just search the internet for the news, but that ease became the reason why people get lazy enough to read articles." Keita blew his bangs off of his face. "Us, UA High, Shiketsu High, and other people already know about the incident with (L/n) (Y/n). You're someone who enrolled in UA and got the top scores after all. But it's also because of your popularity that's why the first test became an elimination round."

Your eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Kuromi placed a hand on Keita's shoulder. "Let me answer this." You thought that someone so bubbly and friendly like them wouldn't be terrifying, but the cold, analytical gaze that lingered on you held such a heavy authority that it stuck you on the ground. 

"I found it really odd that the first placer of the Hero Course was pulled all of a sudden. All because of what? Passion for writing? That's a cute little detail about you, (L/n)-chan, but none of us was convinced about it." 

Akira was right. Kuromi really was terrifying when they took that friendly smile off of their face.

Kuromi stared at you up and down, before humming. "You're here as a test for us, aren't you?"

You were too baffled to even say anything. 

"It's not that difficult to realize, you know. UA is testing us by adding you to the list of examinees. After all, journalists who spread misinformation without researching further will never be worthy to be called journalists."

Realization dawned upon you the moment they uttered those words. Nobody knew the main reason why you joined the Journalism exams, nor did anyone know why the entire Journalism Department even started.

Nezu proceeded with the creation of this new Department just so you could mingle with the Heroics class without any suspicion drawing upon you. But to other people, everything was a mystery. The reason why you're pulled out of the UA Heroics course, the reason why someone like you was joining the examinations dedicated for journalists…

Nobody knew anything, except you. 

That's why they dug up information, spread it around until they created their explanation on the reason why you're here.   

"Isn't it weird how some people had their information leaked all of a sudden?" Keita said, snapping you out of your thoughts. "Like that brainwashing guy. For some reason, a highly confidential information was suddenly known in the journalist examinees. Why? Did someone know about it and sabotaged him? I didn't understand at first when I heard someone tell me about it, but do you know what happened next?"

"What happened..?" you entertained him.

Keita cupped a hand near his lips and whispered. "Those people who spread that information got eliminated today." 

Kuromi nodded vigorously. "Good for Shin-chan! He deserves a rest after everyone avoided him 'cause of dumb reasons." They sighed. "They were really annoying as well."

Keita brushed them off. "There were also Shiketsu High students who began spreading misinformed articles about you as well. Some of our people began feeding off of that info, but they were eliminated today too. Isn't that such a strange coincidence?"

"What are you trying to say." It wasn't a question, but a direct statement to express his purpose. Fast. 

Keita chuckled at your lack of patience. "What I'm saying is that: this grueling examination is because of you, (L/n)."

Both you and Kuromi faced him with tensed, and wide eyes.

Keita raised his sharp gaze. "Those people were eliminated all because of you."

You held your breath then, mind spinning into nothing but a blank static. He was blaming you, because he didn't understand anything here. 

It was quiet for a while, with your brows furrowing, Keita gouging your reaction, and Kuromi worriedly looking at you. But you didn't expect what happened in just a few seconds.

A blur of black flashed before your sight, and before you knew it, the sound of a punch registered upon your mind when Keita staggered on his feet.

"You—!" 

"Nekoaru-san!" Shinso called out. He rushed to your side, panting as if he ran for miles. But you didn't pay attention to him— your eyes lingered on the seething Yuuta, with fist balled up, clenching it tightly. 

Keita stayed still in his spot, blinking, wide eyed. 

Yuuta glared at him. "Don't you dare blame (L/n) for this." 

Kuromi's mouth went wide agape. "Yuuta-chan!" 

Keita slowly touched his bruising cheek. "Ah. My little brother just punched me," he said in a starstruck wonder. You were stunned in place as well.

Yuuta gritted his teeth. "I told you to drop it, but you just went and tested (L/n) even though we agreed not to do that. How dare you go against your words, Kei."

You tensed up at the animosity that Yuuta spat out. But Shinso placed a hand on your shoulder, calming you down. "So this is what he meant by his twin being… unprecedented," Shinso said, before staring at you. "He didn't use his Quirk on you, did he?"

You held your arms tight to yourself. "What is his Quirk..?" 

Yuuta was still glaring at Keita while Kuromi tried their best to calm the two down. 

Shinso frowned. It took him a long time to say it, but when he did, "Nekoaru Keita can hear everyone's thoughts." 

Your eyes widened. "Everyone's thoughts..?" 

Was that the reason why your mind was spouting off all those alarms in your senses?

Keita chuckled, his gaze never leaving his twin that was being held back by Kuromi. "You're making it sound like I'm an amazing person, Shinso. I can't hear everyone's thoughts. I can just sense their emotions. It's pretty useless compared to yours, actually." 

Shinso narrowed his eyes on the topic of his Quirk, but Keita continued, "But I guess I can also sense everyone's thoughts, since both human emotions and human minds are interconnected in a way. It takes me a lot of time to analyze it but I never failed in using my Quirk before... until today." 

"What?" Yuuta asked hurriedly. "Did you use your Quirk on them?"

Keita raised a hand, surrendering himself. "I can admit I'm guilty of that." You tensed up, calming down your swirling thoughts. "But you also used your Quirk on them so why are you mad at me, Yuu?" 

You knew about Yuuta using his Quirk on you, but this argument is ridiculous. If Yuuta used his Quirk on you, and Keita used his as well, who's next? Snipe-sensei will snipe you down and excuse himself because these two students used their Quirk on you before him? 

These people have no sense of privacy at all! You didn't know if you wanted to burst out right now and just burn yourself alive so you'll avoid this blond cat, or if you'll just let this happen to you again. 

Keita whipped his head to you, wide eyes blinking fast. 

But his twin brother pulled him out of his thoughts yet again. "I'm mad because you're blaming them when it's those despicable idiots' faults as to why they failed the first day. You and Kuromi are always riling people up, but you promised you won't do that anymore!"

The words he released lingered far too long in the cold, silent air.

Yuuta glared one last time. "Whatever. Don't ever show your face to me ever again." Before he stomped to your direction. "Let's go, Shinso, (L/n)— we'll wait for Snipe-sensei somewhere in the courtyard."

Keita's mouth went agape. "Wait- Yuu! I didn't mean to make you mad! Don't go away from me!" He raced after the grumpy black haired boy, who yelled 'you're not Shinso or (L/n) so don't come near me!' at him.

"Ah... the little kitten is sulking," Shinso said with his monotone voice.

"I would sulk too if someone I'm close with actually broke our promise," you said. Moreover, their relationship seems to be complex—why did Yuuta easily punch his own brother? And Keita didn't even retaliate or get mad at it. You couldn't wrap your head around their dynamic at all.  

"Oh, don't worry about them." Kuromi chuckled. "Yuu-chan may be harsh with his words, and Kei-chan may look sly all the time, but I can guarantee that he never broke his promise. He wasn't trying to rile you up. He was just informing you what most people think about you after today." 

"By blaming me as well?" You stared, unamused. "Do you blame me too, Kuromi-san? Shinso?" 

Shinso turned to you at the sound of his name. "Why would I?" It was such a short answer, but it delivered all the thoughts he had about you.

Kuromi sighed exaggeratedly. "You wound me with your cold stare, (L/n)-chan. I don't blame you. I just thought it would be an interesting story if you're actually conspiring with the UA staff for this examination, you know, since I like interesting events and troubles. I told that to Kei-chan as well, but it seemed like he understood my words in a different way. Sorry!" 

You frowned, staring at Kuromi. They said those words in a light-hearted tone, as if what they've done wasn't of any importance. 

The silence and the disapproving stare only made them guilty. "Really, I'm sorry for this... For whatever happened today. I didn't mean for it to actually go this way. When I used my Quirk on you yesterday, I was trying to see why you were here instead of the UA hero course. I heard you placed first and you were amazing in battle, so why in the world were you dropped out after such an amazing achievement?"

Kuromi fumbled with their parasol, looking away when both you and Shinso drilled your eyes at them.

"I never got the answers to my questions. Or more like I couldn't get an answer. I brushed it off at first, thinking that maybe I wasn't meant to find any answer to it. Plus, when I met you (L/n)-chan, you were a genuinely nice person to me, so I gave up on my curiosity…"  Kuromi made an attempt at smiling. "But when I saw you talking to that boisterous guy full of air in his chest and gale in his tongue, I couldn't stop my questions from doubling. Ah, I realized, there was something unique about you. In a weird way. My Quirk—"

"What's your Quirk?" Shinso interrupted. 

Kuromi pouted at the interruption. "Love Analyzation," but they answered anyway. "I can analyze the details of others, like what they like, where they're from, and detailed reasons as to why they're right in front of me. But it only works when I say that I love them. Is that explanation enough to satisfy you, Shin-chan?" 

Instead of waiting for a reply, Kuromi turned to you with a frown. "I noticed it too late, but something was blocking my mind when I kept on peering at your characteristics. I know my Quirk should have worked, since you were pretty flustered and cute when I said I love you, but my mind was blank instead. It was as if you're protecting yourself against my Quirk—and I don't think I've ever met someone like that before, so I became even more curious and... this happened."

You went quiet, trying to sense if Kuromi was genuine. Their aura was a bit different than usual, less friendly and more.. solemn. Guilty.

"I don't like how you guys went against my privacy just to satisfy your curiosities," you said coldly.

Kuromi stiffened. Even if they looked guilty about it, the way they apologized to you didn't seem genuine. It was as if they thought their empty word of 'sorry' would be enough to excuse them.

"We could have talked it out if you just asked me. Instead, you two chose to investigate me, someone you tried to befriend, when I didn't even give you permission to do so. You're sorry about it? What if I was hiding something else entirely? Something heavy, something that I don't want anyone to know about?" 

Nobody knew what to say to your words, because there was nothing else to say.

You glared. "Everyone has something they have to hide. If they're not telling you what it is, then it's because they're not yet ready to tell everything about themselves. If you do that again, not just to me but to someone else, then you might end up digging yourself into a situation you never wanted to be in." 

What you're feeling was not anger, you know that for sure. It's more of an ebbing frustration and worry that some of these people—these kids—will end up finding out about the terrible future that lies within your memory, and you didn't want that.

Your goal was to prevent people from seeing and experiencing what you saw in that future. If they did find it and if they reached out too much... you don't know how much it will affect them. It's better if you distanced yourself from prying people like Kuromi or Keita. It's better if it's only you who saw the horrors the future had for everyone.

"I'll forgive you two this time," you said, turning around. "But remember what I said. If you do this again, we're enemies. You and I." 

It's better this way.

You motioned to Shinso with your head, and that was your cue to leave Kuromi alone. 

Shinso followed without sparing a glance behind. The walk between you was quiet and tense. 

"I'm assuming you passed?" you broke the silence when you approached Shiketsu's main gates.

"...more or less," Shinso drawled. He glanced at you with a thoughtful gaze in his eyes. "You're always brutally honest, did you know that?"

"Hm? Am I really?" 

Shinso sighed. "It's scary sometimes how you can easily say and speak up on things that bothers you." 

You forced a smile on your face. "I just don't want to regret not saying things, you know?" 

It doesn't matter if you're not eloquent enough to word out your concerns. All that mattered was you not wasting any opportunities to say and do the things you've wanted to do before.

Shinso went silent at the sight of your forlorn smile. But you wiped it away with a playful frown. "I don't know if I just made two brothers fight, but that's not my fault.. right?" You turned to him, desperate eyes pleading for reassurance. "Right? I didn't do anything wrong if I remembered correctly. Don't you think so as well?"

Shinso quirked a brow. "Who knows? You sound awfully guilty though. Did you do something wrong?"  

You groaned exaggeratedly. "I thought for sure you'll be on my side. I can't believe you, Shinso Hitoshi, would doubt me just like that—"

"If I told you I made an enemy, would you be curious what happened?" he interrupted.

"Well- I mean, sure. I guess I'm kind of curious. Did you annoy anyone when I was gone?"

Shinso stared at you in silence for a while. "I can't believe you would doubt me like that."

You flinched. He used your line earlier against you! This smug bastard even had the audacity to hide his chuckle at your reaction. 

You bumped your shoulders with him, making him stagger. You raised your head proudly. "Ha! Serves you right!" 

You tried to trip him once more, but you stopped when Shinso stared at you with an unamused glare.

"You'll pay for doing that." His voice came as a low drawl, a warning of some sort. He already had a headache from the lack of sleep he had earlier, but you shaking his entire body to move?

That glare made you shrivel up on your spot. Without any other word, you began speed walking away from the indigo haired boy before he could say anything else.

Even through his headache, Shinso couldn't help but chuckle at your reaction.

The second day was less brutal.

It was just a workshop. No interacting with Shiketsu High students just yet, only the sound of writing and small discussion echoed in the air.

While Snipe taught the basics of column writing to all of you, he also explained the reasons why some people were leaving already. 

He said that the Journalism Department will face massive distaste from the people, and the only way to slowly get rid of those opinions was to create more connections that will defend you from it. Many people failed to create those connections either due to their procrastination of the task or because they focused more on sabotaging others.

And you realized that both Kuromi and Keita had a correct theory on what happened. You accepted their apology (well, Kuromi's, since Keita was more focused on apologizing to Yuuta than to you), but that didn't mean you'll let them off the hook for putting all the blame on you. It's already too much to handle all the pressure of changing the world, why would you carry trivial baggage like their blames as well? 

Before you knew it, four days of workshop had passed.

On the fifth day of the one-week examination, there was a new challenge.

You wrote in your notebook. "More connection hunting, huh?" 

It's not an easy thing to do, but compared to the first day where there were many new students in the Shiketsu examination, this time, the school was a lot tamer than before. 

You just need to find other students (not examinees) of Shiketsu High, and then you'll be done. You can go home, eat in an All-you-can-eat buffet with Sen (who told you to come home early), and focus on writing all types of articles to pass for tomorrow. That's your agenda for today.

And... let's say you did find someone to talk to.

But somehow, you just wanted to go home instead. Or maybe choke them to death. That seems like a good idea as well.

"Come on, Shishikura-kun! You shouldn't ignore a cutie like that!" A first-year girl with shoulder-length fawn hair said. She turned to you with a casual smile. "You're just going to ask us a few questions, right...?"

"(L/n)," you introduced yourself.

"Well, I'm Utsushimi Camie. But you can just call me Camie if my name is a mouthful." 

The purple haired boy next to Camie rolled his eyes. He turned his head, unwilling to even spare a glance at you. "We were told not to be too friendly with them, Camie. Now hurry up." 

Camie pursed her lips. "But they're just doing their examination—don't you want to help out at least a little?" 

He grimaced. "And what? The media will feast on defamation once they're legally allowed to do so? You know how most journalists are. I'd rather not feed them with any information than give them a chance to report my name in distaste."

You went rigid as his slanted and sharp gaze shifted to you.

His eyes became colder, voice icy and bitter. "This one is no different than those journalists anyway. Why should I spare my time for someone like them?" 

Without adding anything else, 'Shishikura' passed by you. You dipped your head down, aware of how Camie stood there, confused and paralyzed by the chilling atmosphere. 

You knew most heroes hated the media, especially with how they pry and make content based off of the heroes' weaknesses, but... 

"He didn't have to be that cold..." Camie said what you've been thinking in your mind. She faced you with her own smile. "Maa, Shishikura-kun is a little aloof but I swear he has a good heart. How about you and I talk to each other instead? What information do you need? My Quirk? How our classes operate in the Heroics Course? Or maybe my number?" 

Your cheeks flamed when she leaned forward with a coy smile. "I- it's okay, I don't need your number for the article."

Camie pouted. "Eh? How about for personal use? You're very cute, (L/n)-san." 

You stepped back. Camie tilted her head. 

Was this... was this another tactic to get you to stop the interview? Flirtation? You've never heard of such tactics before, but you're sure as hell it was working. 

You bowed your head in haste. "Thank you very much! I think you're cute as well!" 

You think she's cute as well? Aren't you sounding so much like a loser?! Realizing your words, tiny blue embers began to crackle on your fingertips, but you hid it behind you instead. 

Camie blinked multiple times. Then she burst out into giggles. "I didn't expect you to reply like that. I guess that only made you even cuter." She glanced at where Shishikura walked off, and then to you. "Hey, how many people do you need for your interview?"

"The minimum is at least ten students..."

When you raised your gaze, Camie was counting with both of her hands. "Five, six.. seven.. eight..." she pouted, staring back at you. "I only know eight people who aren't on their heroics training right now. Heroics training is usually held at the other stadium, but it's pretty far from the main school so they'll be hard to contact. And I don't think you'd want to wait for four hours just so you could interview some students anyway, do you?" 

You didn't, in fact, want to wait for four long hours today. You didn't know how you'll face Sen if you were a little late to your hangout for today. "You said you know eight people, right? Can you bring me to them?" 

Camie smiled. She playfully turned around, leaning forward and beckoning you closer. "Let's go talk to my senpai! I'll introduce you to all of them!"

You nodded, following after the girl who began asking you questions about the internet. She was, what you'd call, a 'trendy' student, someone who knew a lot about the internet culture and facts that other people considered 'cool'. She always greeted the other students who passed by, but because you're next to her, they tried not to be too friendly around Camie despite the outgoing attitude she's giving them.

Camie noticed your peering gaze and smiled. "It's alright. I know what our teachers told us to do so I can understand them being a little cold today." 

You frowned at her words. "Is there a reason why you're being too nice to me?" 

"Well, I can't find it in me to actually be cold to anyone. I can focus on other things more than shutting you guys off, after all." Camie glanced at you for a sec, before looking in front and smiling to herself. "Plus, you seem like a pretty friendly person. It'll be nice if I also have a friend outside of Shiketsu High, eh?" 

You chuckled. "That's a good mindset to have, Camie-san."

Snipe had engraved in your head that 'connections' were a must for aspiring journalists like you, so you can understand what she meant by her words.

"But... I have to ask," you began.

"Hm?"

"What makes you so sure that your... senpai wouldn't be cold as well?" 

Camie slowed on her pace. "Eh? You mean you're doubting my help?"

You tensed up. "No- no, I'm not doubting your help! I'm just thinking of the worst case scenario!" 

She giggled at your reaction. "You're giving too many cute reactions. I was just teasing you." 

She really likes the word cute, huh .. You scratched your cheek, averting your gaze from the girl. "I mean, the people outside of the Heroics course didn't even hesitate to show much they disliked us. So I don't know if the ones you'll introduce will like me."

Camie hummed. "I guess that's a valid concern. But don't worry—!" She turned to you, placing a finger on her lips and smiling. "You'll meet many types of people in this world, so just trust me, m'kay?" 

You didn't have time to ask what she meant, cause Camie dragged you to a cafeteria where multiple first years (and a few second years) were sitting down, laughing to themselves.

They noticed you two immediately. "Oh, Camie-chan!"

"Hello, senpai!" Camie waved. She pulled you right in front of her, planting you firmly and not letting you go. "I'm here to introduce my new friend, (L/n) (Y/n) from the UA Journalism Department!" She leaned forward, unaware of how you stiffened when she laid her chin on your shoulder. "It sounds pretty cool when you're introduced like that, yeah?" 

Calm down, self. You're here for a different reason, you can't be distracted by just a simple and touchy gesture—

"I'm... I'm not yet part of the Journalism Department, but that's why I'll try my best to pass." You cleared your throat, biting down the sheepish rush of blood that crawled on your face. "I would like to interview you guys about Shiketsu High, if you don't mind!"

You expected glares, or even a couple of distasteful words to be thrown around you.

But what you received were welcoming smiles and peaceful laughter that echoed in the cafeteria. 

"Sure! I've been waitin' to get my shinin' moment for so long!" One of them said, scooting closer to you and grinning. "Ya got any set of questions needed to be answered first?"

You were confused when Camie began to push you to sit down. "O-oh. Yeah, I have some here...?"

The interview went... well. Too well, in fact, it almost scared you.

You suddenly realized what Camie told you earlier. There were people who hated the media, but alongside them, there were still those who basked in the attention of the media. They won't care if others told them to ignore the reporters. They just wanted to be a part of the show.  

"Oh, that's right!" one of the seniors suddenly piped up. "Shishikura, aren't you going to say anything to our dear journalist?" Somehow, they started calling you 'dear journalist' when you kept on complimenting their answers. They were easily flattered and you were glad to have them as your interviewee, but...

Shishikura, whom you didn't even notice was there, kept on drinking from his carton of tomato juice. "I don't need to say anything else. You're all feeding them vital information already. I don't need to add anything else to their foolish endeavors."

Your eyebrows twitched. This guy might have a mouth full of archaic and formal words, but his way of speaking made you want to strangle him right there and then.

"Man, you're always so grumpy." One of the seniors laughed. They didn't seem that annoyed by Shishikura's cold demeanor, but you definitely were. 

"He said 'foolish endeavor' as if he isn't out here drinking tomato juice like it's milk," you mumbled loud enough for Camie to hear. 

Camie stifled her laugh. 

Shishikura flinched. He whipped his head to your direction, glaring daggers at you. "I heard you loud and clear." 

You offered him an innocent smile, effectively causing a vein to pop on his forehead. "Hello, Shishikura-san. We've met before but it's nice to see you again."

Camie began to laugh out loud when you provoked the purple haired boy even more. He gripped his carton of tomato juice, opening his mouth to retaliate.  

"Don't worry, I won't force you to take part in my interview," but you interrupted him before he could say a snarky response.

Shishikura paused, his glare faltering.

"You already rejected my offer earlier so I won't bother you anymore. I don't want to write down the answers of someone who wasn't even willing to answer in the first place." You tore your gaze away from Shishikura, facing Camie this time. "Camie-san, I'm curious about one thing that I noticed while I was exploring the school. Would you be willing to answer it for me?"

Camie, along with the rest who listened, was stunned by your words to someone like Shishikura. But she immediately recovered with a smile. "Sure! Ask anything away. I'm sure I can answer them really well~"

A few minutes passed, and soon you finished interviewing the first and second years of Shiketsu High.

You only interviewed nine people out of ten, with Camie being the last one. Maybe if you try to ask Snipe to let you off the hook this time, he'll let you go back home early?

You still have to buy some souvenirs for your parents and for Sen as well, but if Snipe tells you that nine people weren't enough, then you won't have any time to stroll around the shopping district of Okayama. 

You released a heavy sigh. The sounds of hushed whispers and footsteps came from behind you. 

You turned around. Then you blinked once. And twice at the weird sight before you.

"Hey there! Shishikura-kun has something to say to you!" Camie was pushing a stiff and unwilling Shishikura towards you, but it seemed like the girl had more strength than him. 

"I don't have anything to say!" Shishikura hissed out. But he stopped in his movements when he saw you staring at him. 

Well, you're not exactly looking at him. You were looking at the people behind him. Aside from Camie, the other seniors that you talked to earlier were hiding behind the gates. They gave you a thumbs up, making you sweatdrop. 

Are they hiding or are they purposely letting themselves be seen?

You sighed once more, making Shishikura flinch on his spot. "What's up, Camie-san? Did something happen?"

"Well, nothing much except Shishikura-kun—"

"Don't say another word." Shishikura glared.

Camie immediately kept her mouth into a silent smile. 

She glanced at you and Shishikura, before giving one more push to the purple haired boy and stepping back. "I'll leave you guys to it, so tell them everything you want to say, okay Shishikura-kun?" 

Camie turned around as quickly as she could before Shishikura could scold her for her words. She pushed the seniors away from the gates, saying that you two needed your privacy for this moment, and when she did—...

You're left alone in an awkward and tense silence between you and Shishikura.

"So... how may I help you?" you began, making him narrow his eyes. If he took off his hat, and if he had dark circles under his eyes, you would have mistook him as Shinso. 

But Shinso was much more bearable than this guy. Or maybe you just have a lot more patience for Shinso than this guy over here.

Shishikura cleared his throat, bringing you out of your thoughts. "You need one more person to interview, right?"

You nodded. 

He tilted his hat downwards, shielding his eyes away from you. "I'll answer them. The last remaining questions, I mean."

"Okay."

He paused at your answer. "Okay?" It was such a monotone answer, you knew it annoyed him. 

You just kept your face neutral as you skimmed your notes. "Here's my first question for you, Shishikura-kun: you're not being forced to do this, are you?"

But he soon realized why you responded to him in that way. "I told you this earlier but maybe you guys didn't fully understand it. I don't want to get answers from someone who wasn't willing to answer in the first place. I'm not here to become an interrogator. I'm here to be a journalist. If you're doing this because Camie-san and the others forced you to do so, then let's end this discussion right here and right now."

It didn't matter if you needed one more person for your task of the day. Shishikura, and most heroes, hated how other journalists pried them for information despite their rejection. 

But you're here to change their opinions about journalists like you. That's why you needed to stick to your work ethics before anything else. 

As you waited for an answer, Shishikura clicked his tongue and averted his gaze. 

His silence was enough of an answer, so you bowed your head to him. "Excuse me then."

You turned around and walked away, ignoring the piercing gazes that drilled behind your head.

If that interaction won't change his opinions about journalists, then it's fine. You'll just let it go. You can't influence everyone around you anyways, so it doesn't really matter. 

Now though, you really have to beg for Snipe to let you go home early. You sighed. It's so difficult to act on your work ethics while also trying to fulfill your work. There were so many opportunities you had to decline just because of the former, but... somehow, you didn't regret it one bit.

Then you heard a meow beside you.

You froze. 

The moment you turned your head to the side, your eyes landed on an orange cat. It sat patiently, wagging its tail when you glanced back. Its red gaze met yours, and that made you freeze even more on your spot. 

You unconsciously stepped backwards, noticing how the cat tilted its head. 

"Hey kitty," you said softly, while you tried to inch away from the cat. "I'm not going to hurt you so don't.. don't come after me, okay?" 

The orange cat's ears began to twitch. It looked at you with curiosity, because you were doing the exact opposite of trying to appease it. You weren't trying to pat the cat, nor were you trying to come near it— instead, you were trying to walk a few feet away from it. 

You clutched on your phone tightly. You can't even look at the screen or else you'll lower your guard for this cat to scratch your face. But something happened. Something horrible, and scary.

The cat started walking closer. 

"Wait- stop, kitty! I'm not dangerous, I swear!" You tried not to stumble as you inched backwards without removing your gaze from the feline.  

You didn't see its amused stare. No, you were too busy trying to get away from this cat who kept on approaching you.

It felt as if you were being toyed by the cat itself. When you tried to move left, the cat would step there, making you walk to the right side of the streets instead. And when you tried to run past it, it would straighten its tail and hiss. 

You didn't know what the hell is up with this cat, but before you knew it, you were already back at the Shiketsu Gates. 

You whipped your head to the side, and when your eyes landed on a lone student waiting by the gates, your entire face brightened.

A distraction!

"Excuse me!" You bolted away from the cat, rushing to where the student stood frigid at the sound of your voice. 

"Yes?!" 

She wore the normal Shiketsu High uniform, but judging by the books in her hand, she was someone from the Business Department instead. 

You tried to show a friendly smile, but it must have terrified her since you were trying to hide behind her instead. "I'm so sorry if this is weird- but.. but I'm a little troubled by that... that animal over there."

Her gaze followed where you pointed at, and you realized that the cat was just sitting there. Licking its own paws without staring at you two. 

"Oh, a cute cat?" the student marveled. "You're scared of cats?"

You gave a dismissive wave. "I'm not scared— just a little troubled since it kept on approaching me."  

The girl just stared at you with an unfathomable gaze. "You are scared of cats."

You deflated at her words. You're not entirely scared of cats, are you? You like cats a lot, they're extremely adorable and they give you tons of happy pheromones that lift your mood up every time they purr. But their claws? Their hostile attitude?

You're not scared of cats. You're scared of their wrath because of your Quirk. But you can't just say that to this unknown student. So you sighed and just nodded instead. 

"I guess I am scared a little bit..." 

She stared at you (she likes staring a lot, huh?) for a while, before her eyes settled on the UA bracelet that you wore. "Are you one of the Journalists in UA?" 

"Hm?" You raised your wrist, realizing she was staring at it. "Ah, yeah. I'm part of UA's examinees."

Her eyes brightened at your words. "Really?! I'm so glad!" 

You leaned away when she invaded your space. "What?"

"There's this guy who came up to me, blond hair and cat ears, and he asked me if he could interview me for a while. I was really excited to be interviewed but then he suddenly ditched me! I don't know where he went but I've been waiting for him for ten minutes now and I'm getting really annoyed!" 

As you listened to her words, your eyes darted to the cat that just groomed itself despite the girl's complaining voice. It noticed your gaze, but it didn't pay you any mind.

"—I was wondering if you could interview me instead!" 

But you had to tear your gaze away from the cat. "Oh, yeah?" 

The girl nodded, and you couldn't help but smile. This was a jackpot to you! Adding her interview alongside Camie's and the others meant that you're finally done with your task for today!

"Alright, let me introduce myself first. I'm (L/n) (Y/n) from the UA Journalism Department!"

You didn't know if the cat left the moment you and the girl began your interview session, but one thing you knew for certain—

The cat led you to this girl. For what reason? Well, you didn't need to know. 

Cats are mysterious beings after all.

Chapter Text

❝  Our mind may forget, but our hearts will forever remember. ❞

Everything was loud.

The deafening screams, the roaring fire, the smoking night sky— it was a familiar sight that you never wanted to see again. Ever.

Someone... everyone... please... run away from here. 

You can't save them. You can't turn anywhere else. Everywhere you go, everything you touch, it all breaks. It all gets ruined. You don't know what to do to hold it together.

Fire engulfed the store before you. Blue fire. But your eyes were blurry from all the smoke, and before you could blink it away—

You were slammed down on the wall. Blood trailed down on your face, body, and seeped through your clothes. 

There was a guy standing before you. His hands formed into an axe above his head, his eyes a shade of furious red. He was shouting all kinds of profanities that you didn't dare listen. Your flames were out of control. You were surrounded by a chaotic reminder of that dystopian world in your memory, and that reminder only ruined your line of thoughts. 

When he realized you weren't listening, the man changed his bladed-hand into a fist and he punched you. Again, and again, and again, and again. Every hit hurt you and broke your skin and flesh. But even if he tried, you knew angry men like him would still hesitate in killing a kid like you, and you needed to change that. You needed him to kill—

Kill you? Why do you need to be killed? Why...

Your eyes shot open as everything finally washed upon you. A realization of what happened dawn upon your mind, but you coughed out as another punch went toward your stomach.

That's right, you remembered.

Today was the last week of your examination.

And now, you're dying at the hands of an angry civilian. A man that was caught cheating; a man you tried to stop from killing his woman. You just wanted to deal with this in a normal way, but you didn't expect him to have such a useful Quirk, so you wanted to be killed by him. Maybe it was because of the blinded fury in his eyes. Maybe it was because of the way his aggressive touch grazed your skin, but your mind suddenly went haywire right after he aimed his anger on you. 

Until suddenly, all of your senses stopped.

Before you knew it, your hand burst into flames, and the store beside you became engulfed into a scorching firestorm. The woman you tried to save ran away, screaming, and you were left alone with this guy who got even more mad at your display of power.

You didn't want to kill him or anyone. That's why you lowered your guard— but he took advantage of it. He slammed you by the wall, yelled at you to stop the flames, and punched you when you didn't.

His punches only served to scare you, and for a moment, you were scared.

But now, your mind feels like static. A calm state where everything was in disarray except you.

"You.. you fucking coward," you spat your blood on the man's face and smirked. He finally stopped. His bloodied fist trembled when he caught sight of your twisted gaze. "You think you can control someone's life—" you coughed, "—just because you spent your entire life doing so? You don't control anything. You're powerless, you bastard! And now that there's a witness, now that you're here trapped by my flames—!"

A wicked smile pulled up on your lips. "You're going to hell with me."

The man's fists curled tighter. His movements were sober earlier but his eyes... they were drunken with anger. Intoxicated by resentment.

The bruises on your cheeks stung, and the axe wounds oozed blood. It was enough to keep you awake, to keep your mind conscious enough to realize that you're not in your dystopia—that you're still here, a few years back before everything turned worse. 

That's why you didn't stop the man when he let out a furious shout and morphed his hand back into an axe. You did nothing but fall down the pool of your blood, with the silhouette of an axe and an aggrieved man above.

The eyes before you looked as if your words unleashed a demon. All he felt at that moment were rage and fury, and he delivered it to your body without hesitation. You heard more screams and shouts from your surroundings, but the multiple striking and slamming of fist only registered in your senses. 

You were dying slowly, yet your fists clenched and you grinned.

To die at the hands of someone else other than you means that you're closer to your goals for the future.

And so, you didn't hear anything else. Your eyesight was gone before you could see if the woman, the victim, came back with a hero but you knew that they wouldn't be important anymore. Those people, this villain, would all forget that this terrible thing has happened.

But the weight above you was pushed away.

"Hey— hey! Can you hear me?!" Someone tried to hold you up, but you can't see anymore. Your eyes were blinded by your own blood. You inhaled a painful breath, coughing out another clot of blood. 

You wished you just died at this point instead of staying alive. You wished this person would just let you die—

"I- I'll get you somewhere safe, hang on!"

But when they began to raise you off the ground, you grabbed their shirt weakly. "Stop..." Every lingering moment where you're still awake, it hurt you.

The sound of flames died down, and you forced your eyes open, your blurry gaze landing upon a pair of wide black irises. A boy with unruly black hair. His gray clothes were scrubbed with soot and blood. Someone familiar, someone you knew. Did he know you, too? It didn't matter though— all you wanted was for them to leave you to die and end this moment of pain.  

The boy stared at you with horrified, wide eyes. You gripped him tightly, more of your blood stained his plain uniform. 

"Please... don't save me."

Don't move anymore. You hate how your body throbbed so much. How your body is on the verge of passing out, and how it's still letting you feel the agonizing wounds that dripped and bruised.

"Shindo! What are you doing?! Get them out of here!"

You didn't know what else happened. Because soon enough, that sweet relief of death finally welcomed you into consciousness.

[You have died.]
[Reviving 8 Hours prior.]

Your eyes shot open. Instead of lying down on your bed, you were sitting at a seat by a moving train.

"Hey... you okay?"

The boy next to you flinched when you whipped your head to stare at him. Indigo hair sprawled upwards, pale face, lidded eyes..

Shinso blinked. He furrowed his brows, worried. "Did you have a nightmare?"

It was only when he asked did you realize you were trembling. You didn't know if it was the adrenaline that made you shake, or if it was the recollection of your pain earlier, but the irony of this situation only made you laugh.

You didn't have a nightmare. You died in a nightmare.

Even if it was real and not technically a nightmare, the fact that you remembered every detail made it feel like you had experienced an extended version of one.

But... it's alright now. You already revived. It doesn't matter anymore.

"I guess I had a nightmare," you confessed, glancing down at your clenched fist. 

Shinso's gaze lingered. "Do you... want to talk about it?"

Your expression was calm, but anyone who stared for too long would realize that your smile looked more of a grimace than anything else. "It's just the usual nightmares. Don't worry about it."

You turned to the windows, and silence stretched on as you watched the train zoomed past multiple buildings.

"Tsuru or Uguisu?"

"Hm?" You didn't turn around. You didn't want Shinso to see how tightly you bit your lower lip at that moment.

"You were the one who made that code. Aren't you going to use it?"

The thoughts in your mind were far too loud, but you couldn’t make sense of it. There was nothing that you could focus on except the dull pain of your invisible bruises, and the injuries that disappeared on your body.

"Uguisu..." you forced yourself to speak.

You heard a sigh, then the unwrapping and crumpling of plastic. The stare Shinso gave you burned the back of your head, but you couldn't bring yourself to look back at him. 

Shinso nudged you.  "What is it about?" He held out an onigiri that he unwrapped.

You stared at it for a while, before taking it to your hold. "It's just the usual nightmares that most people have."

"What's your definition of 'usual'?"

"You know, being in the middle of a fire, being beaten to death, feeling pain, dying. The usual," you smiled as you jested.

A tense silence came over the two of you.

You turned your head to the stunned Shinso, and your smile dropped. "I'm joking."

"That's not a good joke," he said immediately.

You laughed. He had a normal reaction, but that's exactly what made it funny. "I guess it's not entirely a 'normal' nightmare since you reacted like that," you joked light-heartedly, biting down on your onigiri. Maybe it was his reaction, and him not prying too much, but you were slowly calming down from your state of adrenaline and pain earlier.

Shinso hesitated. "So you did have that nightmare? About... dying like that?"

You nodded, only making him silent even more. "I met someone and then something happened, which led me to being punched to death. Sounds pretty hilarious if you ask me."

Shinso shot you a dark glare.

You shrunk on your seat. "...maybe not as hilarious as I think it is."

If this was his reaction to you having a 'nightmare' about dying, you wondered what he'd do if you told him it was all real. He'll probably be more than in disbelief, and you won't blame him. 

"What else happened?" Shinso asked.

"Uh.. that's all I remember," you lied, turning to smile at the boy. "I'm okay now. Talking to you is very overpowered of me. I feel like I regenerated a bit of my energy just getting that off of my chest."

Shinso stared at you as you finished your food in bliss. He’s been hesitating a lot— you can even see him parting his mouth and stopping himself. But when you looked at him with a raised brow, he just shook his head and smiled. "If you say so, otaku."

Your eyes twitched. "I'm not an otaku. In fact, that's one of the last names I’d want you to call me."

He quirked a brow. "What name do you want to be called, then?"

You opened your mouth to retaliate, but your mind suddenly went blank. You didn't think about what you'd do when you went into this conversation. "Uh... Anything but otaku, of course. Who wants to be called an otaku anyways?" 

He hummed. "Good point." Then he plugged his earphones on his phone, searching through a video site that showed tons of documentaries.

You wiped your hand with your handkerchief, turning your head to the windows and thinking. 

That situation you experienced earlier happened at night time when you were finally about to go home. Shinso wasn't there by your side; he went home earlier than you since he was finished his quota for the day while you still needed one more Isamu High student to interview. And on your walk to the station, that’s when you heard someone: a couple, bickering in the streets. 

It was a one-sided argument, you remembered. The man screamed and dragged the woman with his nails almost puncturing her wrist. He yelled, defended himself that he was not cheating, and that she was the one talking to other men instead. The woman was crying, begging him to stop, and it was obvious that she was scared about what he could do. 

That's why you stepped in, and you shouted for the woman to run away. Which led to the man using his Quirk on you.

You opened your skill discreetly, watching how a text board popped out right before you.

[Quirk: Blade Metamorphosing]

[Definition: Your body is your weapon! With this Quirk you can turn your body into any types of blade. The user can transform small parts of their body, like the fingers, hands, arms, or legs into the weapon of your choice.

*You can only use this in one of the parts of your body. If you're using it on your arm, you can't turn your legs or other arm into a weapon.]

It was a useful Quirk the moment you laid your eyes upon it, and that evaluation blinded you.

That's what power does to you, huh. Even if you thought you weren't scared at that moment, you reverted back in your old ways: panicking, and feeling terrified about everything around you.

A hand nudged you gently. You hummed, closing the screen of your Quirk before you.

"Here." Shinso offered the other earphone. "Want to watch with me while we wait to get off the station?"

You stared at his hand, then raised your gaze at the boy. His expression was soft, but it was masked by a nonchalant frown. 

"It's a documentary. Maybe you'll feel sleepy enough when you watch it."

You chuckled, taking the earphone off his hand. "Do you really want me to sleep after I just had a nightmare?"

Shinso hummed, taking a small glance at you and turning his phone horizontally. "That's why I offered to watch documentaries with you. It'll help distract you from your nightmare at least... Unless you get bored."

"I like documentaries." You took the earbuds and placed it on your ear. Shinso shifted beside you, closing in the distance between yours and his shoulder. "Sometimes they're great for passing the time and learning something new."

With the phone settled on yours and his thigh, both of you needed to look down to watch. And that’s the problem. You can feel the short proximity between you two. Only one tilt of his head and he can soon lean on yours, and if you dared to look at him—

You swatted your flustered thoughts mentally. It seemed like it's only you who was reacting this way. Shinso himself wasn't even complaining. He hasn't noticed, probably, so you shouldn't mind it either. You just swallowed your silent panic and focused on the documentary.

You tried.

And you succeeded.

The two of you sat in a comfortable silence. No words spoken, except the quiet chuckles from Shinso when you release an 'ooh' at some facts stated. 

"You're not going to ask me?" Shinso suddenly broke the silence.

"Hm? What? Ask what?"

"What name I want you to call me."

Only when he said that did you become aware about your distance once again. You went still, quiet for a minute. What does that mean? You didn't understand what he was hinting at— or maybe you did. Because if you didn't, then the nervous and anticipating heart of yours wouldn't even be happening right now.

"I... I mean, you should just tell it to me now that we're talking about it," you tried to play it cool, laughing softly to yourself despite the sudden heat in the air.

"Hmm.." Shinso tilted his head, glancing at the ceiling. "I guess I should, huh?"

"Yeah, you wanna be called kitten or what?" You poked fun at him.

"No. Just call me Hitoshi," he drawled. This time, you truly froze on your spot. He stared at you from the corner of his eyes and smirked. "Also. Didn't I tell you that I'll be the one to call you kitten instead?"

If your body wasn't burning already, then you can definitely confirm it was flaming now. You laughed nervously, pulling out the earbud and trying to rub your ears. "Wait wait, I think I just heard you incorrectly. Did you just say your first name- or maybe you mean other nicknames?" Yeah, it's probably just a nickname that sounded quite similar to his first name, there's no way—

"Can my first name really be mistaken as a nickname?"

He really did say his first name.

You finally faced him, eyes wide and mouth hung open. "No? I mean, I didn't expect you to just..." you trailed off, realizing many things so suddenly.

Your writing, the small hangouts you two do, the Journalism Department, and most importantly, the coded communication.

You shut your eyes tightly, the heat of your sudden realization almost making you melt in your spot. The two of you are basically close enough to even be called intimate in other people's perspective. And with you realizing that? You suddenly moved away from the boy, pushing yourself to the edge of your seat.

Shinso raised a brow at your haste movements. "What's wrong?"

You slapped a hand on your cheek to wake yourself up from your daze. "I- I don't know. I don't know if I can call you that." You only knew Inasa for a few days so his gestures and straightforward actions were something that you can get used to. But Shinso? "I... I still don't feel comfortable with my first name being called, so I don't know if I can return the favor..."

You didn’t deny his friendship. No, you actually welcomed it, just as you had with Sen, Denki, and even Inasa. But imagining someone uttering your first name, it was as if a shadow passed over your heart, tightening your chest with memories you wished you could forget.

You could still see their faces, hear the strain in their voices as they screamed your name, pushing you away from danger at the cost of their own lives. A final act of protection, of love, that you were helpless to stop—that is what filled your mind at the concept of your own identity.

So imagining Shinso calling you by your first name with that rare cheeky grin, your throat restricted. He didn’t know the weight your name carried. The sorrow it held for you.

You wanted to be called your name when nobody would have to scream it in fear or sacrifice. You wanted to be called your name when the world was finally safe, when you didn’t have to lose anyone else just to stay alive. Until then, you wished they’d use another name, any name, one that didn’t remind you of all the lives lost because you were still here.

Shinso's huff snapped you back to reality. "You idiot. I never said I'll have to call you by your first name too."

You tore your gaze away from the window. "What?"

He sighed. There was a slight annoyance in his eyes, but even you could see the twitching of his lips that wanted to curl up. "I don't mind waiting for when you'll be comfortable. Besides, you easily called that one guy in Shiketsu by his first name. Isn't it weird that you can call a stranger by their name but not your friend?"

You stared at him with a wonderstruck gaze. "We're friends?"

The moment you uttered those words, his eyes darkened. "What?"

Your eyes widened. "No wait-!" You waved your hands vigorously. "I'm not saying that I thought you and I weren't friends! I just wanted to hear you say it again, so please don't misunderstand!"

The more you tried defending yourself, the more Shinso's gaze softened. He scoffed. "I'm not going to say it again." And then placed one earbud on his ears.

He didn't seem to pay attention to you as you struggled to defend yourself. His eyes were staying still on the screen, and at the sight of his relaxed form, the words in your mouth suddenly dried.

You didn't know what you should do or even say in this situation. You've never been intimate (platonically! Platonically, you screamed in your mind) with anyone even in your past life. Not even Momoto wanted you to use her first name, and she dubbed herself as your best friend.

You mulled it over, eyes staying still as Shinso's phone screen showed a cute possum in its habitat.

You did it thrice already; you called three people by their first name.

"Hitoshi..." 

Shinso snapped his gaze to you. The serene expression was there no longer; his eyes were wide. His lips parted. He looked more astonished than you did right as his name rolled out of your tongue. 

"Let me watch with you," you added hurriedly.

Taking one of the earbuds that Hitoshi left untouched, you kept your gaze on the screen, unwilling to stare back at whatever look he was giving you.

There was nothing else exchanged between the two of you. No words, no replies. Just a thick silence that stretched and melted into a warm and comfortable one, right at that very moment.

"I'll beat you this time," you said out of nowhere.

Hitoshi turned to you with a confused glance. "What do you mean? We haven't even started just yet."

Earlier, a few hours before you died, everyone in your examinations was tasked to create a report on Isamu High for the examination, but there was a quota for the interviewee. 

Shinso Hitoshi ended up finishing first before anyone did.

It surprised you. Just what kind of magic did he do to suddenly charm everyone and finish his quota when the odds were stacked against him? You almost thought he used his Quirk, but you knew him better than anyone; He won't use his Quirk over something like this.

"I don't know what you did, but this time, I will beat you." He won't understand anyways so you'll just disorient him with your words. 

To say that Hitoshi was confused would be an understatement.

Snipe clapped his hands, catching everyone's attention. "Alright! Today will be the last day where we'll collect information from all the schools." He paused, eyeing the group of students before him. "...Seems like a few of you survived, huh?"

A 'few' would be an understatement. There were currently 20 people around you, and that included you and Hitoshi as well. The rest were all eliminated for some reason when you went to Ketsubutsu High, and now, 10 more people will be eliminated the next week as well. You won't let yourself be part of those people, so you'll have to focus real hard on writing worthwhile articles of news.

Snipe began explaining what to do. It was something you already knew after regressing once—you need to focus on getting information about the sports team of Isamu High. Volleyball, Basketball, or other sports. After all, Isamu High is known for its 'evolved' sports in central Japan. While UA, Shiketsu, and other schools focused on hero studies, Isamu High developed their sports and adjusted it based on the Quirks of others.

Before you regressed, you struggled to find players who could answer your question. They're either occupied by other interviewers or they already answered other people's questions—it was a painful struggle for someone like you, who wasn't too keen about socializing with other people.

But you found a loophole now that you heard Snipe explain the rules once again.

You didn't need to get the information directly from the sports team of Isamu High; you only needed someone, five people who are a part of the school, and ask them the basic questions about the sports team of your choice.

Hitoshi must have realized this loophole too, that's why he finished his so quickly.

You stopped by the gymnasium, scanning everywhere until your eyes landed on someone who glared at the vending machine. It was a boy with messy spikes of bluish-gray hair. The scowl on his pale face deepened as he stared down, and...

He wore the uniform for the boys in Isamu High School.

Your eyes brightened. Finally—you found one.

"Excuse me!" 

The spiky-haired boy turned his glare to you. "Hah?"

You approached and stopped in front of him. The boy didn't look too friendly, judging by his slouched shoulders and deep scowl. He squinted at you as if he was glaring, but you tried to keep your smile on your face. 

"Hello," you said softly, making his glare falter. "So sorry to interrupt you, but I'm (L/n) (Y/n) from UA's Journalism Department. Can you spare a minute or two to answer my questions about your school?"

You were expecting the boy to reject you. Judging by his dark glare, he probably didn't want to talk to anyone, and most definitely not to a future journalist like you.

But he tore his gaze away and back to the vending machine. "Give me a moment. I'll just have to make this vending machine spit out my damn drink."

He rolled his shoulders, preparing to strike a punch on the vending machine. Your blood drained. 

"No, wait! Let me do it for you!"

The boy stopped when you rushed in front of him. He just blinked as you turned around and crouched down in front of the machine. You pushed up the flap of where the snacks would fall, and you let it snap back into place. The tremble from that action made the vending machine whir into place, until finally—

Plop!

You took the drink carton and stood up. "This is what you wanted, right?"

You examined the drink with a raised brow. The pastel pink and clean white color palette already showed you that it's a strawberry milk. There's even a cute bunny mascot at the edge where the straws should be placed. 

He snatched it away from your hand, turning his head away. "Thanks," he grumbled under his breath. You blinked multiple times, seeing the red hue crawl visibly in his pale cheeks. 

Is he.. blushing?

"Oh, yeah... no problem," you said, dumbfounded by the sudden shyness. Was he embarrassed that he's drinking strawberry milk despite his rough exterior?

"You have somethin' to ask, right? I don't have all the time in the world, so ask it already," he snapped.

"Right, so sorry!" You held your notepad in your hand and fished through your pockets for your pen. "Well- sir, I'd like to ask your name first—"

"Fujimi Romero," he interrupted before you could finish. Rude, but you didn't mind. You are getting information after all. "What's next?"

"Can I ask what classes you are in?"

"Heroics Course."

You paused, raising your gaze at him. You've heard of the Heroics Course from Isamu High, but you never really had the chance to get to know them before. Even in your future, you only met students from UA and Ketsubutsu during the time you were running away. Shiketsu offered their school grounds as an evacuation center as well, but you never heard anything about Isamu High in that future.

What did this school do when everything else went to hell? Did it crumble and fall apart like the rest of the world? Or were they prepared for the chaos, while you were so absorbed in just surviving that you never even noticed them?

"Oi. Is somethin' on my face or what?!" You didn't notice how long you've been staring until Fujimi snapped at you with a flustered gaze. 

"Oh- sorry!"

His eyes twitched. "Do you just say sorry every damn time you get a chance to?"

"No, don't worry. I was just starstruck for a bit," you said, hiding behind your professional smile. The boy turned rigid at your words while you turned back on your notes. "So, Fujimi-san..."

You started the barrage of questions about their sports team. Fujimi didn't understand why you were asking him, but when you explained, he easily gave you the information that only Isamu High students knew. It was a jackpot to talk to him, since apparently he had a friend who was overseeing the sports team as well so he was a bit more knowledgeable than the other students.

But when you finally finished asking questions, Fujimi looked antsy and ready to leave. It's obvious that he wanted to drink his milk already, but he couldn't because he was hiding it behind him. 

You're a kind person. If someone is desperate enough to escape a social interaction, you will help them out with that. "And that's all for the questions. Thank you very much for letting me take your time!"

You bowed, and Fujimi looked away. "Yeah, whatever."

You slowly raised your gaze. "But... Fujimi-san, can I ask an unrelated question?" Alright, you may have a few more questions than you actually expected. 

His frown deepened at your words. "What is it this time?" He really was annoyed, enough to snap at you even more. But it'll only take a couple of seconds, you just had to ask to satiate your curiosity—

"What is it like being a Heroics student in Isamu High?"

Fujimi froze on his spot. He turned to you, his brows knitted together into a confused expression. "Why are you asking that? Aren't we done with the questioning?"

But he only became even more confused when he was met by a desperate gaze. "I'm just really curious about what Isamu High offers. I heard that the Heroics students all have some powerful Quirks, but I also want to know what you guys do during your training session or hero activities."

Were they taught some basic evacuation lessons? Did the teachers tell them what to do if the worst situation arises? You wanted to know— you needed to know. If the war happens someday even if you tried changing it, you want to be ready. You want to have connections and reach out to schools that were prepared.

You didn't realize you were staring at the boy with a wide and expectant gaze, until he hastily tore his stare away from you. 

"W-well!" Fujimi stuck his chin up. "If you're asking like that, then I guess I can't really deny you my answer."

The red hue on his face deepened, but this time, he had a prideful smirk on his face rather than a scowl. 

You perked up at his words, letting out a sound of awe. "Wait a sec, let me just write them down!" 

This time, the interview was a bit more enthusiastic compared to earlier. Fujimi stuttered a couple of times, clearing his throat every time you ask something new, but you can see it in his satisfied smile that he tried to hide. He didn't seem uncomfortable by your interview this time, and that brought huge relief to you. 

You were finally done when the clock struck 3:00pm.

Nobody has finished just yet, not even Hitoshi. He finished at around 3:30pm if you recall correctly. Which meant that you'll be able to go home alongside him, and you also won your one-sided game with him. Today is a great day for you, huh?

You walked through the streets of Kyoto, biting down the urge to just stroll around and shop around the famous markets here. Everything was so lively, and there were tons of souvenirs to buy as well—!

But no. You shook your head. You have to find Snipe first and give him your task. Sen asked you to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet with him a few days from today, so you'll have to go home fast and rest. 

Whipping your head left and right, your eyes finally landed on a familiar beige gas mask and a cowboy hat. Your eyes brightened. 

"Snipe-sensei!" You rushed to where the pro-hero stood. 

As you got closer, you slowed on your tracks when you realized there was another person beside him. A woman, a familiar one at that. Someone with a small stature, someone that wore baggy clothing. Someone that you saw in your previous life before.

It was the woman with that terrible husband who killed you.

You didn't know why Snipe was talking to her, but when you saw her shaking her head vigorously, covering the bruises on her arms, and her eyes darting everywhere...

Realization dawned upon you.

Was Snipe the reason why she was confronted by that guy?

Snipe visibly sighed, his shoulders deflating as he nodded. "I understand. But if you need any help, please don't hesitate to call any pro-heroes or even the police force in this town."

No, he was trying to help her. Snipe must have noticed so many warning signals of an abuse just from her bruises alone, so of course he would step up to help her. 

The woman trembled. You almost thought Snipe terrified her, but when she loosened her taut posture and nodded gently, you knew she was grateful somebody finally checked up on her.

But you're reminded of the tragedy you had seen. The one concern from a hero, from a person who actually cared for someone like her, led to her being dragged by her jealous husband in the middle of the night. 

A blessing turned into a curse in just one day...

"Oh, hey kid. Are you actually done with the task?"

You didn't realize how long you've been standing there until Snipe had approached you. While you were standing around, the woman already disappeared into the crowd, and now Snipe stood before you. 

"Snipe-sensei..." you started, making him tilt his head. "Are you just going to let her go?"

Snipe turned to where the woman once stood. He went silent, knowing the dark reason for your question. It felt like the crowd was mocking both of you at that moment: they were happy, smiling at each other and beckoning customers boisterously, while the situation of the woman loomed over the two of you like an unbreaking darkness. 

"I didn't want to," Snipe said in a grave tone. "But I can't control her nor force her to tell me, so I have no proof about what's happening behind the scenes."

"She has bruises," you said. "And her husband is shitty as well."

"How do you know that?"

"I saw her husband when I was walking around earlier." That wasn't a lie, you really did see him. But you saw him in your previous life and not today, so technically it's not the truth either. "I heard some of the neighbors talk about him as well. Apparently he's a known drunkard who always yells and throws things in his house every night. " 

Snipe mulled over your words. It was true that you heard some people talk about a shitty husband, but you're not so sure if it's the same guy who killed you. For now, you'll assume they're the same person. If it means helping out that woman and getting her away from that future, then you'll do whatever it takes, even if you have to stretch the truth and make it a lie.

"I see... I'll tell the patrolling heroes about your testimony," Snipe finally said. He stared at you for a while, before plopping a hand down on your head. "You did a good job, kid. Leave it to us for now."

You nodded, smiling at the hero. "Thank you, sensei."

You knew your words won't be enough to take that woman away from her home. She has to be willing first for the law to protect her, but it was a relief to know that she'll be safe for today. The patrolling heroes have to listen to Snipe, a popular hero's words after all.

You gave Snipe your report of the day, with him checking over your notes and being praised once again. He told you how you've been one of the students, if not the first one, to actually understand all of the hints that he's been giving throughout the examination. If we ignore how you died earlier and realized the loophole the second time Snipe explained the agenda for the day, then you truly deserved that compliment.

You bowed your head, thanking Snipe as he dismissed you with another pat on the head. But as you got ready to walk away, an astonished shout came from behind you.

"Ah! Snipe-san! Can I please have your autograph?!"

You stepped back, allowing a group of students to approach the pro-hero. Something about their outfit caught your eye. All of them wore a familiar gray polo shirt as their uniform, something that wasn't too remarkable like Shiketsu or memorable like UA, but it was still easy to recognize.

They were students from Ketsubutsu High, the school just a few blocks away from Isamu.

One student, with rough blue skin that resembled a turtle shell, was thrusting a piece of paper toward Snipe. A girl with pale, spiky blond hair that stuck out like a fish fin laughed, teasingly sharing embarrassing facts about her friend who was a huge fan of Snipe. And then—

Your gaze stopped at someone with unruly black hair. He had that calm smile on his face, soft and adoring as he watched two of his classmates crowd around the pro-hero.

The more you stared at him, the more the static in your head dulled into silence. A memory crawled back up into your mind, flashing you the night sky of an alleyway, a bloody floor below you, and a fingerless gloved hand reaching out to you. 

A pair of black irises caught yours, and your breath hitched.

Grand.

It was him. The pro-hero who fought against that one gigantic villain in the war.

At that boiling point in your life, everyone lost all trust in the heroes. The hate was too much for them, so a lot of heroes retired without hesitation. They had no reason to help anymore. Why would they? The public wasn't praising them anymore. They didn't gain any advantage over the others anymore. Being a hero was a terrible title at that time, so why would anyone step up and be one?

But not everyone thought the same. There were those who still helped out, expecting nothing but the safety of the people around them.

Grand was one of those heroes who stayed.

Now that you're seeing him as a normal student, a person just like you, your mind cleared up once again.

What you felt right now wasn't something that you could put into words. It was searing and humbling. It made you feel so alive.

If you could, you would have held his hand and thanked him for never giving up on civilians like you in your past life. But how can you act like that when in this current timeline, none of that happened just yet?

You smiled at him. He was still staring at you. 

And wordlessly, you turned around and left. You didn't know where you wanted to go, but you needed to think to yourself. Maybe it was because everything about earlier and even your past lifetime suddenly washed upon you, but you're overflowing with emotions.

So many emotions, that you couldn't hear the heavy footsteps of someone running to you.

"Excuse me!"

You stopped in your tracks as someone grabbed your wrist tightly.

"You're..."

You turned your head, eyes widening when it landed on the same-person that was the reason for your influx of emotions. 

The wind gusted strongly. The crowd walked by in a faint sound, the day seemed to slow, the world coming into a still.

Grand stared with unfathomable eyes. And as if everything was just an illusion, he showed a friendly smile. "Sorry, I thought you looked like someone I knew." He released your hand.

But it was there. You felt his fingers tremble under your skin. You saw his eyes quiver ever so slightly, and you saw how he hid it with his own smile. 

"What's your name? Mine's Shindo Yo, from Ketsubutsu High."

And his name that rolled out of his tongue so smoothly, it was all so familiar to you.

"Shindo, huh..." You heard that name when you were slowly dying before you regressed. So he wasn't just Grand to you. He was someone who tried saving you even today.

Suddenly, everything that you were feeling made so much sense now.

You introduced yourself, smiling back at the boy before you and bowing. You didn't know if you said something that piqued his interest, but his voice went quiet.

"Have we... met before?"

You raised your gaze. Shindo hid his nervousness behind a calm smile. He was sweating, not from the heat but from the question that he asked.

"I think so?" you said, grinning at him. "I'm from the examinees of UA's new Department. We went to Ketsubutsu a few days ago. You probably saw me somewhere in the crowd."

That was another lie. You've never seen him, because you were tasked to monitor the Business Department of Ketsubutsu instead of the Heroics Department. So there was absolutely no way you would have caught a glimpse of him, considering they were all having their Heroics class somewhere far from the main campus.

"Ah, so that's why." Shindo chuckled. He rubbed a hand on his neck and smiled. "I guess we've seen each other somewhere in the campus. Are you still covering Ketsubutsu, or did you guys move to another school?"

He was continuing the conversation. You couldn't wrap your head as to why, but you decided to entertain him. "We actually moved for today, since today is our last day of going through multiple schools."

"Oh, then what school...?" he trailed off, his voice dying down into a painful stop. He cleared his throat, chuckling a little. "Sorry. It seems like I'm a bit shaken up. We were training for a bit and then we saw Snipe, so the fatigue is catching up to me."

Whether he knew that you saw right through him or not, it didn't matter. "I understand. You must be very tired."

His brows furrowed, but there was something hidden in his gaze. A small emotion, far too vague that you barely even understood it. "I... I guess I am a bit tired."

You smiled at him. "Good luck at school and have a nice day, Shindo-san." 

Shindo huffed, his casual smile slipping into his face. "You as well."

You knew that smile all so well. It was the smile of someone who's barely keeping his emotions still. If you stay any further around him, it won't be just you who will crumble down. 

And just like that, your conversation ended. You were the first one to walk away.

A burning gaze still dawned upon you even when you were away from the crowd. You didn't know what exactly was the reason for his expression to be like that, but you had an idea about what it is.

A forlorn smile, with eyes that grimaced at the reminiscing thoughts in his head.

Shindo Yo remembered you, and you didn't know why or how.

Chapter Text

❝Where the verdant grass stays fresh and healthy. ❞

Something's wrong with your Quirk.

You admit: you experienced too much deaths already, too much for you to even count. But you never had any problems with it, until your latest death where something happened:

Someone remembered you.

Shindo Yo remembered you even after you regressed.

No matter how much you think about it, Shindo remembering you was never supposed to happen. If everyone remembered you every time you've died, then Dabi would have already known you when you met him multiple times, but he didn't. 

Is there a trigger for someone to keep their memories of you? Did the rules of your Quirk change, somehow?

You opened your skill list.

[List of Quirks:]

1. [Returner's Wish]
2. [Blueflame]
3. [Chains of Nostalgia
4. [Blade Metamorphosing]
...

You clicked on your first Quirk, and another text popped out before you.

1. [Returner's Wish]

[Definition: There is only one wish that a Regressor can make— to change the future. After dying to the enemy, you can copy one of their Quirks and make it yours! You cannot copy another Quirk from a person that killed you already.

*However, you can only return back 8 hours prior from your death!]

You read it over and over until the words describing your Quirk started to blend together. It's still the same as you remembered. There was nothing there except the explanation and the drawback being written. 

And then you stopped. Everything stopped. Your eyes were stuck by the texts before you, but your mind already wandered into a question that you never wanted to imagine.

If Shindo remembered you... can villains do so, too?

You froze on your spot. All For One... He was the mastermind of everything. Not only was he stupidly strong with that Quirk of his, but he was also intelligent enough to beat the heroes in their own system. He managed to find all of the heroes' plans and foiled them by his own hands.

What would you do if someone like him remembered you even after you regressed?

The whole world closed in until there was nothing but that piece of thought lingered. 

If All For One can remember you... if he sees right through your plans... then how can you outmatch him? Everything he'd done in his life has been planned. He has so many connections created with all the needed people, while you- you're just a kid. You can't even get the right help even after you confessed almost everything to the people you needed help the most.

There were so many worries, so many things to consider, that before you realized it you already doubled over and fell to your knees, one hand on the ground.

You heard someone rush to your side. But you were too shaken up to look at them. A sickening panic suffocated your lungs. "Mom," you choked out, suddenly unable to see, to think, to breathe. "Dad, I-I can't, I can't-,"

And it's because of him. That demon who made you abandon everything in your life. Everything is because of him.

The world spun around your head and you can't stop it. You can't fail this plan. You can't abandon Sen, Hitoshi, your mom and dad. You can't breathe. You can't... Oh God. You can't return back to that world again.

Cold hands held your cheeks. "Look at me."

Your eyes met the warm gaze of your mom and suddenly, the world stopped spinning.

"You're alright." Her voice whispered like a soft melody in your ears. She's alive. She's here, she's holding you, your mom is here. You felt her thumb rub across your skin. "Everything is alright, let's breathe together."

The room and everything in it seemed so cold and paralyzing. But as your mom took a visible intake of air, you followed her, then released it when she did.

You didn't know how long you've been following her breathing, but the more seconds passed, the more your mind slowly turned into an empty static.

"One more time. Inhale." She breathed in, and you did the same, holding it for a while. "Exhale." You breathed out.

Everything felt clearer now.

You leaned on the cold fingers that held you. The touch of your mother was so gentle, so kind. You wished you could stay here for as long as you could.

"You're alright," she hushed once again. Your mom was never the type to console anyone. She's never shown weaknesses and vulnerability before. But if it's for you—if there's something you need to hear—she'll be ready to put her words out just for you. "You know you can talk to me about anything. I'll listen. I always will."

You wanted to do what she said, you really did. Everything is so heavy on your shoulders—the amount of deaths you've counted, the consequences that might happen soon, your plan of changing the future—you can't handle it all. You're just a kid. You can't do this.

But against your will, you gripped your mom's shirt tightly. "...I'm okay."

You can't, but you have to do this. You knew, somewhere in the back of your panic stricken mind that you have to force yourself again. You have to get up from where you knelt in the middle of the room, you have to go to UA, you have to meet with Sen and Hitoshi in your new school. 

You have to face your fate. 

The warmth that seeped through both your body and your mom's, the feeling of hugging someone who's alive, you can't just abandon it. 

So even when you are so terrified, you buried your face at the crook of your mom's neck and hoped: "I'll be okay..."

You will, because you have to.

That night, the food felt like sand on your dry throat, but you did what you've always been accustomed to:

You forced yourself to eat.

The very next day, the cherry blossom petals flew as you ran by the sidewalks.

Now that you had your time to think that night, there was one thing you realized. One crucial detail that you brushed off when it was happening at that moment.

You pushed the door open, marching up to the reception table by the side. "Excuse me," you called out, ignoring the rest of the civilians that sat on their seats and the police officers that glanced at you. "Is Tsukauchi Naomasa-san here?"

Tsukauchi Naomasa was familiar to you.

Wait, let's rephrase that:

Tsukauchi Naomasa acted closely enough that you could feel a bit of familiarity with him.

"It's good to see you making friends this time," he said one time right after he interrogated you.

Did he remember you, too? You don't recall a time when you interacted with him even in your past life, so what is it that you're missing? You needed to know. If finding out means you'll get an idea as to how your Quirk worked around other people, then you'll do everything to get your answers. Everything.

The police officer snapped out of his dazed state. "Huh? Tsukauchi?" He yawned, tears pricking the corner of his eyes. "Don't know about him. I think he left earlier."

"Around what time?"

"Kid, I can't answer that question even if you want me to," the police snarkily snapped. Before you could open your mouth to reply, he placed an earmuff upon his head and blatantly ignored you.

Fine then. If you can't meet him now, then you'll meet him a bit earlier. 

Without any other word, you turned on your heels and walked out of the station.

When you finally stood somewhere in the silent streets, you stared at your hand and tried to imagine the image of a dagger.

Swish!

The hand that was normally bandaged morphed into something different— something sharp, and cold.

A knife. You examined your hand for a while, noting how it shone against the sunlight above.

There was a moment in time when you feared wielding a blade against your skin. But after doing it a thousand more times, you became used to it. You no longer fear it. Sure, the pain will still be ripping you apart but it'll be over soon in the end.

It always will.

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 Hours prior.]

"Excuse me. Is Tsukauchi Naomasa-san here?"

It's 1 in the afternoon. The station hustled and bustled with many police officers who were still not yet stationed on their specific spots. They were all having their lunch until a kid suddenly interrupted them and asked for their colleague's whereabouts.

"I don't know," one of the officers said honestly. She glanced at her other colleagues and they all shrugged. "I think he's the one who got here first. He has a strict schedule and regime for himself after all."

She's one of the first ones to actually address you, the kid that bothered them, with a warm tone instead of an annoyed voice. 

"What time does the police station open?"

"We're open around 8 in the morning," she said, smiling at you. "You can come back tomorrow since Tsukauchi-san is still stationed in Hosu for a while."

You nodded, thanking her and marching out of the station.

Oh, you'll definitely come back, alright.

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 Hours prior.]

It's almost 8 in the morning. The streets were a lot tamer than it was during the afternoon. But it's not the lack of buzzing officers that you took notice of, no. It's the sight of a certain detective standing right in front of the station that you noticed first.

Tsukauchi stood there, his eyes glossing over the small notebook in his hand. He didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings, so you raised your voice. "Tsukauchi-san!"

He lifted his head away from the book, gaze landing on you. 

When you approached him, he tilted his head. You knew how tired and exhausted you looked, but thankfully he didn't pry.  "Hello, how can I help you? Is there a reason why you're here so early in the morning?"

You nodded, his warm voice made you sigh in relief. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Tsukauchi raised his brows. "What is it?"

You hesitated. There was a slight pause in the air, until, "Do you remember me?"

You remembered everything, from his words during the Tsukiko-incident, to his actions that were far too familiar to you, a kid that he just saw during his work. It never weighed much in your mind before, but now that you knew someone could remember you even after you regressed, Tsukauchi was the first one that came to your mind as well.

You kept your gaze still and steady on the detective. Hoping for an answer, wishing that he can reassure you that he didn't remember anything in the past. 

Tsukauchi simply blinked. The silence continued on, until the gust of the wind suddenly picked up.

A shadow fell upon the pavement. The cherry blossoms drifted into the air, but instead of pink petals, all you could see was crimson. You turned your head, and so did Tsukauchi, just in time to witness a figure descending from the sky:

Crimson wings.

In the blink of an eye, he is there.

The morning light caught on his feathers, making them glisten like molten lava as he swooped down with a speed that seemed both controlled and wild. His wings flared out wide before folding neatly behind him as his boots touched the ground, barely making a sound.

"Hey, Tsukauchi. I got something to tell you for today." That smooth voice laced with a lackadaisical confidence came like a fresh reminder through your ears.

If there's one thing you'll never forget, it's the identity of this man—he will always be at the very top of your list of someone you can't forget.

Tsukauchi tore his gaze away from you and to the newcomer. "Ah, Hawks. You're too early," He placed the notebook in one of his pockets, taking a glance at you. "Although, I'm a bit preoccupied right now so can you wait for just a minute?"

The number three hero didn't immediately respond. Instead, his golden eyes flicked back to you, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to narrow down as you flinched.

This was Hawks, the Number three hero— the one destined to deal with all the dirty work a hero wouldn't be able to do.

His gaze was more than just sharp. It was piercing, as if he could see through the carefully constructed walls you had built around yourself. You couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, what conclusions he was drawing in those few seconds of staring as you swallowed your nerves.

Then, with a tilt of his head, a small smile danced upon his smooth skin. "Is this your new sibling?"

Tsukauchi looked exasperated. "You shouldn't joke like that. What will you do if the kid's family actually heard you?"

The number three pro-hero chuckled merrily at his annoyed reply, while you stood in silence. Panicking to yourself.

If Hawks was here, then you can't do what you originally planned to do...

Or can you?

The detective turned to you again. His smile had forgone its mild exasperation that he showed to Hawks earlier. "I'm sorry for the interruption. What were you asking again?"

You stared at Tsukauchi's dark yet warm gaze, then glanced at the number three pro-hero who didn't falter at your sudden attention. Instead, he lifted a hand to wave at you as if your current expression was nothing a pile of nerves from a possible fan of his.

With your throat constricting, you shook your head. "No, it's nothing. I just have one request."

You can still do your plan even if Hawks was here or not.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry," you said with the utmost sincerity gracing upon your voice. "But if you remember me, please tell me these words when we meet again."

The wind carried a deep and bitter chill. You can feel both Hawks and Tsukauchi's curious stares drilling on you, but nothing could prepare them as you morphed your hand into a knife and said:

"The spring buds are growing all too soon, right?"

It was just for a fraction of second, but the widening of their eyes, the haste movement of the feathers and their arms— you saw it all so clearly. Until you jutted the knife to your throat.

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 Hours prior]

Maybe traumatizing two people with your Quirk is a bit immoral of you, but you need to find out how and who can remember even after you regress.

Current death count of this plan: 1 death.

"Tsukauchi-san, please try to remember."

It's alright if you repeat this a lot of times. If it means getting the answers you wanted, even before your real plan fails, then you'll do this a thousand more.

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 Hours prior]

It's the same situation once again. The same morning, the same chilling air brushing against your skin. 

"Is this your new sibling?" The familiar easygoing voice asked.

Tsukauchi had an annoyed look on his face, "You shouldn't joke like that. What will you do if the kid's family actually heard you?"

And just like their words, everything was still the same as before.

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 Hours prior]

"The spring buds are all growing too soon, right?" you said, hoping that he'd remember.

You've done this before. The stabbing of your knife, the pain racking up your wound, the shot of adrenaline waking you up from your regression—

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 hours prior]

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 hours prior]

At the sight of Hawks' laidback smile, at the sound of his and the detective's banter that repeated over and over for 34 times already, you became desperate with your actions.

"Can’t you remember me?" 

This started because you didn’t want anyone to remember. You didn't want to be at risk when you fight against All For One in the future, but the more you carved the knife upon your skin, the more you hoped that maybe... perhaps... you wanted someone who could remember. Because the reality is that: you've never known how to stop yourself before. It's either you give up entirely, or you continue on even after you've reached a thousand deaths on your hands.

Tsukauchi turned his head to you. He gave a smile. "Of course I remember you. We've met before, haven't we?"

This time, your breath clogged in your throat. 

He looked away. "Even if it wasn't a good first meeting since you were being interrogated, it still counts. I think." He chuckled, unaware of how his added answer made your shoulders droop.

He knows something, he must be. He's smart. He's someone who toyed with All For One before, so there must be something within him that can make him remember. "Is that really our first meeting?"

But if he can't remember you, then that means All For One won't be able to as well, right?

"What other meetings have we had?"

So many unrecorded meetings that he barely even remembered.

You should be happy. 

But why does it feel so unsatisfying?

[You have died.]
[Returning 8 Hours prior]

This is stupid. You’re being idiotic. Impulsive. 

You don’t know what you wanted anymore. 45 deaths held at the exact same time, at the exact same place as the others, and your mind still couldn't make up what you really needed to hear. 

Did you want to make sure nobody remembers you to prevent your plans from failing, or did you want someone trustworthy to remember so you could comfort yourself with it? 

The scenes soon blended together.

The memories of your past regressions, your perspective as you killed yourself—with Tsukauchi reaching a hand out, eyes wide and horrified at your actions; with Hawks suddenly by your side, grasping your wrist far too tightly even if he was too late—every memory clashed within your mind.

You can feel the dark circles weigh heavily under your eyes. "Fifty seven."

Tsukauchi turned to you, tilting his head. "What?" If the two noticed how tired and messed up you looked at that moment, they didn't point it out.

Your words tumbled out like an automatic reply. "Can you remember me?"

57 deaths and nobody remembered anything.

This is what you wanted, right? To not be remembered even when you went back in time. If so, why did you feel disappointed? Why did it pull you down, as if all of your hopes and wishes crashed before your feet?

You prepared yourself, raising a hand to your neck. Somewhere, in the back of your mind, you wanted someone to know. Anyone. You wanted to release all these secrets to someone who could figure it out, to someone who could help you.

"The spring buds are all growing too soon, right?"

Your body turned cold and still.

It wasn't you who spoke that.

"Huh? Of course it is, we're in the season of spring after all," Tsukauchi remarked. It wasn't the detective who said that, as well.

For the first time, since you've started dying for the detective to remember you, your gaze finally whipped at a certain pro-hero who said those words.

Silence fell except the sound of the wind. You froze on your spot, surprised by the look that Hawks golden irises held.

He remembered.

Hawks looked like he was fighting with himself, a look that you had seen before—hesitant, troubled, and reminiscent.

He definitely remembered.

You couldn't understand anything. You almost forgot how to breathe. This change that happened was so incredibly breathtaking, too strange and sudden, that you thought if you started to believe it, you would surely lose control everything again.

"What's your name?" Hawks was asking you something he didn't ask before. His attention was turned to you, focused on only you and nothing else.

"... (L/n) (Y/n)." Suddenly, you were struck by how seriously dangerous this entire situation was. Someone really can remember you, and that knowledge of the past can be a hindrance to your goal and plans.

But why...

Why did you feel so relieved?

"That's a nice name." A smile graced his lips, his golden eyes not betraying anything but a soft yet filmsy stare that he always had. “You're going to be a first year student this month, right?”

"Oh, you probably don't know it but (L/n) here is trying out the Journalism Department in UA," Tsukauchi introduced you when you kept silent.

"Hmm. I've heard about that new department. That means you'll be working alongside the heroes, huh?" You forced yourself to nod, and Hawks grinned. "I don't know how that Department is going to work, but since it's UA High, you'll definitely be having a difficult time trying to prove yourself."

An unfamiliar ache spread through your chest and it took you a moment to realize what this strange craving was: you wanted to stay. You wanted to hear more of what he was saying. You wanted someone to acknowledge you, and now here he is. Nothing in his smile changed. Nothing in his golden irises and sharp gaze did either. But his actions, him strolling your way, and him placing his gentle yet big gloved hands on your shoulders. 

You didn't want to die and go back to this morning anymore.

"Keep going," he whispered so softly. "I'm sure you can do great wonders if you try." His words came like a confusing array in that excruciating daylight of yours. He must have thought the same, cause he raised his gaze to the sun and remarked, "It's still too early in the morning, so I'll escort you on your way home."

You can't see his expression, but judging by Tsukauchi's face that twisted into confusion, it was obvious that this was the first time Hawks said and done something like this. "Wait, Hawks! You can't just take someone away like that. They still want to ask me something, isn't that right?"

But before you could answer, Hawks gently but firmly guided you away, rotating you out of Tsukauchi’s sight. His hand remained on your shoulder as he looked behind him to give a cheeky grin at the detective. "Yeah, whatever. I can just listen to them and tell you what they want to say once I get them back home. So excuse us for now, Tsukauchi-san!"

Without waiting for the detective’s reply, Hawks pushed you to walk forwards.

He guided you down the street with a casual, almost lazy gait. "So," he started, his voice a brush away from your head. "Have you eaten breakfast yet? We can get some skewered beef by the streets over there, but I have to ask. Do you eat meat or not?"

When you glanced at him, you found Hawks staring forwards with an unreadable expression on his face. He noticed your stare, so he smiled at you. A smile that could extinguish all the thoughts and worries a person can have.

"No meat?" His question sounded light and soft. 

You bit your trembling lips. "Hawks, you—"

"If you don't like meat or you can't eat them, how about some curry? There's a curry place I know and they also offer a vegetarian version as well."

You were at a loss for words once again. But Hawks didn't let your silence deter him. He just continued talking, his warm hands never once leaving your shoulder. "I'm not usually the type to eat breakfast but I'm also craving that shop's curry today. I'm assuming you're around here so if you know about that shop, you'll see how almost everyone in Hosu is dying to even get a piece of their curry. Lucky for you and I, we'll be the first customers there since they're probably just opening right now."

It was almost mesmerizing how easily he covered up his emotions in that simple blinking of his familiar smile. 

But you've died 57 times. You've repeated the same day over and over. What's happening right now was something you can't brush off, because his actions were different from what you remembered of him.

"What did you see, Hawks?" 

"Hm? Saw what?" But Hawks wasn't keen on answering you. "Did you eat breakfast already or something?"

"Not that. I meant what you saw earlier," you interrupted him. "What did you mean when you said the 'spring buds are all growing too soon'?"

"I meant it as that. It's the spring season, so of course the flowers and plants of spring will grow soon." Then he lets go of your shoulders, falling into step beside you. "Since I don't know what type of food you want to eat, I'll just bring you home for today. It's a bit dangerous for you to wander around when the streets are almost empty." His tone was light and playful, but you knew what exactly he was doing.

Hawks was avoiding your question.

You let him walk right next to you, with the pro-hero never failing to come up with different conversation topics, even if he ended up talking to himself mostly. 

Your mind was drifting into multiple thoughts when he suddenly asked something to you. "Is your examination for the new Department done?" 

"... yes," you said slowly, although a bit unsure if you wanted this conversation. "I'm just waiting for UA's announcement next week about whether or not I passed."

"Heeh..." Hawks marveled, eyes crinkling in mirth when you finally spoke. "Are you nervous about it?"

You blinked a few times. "Not really, no."

"That means you know you'll pass, right?" Hawks chuckled as he placed his hand on his pockets. "I'm not supposed to say this to anyone but I was actually invited to teach at UA High as well. I didn't accept it 'cause I don't think I can balance hero duties with teaching duties as well. Maybe someday I will, but for now, I can't do those just yet."

You took a moment to respond. "Why are you telling me this?"

You know why. You just wanted to hear it come out of his lips instead.

"Why?" Hawks raised his gaze, staring at the bright sun above. There was a momentary silence between the two of you. "Let's just say I was compelled to say it to you."

You stopped walking. The hero went a few steps ahead, but he paused on his tracks as well.

"You," with your voice whispering, because you knew more than anyone how perceptive this hero is even in the silence, you said, "You really do remember... don't you?"

Hawks stared at you from his shoulder, his mantled wings covering the lower half of his face. All you could see was the gold in his pupils and the sharp line from the corner of his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

But you saw it. You saw that emotion flickering in his eyes.

No matter how hard he tried to cover it up, Hawks couldn't hide that brief second of conflict that passed over his face. Still, he was a master at this—an expert at hiding things from the onlookers, because the moment you took note of it, it suddenly disappeared into something controlled. "Is your home somewhere around here?"

Instead of saying anything else, you just nodded.

Hawks watched you as you walked to where your home was. He smiled, never faltering nor budging on his spot even when you looked back at him with a slight hesitation in your steps.

When the door closed, you couldn't keep your balance intact; you slid down, sitting on the floor.

"He remembered..." you whispered, all of your worries washing over you. It was obvious Hawks didn't want to explain what he saw— what you showed them was far too traumatizing to even word it out. But you were dying to know what exactly he saw and how he remembered it.

"Sweetie? What are you doing?"

You raised your head, eyes landing on your father. He was descending down the stairs. He most likely just woke up. 

The sight of you at the door looking so troubled only raised alarms in his head. "Did you go out without telling us?"

"No, I asked mom when she woke up." You did your best to stand up, your knees almost weakened by the numbness in your mind. 

Your father looked at you in the way he always did when he noticed something about you. But he just kept a small smile on his face. "What do you want to eat for breakfast?"

It's the topic of food once again... you smiled back, albeit a bit weak. "I already ate earlier when mom left. I'm just going to rest in my room for a bit."

It was a lie that he can't prove, because you knew he won't try to pry too much. They've always been that way, unconsciously scared of pushing their child away if they ever became too much, too protective.

"Do you really have to be in UA?"

You turned to your dad, stopping in the middle of walking up the stairs. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated. "If it's making you stressed, it's alright to change your decisions. You can still be a journalist even if it's not in UA."

He was worried, especially after what happened yesterday. He probably only heard it from your mom. With or without context, your panic attack must have caused some concerns for your well-being. And that realization made your expression soften.

"Don't worry too much," you said in hopes of lessening their anxieties, even if it's all too understandable. "I'll be fine. I want to be in UA, so I’m going to work hard for it."

Their worries over you became the main reason for you to continue on, even if the burden was far too heavy. After all—being cared for by people that you loved was such a nice feeling, right?

You gave one last grin at your dad, before turning around and walking to your room.

Even if you didn't get a good night's sleep for a whole week, you had to force yourself up. Because today is Sunday, the day when UA's first orientation will be held.

The letter that arrived to you a couple of days ago wasn't as fancy and advanced as the Heroics Course announcement, but it still held its purpose. You passed the examinations (of course, you're not letting yourself fail after all). But it was a bit shocking to be one of the top 3 students who did a great job with all the obstacles.

It didn't take long before you got off the station to Musutafu, walking alongside the early crowd. You'll apologize to Sen later on for going to school too early, but UA High emailed you yesterday. They asked you to go to the school an hour before the orientation starts, and you immediately understood who sent it.

It felt like the walk to UA took an hour but soon, you finally reached your destination.

You... you'll meet everyone, soon. By everyone, you meant the ones who have saved you. The ones you're trying to save now. 

Sure, you've seen a couple of the future heroes like Spiral, Chargebolt, and even Phantom Thief on the UA examinations. But even then, you were already overflowing with emotions when you interacted with any of them. If meeting them one by one was too much for even someone like you..

What would happen if you were in a room filled with all the future heroes who protected you?

You shook your head. It's going to be fine. You can handle it if you just give yourself some time.

Steeling yourself from your thoughts, you knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

As the familiar voice of the principal beckoned you in, you pushed the door open, peeking your head slightly. Your eyes first landed on the white chimera of a principal that wore his usual suit. 

"Good morning, (L/n)-san! Please take a seat."

Just as you stepped into the stifling room, a meek voice repeated, "(L/n)-san?" Your gaze snapped to where it came from. 

Green eyes.

"The first placer who beat Kacchan...?"

The soft curls of his dark green hair sprawled the same way as you remembered it. There were dotted freckles that made his face look so young and kind, and he held himself in that timid posture, shoulders tensed up, thumbs rolling together. His eyes held a starstruck glow in it. Eyes that were bright.

Eyes that looked alive.

You froze. Your breath stopped; your body locked. It was only a brief, still, stunned moment before your lips parted, and a shaky breath left your throat.

You had imagined this meeting a thousand times, played it over and over in your mind, and now that it was happening, you didn't know what to do. If it was possible, your environment could have shattered right in front of you and the only thing you would have taken note of was the boy standing near you. Him, and the freckles on his cheeks, the red hue that crawled on his face as he realized you were staring back at him with the same awe in his eyes, and his forest features, his bright and live expression.

He's the hero who had saved all of you selflessly. 

And then, your body moved on its own.

Your body lurched forward. You pulled the boy close, your arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, close enough until you heard his fast heartbeat, and felt his stiffening body as he stammered in shock.

But nothing else mattered anymore.

What anyone else had said; what anyone else thought, none of it mattered now.

Because Deku is alive. 

He's here without any scars, without any soot and dirt and blood in his body, and he's here, with you holding him. Warm against your skin. Warm against your touch.

"Deku..." you didn't know if you let out a laugh or a stifled sob— but you buried your face on the crook of his neck. You couldn't hear the panicked noise that he let out, couldn't hear the choking cough that came from the newcomer behind you. All you could hear right now was this hero's fast beating heart alongside your pulse.

You didn’t know how long you stayed pressed together like that, hands clutching the boy as if letting go means that he'll fall into pieces. Or maybe it would be you who will shatter into small pieces.

To say that Deku was flustered would be an understatement. 

"(L-L/n)-san, you're— you're too—!" His eyes looked as if it rolled at the back of his head, and his entire face was a painful shade of crimson. The boy went far too rigid and stiff in your hold, stuttering and stumbling over the words he shrieked out. Still, you understood what he was trying to say. You'll also react the same if someone, a stranger, would even dare to touch you this way.

But you can't bring yourself to pull away. You wanted to hear the comfort of Deku's heartbeat against your own, you wanted to be beside him at all times. You knew you can't stay this way forever, but rational thoughts deprave you now.

Everything had gone quiet in your mind, with just you and Deku in this lifeline of yours.

That was until another hand plopped down on your shoulder hesitatingly. "I-I'm sorry to interrupt your moment, but you should let him breathe first."

It was only when that voice registered in your head did you finally snap out of it.

"Sorry," you winced, reluctantly pulling away. This isn't like you. It must be the lack of sleep after that situation with Hawks, but you swore you could have cried if you stayed holding onto Deku at that moment.

Deku didn't seem to be any better than you. He looked as if he was barely breathing. He rushed to hide his entire face with his hands, his scarred free hands, and you can see the furious red that blushed at the tip of his ears. He was even letting out small mumblings and little squeaks the more he spoke, but that sight only made your lips curl into a smile.

Seeing him so lively like this made all of your suffering worth it.

"Young Midoriya... please get a grip on yourself."

You whipped your head to the side, eyes landing on someone with a frail body. The eyes of his sunken face were overshadowed, and the only thing you could see was his electric blue eyes and thin blond hair that framed his angular jaws. He was towering over you even when his body looked thin and skeletal-like, but that's to be expected: 

This, right here, is the number one hero of Japan after all.

It's not as intense as your reaction to Deku, but you still felt a sense of contentment to see your Symbol of Peace right in front of you. But there was another emotion that you felt at that moment. Is it sympathy? Sorrow?

Right now, in this current timeline, All Might held a painful role in everyone's lives: he's the only Symbol of Peace in Japan. 'Only' because everyone relied on him every single time. Even when he was retired, the people still looked up to him and prayed that he would save the day.

And that idiotic dependence led to everyone's downfall, including yours.

All Might noticed your stare. "Nezu, is this...?"

"Yes, they’re the one I was telling you about."

As everything turned silent, the principal told all of you to take a seat in front of his table. You sat at the chair across Deku (who was visibly avoiding your stare), while All Might stood behind him, his gaze running over you in almost a worried glance. It was surreal to see both of the current and future greatest heroes in one room. You really had to pinch yourself to remind yourself that you were, in fact, not dreaming at all.

Nezu clasped his paws together. "Now that we're all here, I'd like you all to introduce yourself to each other."

His beady eyes lingered on the frail man before him. They were sending silent messages to each other, something that you can't understand.

The frail blond man cleared his throat. "Right. I'll introduce myself first. I'm All Might—" the green-haired boy turned stiff as he introduced himself. "I'm the number one hero of Japan. I know it must be shocking to see me in this form, but this is the hard truth about the Symbol of Peace." 

He's barely hanging onto his power.

"It's alright," you said, surprised at how calm your voice was. "I already know this anyway." 

All Might swallowed his thoughts away. "So I've heard…"

You turned your gaze to your other hero. His face sprouted into a hue of red, and he forced out a shriek. "I-I'm Midoriya Izuku! Training to be a hero!" 

He became even more flustered when he realized how curt his words were. But before he could add more, you spoke up. "I'm (L/n) (Y/n), someone who's training to be a part of UA's Journalism Department."

Nezu smiled. "We'll talk about that later," he said to you specifically. "But for now, let's talk about the reason why all of you are here." 

"Umm…" Deku, or Midoriya, stuttered. "Is it really alright for me to be here..?"

"Of course it is," you interrupted him. "You're the holder of One For All. You're supposed to hear this too."

He became rigid at your words. "How- how do you know that?" It's obvious that he can't wrap his head around what's happening right now. Someone he doesn't know suddenly called him Deku, hugged him, and now they even know he's the holder of One For All? It's probably so confusing to him, and you can't blame him for that.

"(L/n)-san here can see the future," Nezu said. All eyes went on you, but you tried not to glance back at them. "I'm still unsure of what exactly you saw in that future, but we can talk about that someday. Instead, how about you tell us what you know about All Might and Midoriya-san over here?"

You didn't expect to be put on the spot like this. You knew Nezu would be talking to you about your 'Quirk' of Prophecy the moment he sent you an email, but you never thought you'll have to discuss it right in front of the number one hero and his protégé.

But you had to swallow all of those nerves down. This talk would have to happen anyway. It's best to get this done sooner than regret it later.

"I know about All For One," you began, seeing All Might tense up at your words. "And I know about his Quirk, and how he's trying to get back a specific Quirk that All Might had. He's currently recuperating after his old fight with All Might, but I know he'll strike soon once the school year starts."

"How do you know that?" All Might probed.

"Cause of my Quirk? I can see the future?" you said as if it was the obvious thing.

All Might visibly sputtered. "That's- that's not what I—..." He trailed off. It was an answer that made sense to him, and any other question he had would fall if he compared it to your answer.

You chuckled. "I'm just joking." Imagine making the Symbol of Peace speechless. It almost felt amazing, but not as amazing as your catharsis of meeting Midoriya. Nothing can top that.

Both All Might and Midoriya tried to laugh— with the pro-hero sounding like he's coughing, and with his protégé sounding like a mechanical robot. The second-hand embarrassment you're getting from them is too much for you to handle.

So you brushed their forced laughter away. "All For One doesn't know about Midoriya just yet. Right now, the only thing he knows is the fact that you're teaching in UA. And he'll take advantage of it by targeting the school."

Nezu hummed. "So you're saying he'll attack our school because of All Might being here?"

All Might clenched his fist. He looked down at his lap, scowling. "I know he'll use everything for his goal, but to think that he'll let the students be affected as well.." 

"But All For One can't attack us in our school, right?" Midoriya spoke up. He still wasn't looking at you, but his eyes held a steeled resolve in it. Like he was assured by his words. "UA is known for their high security. Even if he's the strongest person, there's no way he'll be able to infiltrate here.."

"You're wrong and right at the same time," you said nonchalantly. "UA High's security system is definitely strict. But it sucks."

All Might sputtered out blood. "Y-Young (L/n)!" Midoriya also panicked at your words.

You were just telling the truth. If UA had a high security, then the League of Villains wouldn't even be able to get away at the USJ, nor would they be able to kidnap one of their students.

Nezu just smiled at you. Somehow, the sight of his smile brought a shiver down your spine. "What do you mean by that?" 

"I mean it as that: your security sucks." You felt like you're slowly digging your own grave, but you still continued anyway. Call it the last act of bravery, if you may.

"Hm, then that just means I have to change your opinions about our security..." Nezu muttered, but you shook your head.

"No, keep it like that."

"Pardon?"

"Let them come here."

Your words brought silence over the room. "That's- that's a good joke, young one," All Might broke the silence. "But I don't think it's the right time for jokes like that—"

"I really mean it. Let them come here. They'll try to break our spirits by bringing mistrust to the heroes but we can do the same thing to them. Wouldn't it be great if we strike back when the enemy becomes too confident about themselves?" 

A smile soon grew on your face, and the atmosphere turned cold and deadly at just the sight of it. 

Nezu was the first to snap out of it. "I see. So you're saying that we should let them do whatever they want in a property that's supposed to shelter the students?" 

"That's exactly why I'm telling you this in advance. We'll let them do their own thing, but that doesn't mean we won't be preparing for it." You straightened up, turning your assured gaze to Midoriya. "I know that your Quirk is still very unstable right now, but you'll be the most important person in the entire class. That's why I'll have to ask you to do something for me."

Midoriya flinched. "What... what is it?"

"You and All Might..." you trailed off.

The two leaned forward, gulping and anticipating your next words.

"... will not do anything."

Silence blew in the air.

"I'm sorry?" Midoriya said, blinking.

"You're forgiven over nothing."

His face erupted into a shade of red. "Wait—no! What do you mean we won't do anything?"

You just sighed at him. "Exactly what it sounds like. You and All Might won't do anything. And by anything, I mean anything."

"That can't be possible," All Might interjected. "Even if you can see the future, All For One is a formidable opponent. I can't even defeat him in my prime years, so I can't leave him alone."

Nezu nodded. "Why is that an option for you, (L/n)-san? Is there a plan you're thinking of? I would like to remind you that you may have passed the examinations and given the trust of these two over here, but you're still a suspicious person. We can't just give you full control over the number one hero."

"Yeah, of course I know that. But right now, All Might can barely keep his hero-form for like an hour or less. He'll end up losing his power if he continues pushing himself to the limit."

All Might furrowed his brows. "How do you know about..." but he stopped himself. "No, nevermind. I can understand your worries, young one. But I can't follow it. I'm still the Symbol of Peace even if I may be weak right in front of you now. If we don’t count All For One, we can't ignore the fact that there are still many dangers lurking around us."

He can't abandon anyone in need of help even if his power is deteriorating.

You knew what type of person All Might is, especially when you watched his fight in Kamino Ward, but that's exactly what led to everyone's downfall. His inability to let anyone be independent from the heroes.

"Believe it or not, All Might, but there are more heroes in this country other than you."

All Might's eyes widened.

"You can't always do everything here. The people are already too dependent on you. They compare you to every future hero, and even the future heroes are comparing themselves to you. But you've set a high standard that nobody could ever achieve."

It was a painful truth for everyone, one that all of you had been trying to ignore, but you weren’t here to sugarcoat things.

"We know that All Might is a perfect hero with no weaknesses, but All Might, you forget that you’re human as well. If you keep on trying to keep up with that invincible image of yours, it's only a matter of time before you fall and somebody exposes your weakness."

There's only one person who would benefit in exposing his weakness, and the room fell into silence as they realized who it was.

Midoriya gulped, looking down at his lap. "But what if... What if there's trouble somewhere near All Might and there are no heroes around?"

"Then we should station more heroes at every ward," you answered simply. "Since new heroes are gaining their licenses every year, it's only right if we station them strategically to make sure no area is left vulnerable."

"You might think highly of UA, but we can't control the entire Hero System, (L/n)-san." Nezu lifted his tea to where his snout was. "The Hero Agencies are all independent from our school. No matter how much we try to ask them, there's always a 50/50 chance of them declining or accepting our offer."

"But there's one agency that can reach out to everyone. Or should I say a committee agency?"

Nezu paused. Just from the words committee, he already knew what you're going to suggest. "You truly think highly of UA," he commented, sounding almost amused. "But I'm afraid I have to burst your bubble. We can't request anything from them. They're the one who decide on everything involving these decisions, not the one who accepts others’ decisions. I don't think your request would be possible to consider."

"It is possible," you defended.

"How so?"

Both Midoriya and All Might looked back and forth between the two of you. 

"Um..!" Only the green haired boy raised his concerns. "What are you guys talking about...?"

The two looked like a pair of ducklings lost in the middle of a forest. If it weren't for the fact that you're in a serious discussion, you would have laughed at their expressions.

Nezu just sighed, but he didn't give them an answer. "How are you planning on reaching out to them?" He expected you to mull it over, to even give a brief hesitance in your actions because it was all-so-illogical in whoever listens to your words.

But there you were, with a smile gracing upon your lips.

"Simple. Let's ask Hawks to be the HPSC Representative."

Everything that you said was impossible to their ears.

"HPSC..?!" All Might tensed up. "They're the main agency of Japan that oversees both international and worldwide hero activities. Even if Hawks is the number three hero, there's no way he'll be allowed to become a representative of the HPSC."

He shivered when he remembered talking to the staff of that agency. Everyone there was unwelcoming and secretive. It's understandable because they handled the private information that every hero had, but to think that a kid like you would even have an idea of reaching out to them...

Oh, but it's not just an idea. You planned on doing it for a long time now. After Hawks remembered you, you're not just planning on letting him leave your life. No, you'll drag him back here from where you are, and prevent multiple people's death. Including the winged hero himself.

"If it's Hawks," you paused, remembering the sharp gold that swept you up within the streets a week ago. Then you looked up with a steeled resolve. "If it's him, it'll be possible. You can trust my word on that."

Nobody knew about it but Hawks was someone that the HPSC personally trained. If he could just get the courage to open his concerns, if he could do it for the sake of a better world— you know Hawks would be able to achieve things far greater than anyone else here.

You just need to give him a chance.

Chapter Text

More fanartsss!!! 

First we have Apollo's fanart! He has three versions of MC, and all of them had so much thought put into their designs! If you guys join the discord server , you'll see his amazing explanation and thought process on his designs for the MC!

Then we have Lavender's fanart of Fem!MC . Look at how cute she is omg I just want to give her tons of headpats and give her the affection that she deserves 😭😤 

Next we have Gie's fanart for Shinso x MC pairing. Look at how colorful and pretty MC is, even with the cute cat bandages. I would be flustered too, Shinso, I would be flustered too.

And lastly, as revenge, I show you guys a masterpiece created by the amazing person, summerblack !  Look at the intricate strokes of the flame. Everything about this piece, from the uneven length of MC's legs that symbolizes the inbalance of the world, to the shape of their eyes that showed how they're regressing after the fire— It's truly a masterpiece. Please show some love to it, summer needs to pay for making me have a heart attack 7 times a row in one day. /hj

❝ When nostalgia surrounds you, do not close your eyes. ❞

You remembered the days when you watched these small heroes reach for their dream.

You thought, at that time, they were so much better than you, so much more deserving of everything good in the world. Because they did the most difficult thing to do when the world hated on them; they persevered, and they still desired to save everyone, even if the only reward they received were pain and distrustful words. 

It wasn't their fault that the heroes have lost the public's trust, but all of the criticism went to them— to these kids, to these people at the same age as you— and for that, you couldn't bring yourself to hate them. There was no way a normal person could continue giving and loving if they had been subjected to that violence. 

But, you remembered, on that day filled with chaos and panic, you remembered staring at one of them from beyond the crowd. 

A small hero, the same age as you. 

No matter how exhausted he was, he tried not to falter even when your people heckled or pushed him away. His green curly locks turned ashy and bloody, as if he was absorbing the destroyed surroundings and taking all the blame for it. To others, he might have been brushed off as just another hero who can't do their job right, but to you, he was a sight of comfort. He was your lingering hope, the one that silently told you everything would have been fine, if only they gave him a chance.

Now here he was, walking right beside you.

His face held the traces of boyhood, vigorous in the faint movements of his body. He couldn't look at you even if he felt your stare prodding at him. But that was okay. You didn't need him to size you up like how you're doing to him right now. As long as he's here beside you, you wouldn't complain about anything at all.

"How do you train?" you asked, making Midoriya flinch. "It's not difficult, is it?" Handling One For All's responsibility like that.

All Might explained it when you were in the principal's office earlier, but that only made your feelings about keeping the boy safe stronger. Such a heavy burden placed upon a boy like him... if you could, you would take everything that'll weigh him down. You would cradle it and add it to the pile of burdens alongside your shoulders.

If it's to see how someone like him can also have a better life, then maybe you can live with the whole world placed upon you.

"I.. I usually have a training schedule." Midoriya's soft voice turned you away from your thoughts. "It starts early in the morning and the contents are gradually gaining intensity so that I could get used to One For All."

You nodded, looking away from the boy. "If you ever need some help, don't hesitate to ask me for anything. I know I might have made you a bit uncomfortable earlier—," his cheeks flamed into a shade of red, "—But that doesn't mean I wouldn't help you out." He can ask you for anything and you would have given it to him on a silver platter.

"Then.." he started. "Why didn't you accept being a part of the Heroics course? Wouldn't it be easier to... do your plan if you were a hero?" 

He asked the question that almost everyone had uttered right before you. Especially at the Journalism Exam. "I thought that as well, that's why I even tried out the Heroics course. But I always considered myself as someone who preferred writing more than fighting."

Sometimes, the most convincing words you could utter are lies created from the truth.  You wanted to tell him the real reason, how you couldn't bear to replace any of his classmates, how you weren't even supposed to be here. 

"I guess it was a bit of luck and fate combined when I heard there's going to be a Journalist Department soon." 

But today was not yet the day for the whole truth to come out. Maybe someday you will tell Midoriya about these lingering thoughts. 

For now, you'll keep these thoughts to yourself.

The red hue on his face died down. He took small glances at you. "How.. how does your Quirk work?"

Your eyes widened a bit. 

But he continued, "Do you see glimpses of the future from time to time?"

Oh, right. They think you can see the future instead. You tried not to focus on that small disappointment pulling in you. "I guess you can say it like that. Sometimes I just receive visions of what will happen in the future. Whether it will happen today or years from now on, I can still see it." 

Midoriya looked enthralled by your words. Whatever thoughts that made him flustered earlier disappeared— it was replaced by a sense of curiosity, unblinking as if you were an interesting book that he had no qualms examining. "What exactly did you see in the future?"

It was only when he spoke that question did you realize your steps had slowed down, until you stopped. 

Midoriya paused as well. He looked at you with a questioning gaze, then panic soon stretched into his face. "I-it's alright if you don't tell me now! I'm sorry, I was just curious so I had to ask since you just suddenly—  earlier you, you were hug—.." He let out another flustered sound instead of continuing his words, then he bowed his head in haste. "I-I'm sorry!" 

You stared at him in contemplative silence. "Deku," you unconsciously called out. He froze on his spot. "You're.. you're so adorable, has anyone ever told you that?"

How can someone be so pure and compassionate at everything? Most people in the world either hid their feelings with a welcoming smile or an aloof expression.

But Midoriya Izuku held everything right in his arms. Even just from afar, you could see the thoughts in his head, the feelings he had, and the compassion he had for yours. His open emotions only made him even more endearing than before.

"A-adorable?!" Red burst into his entire face, and now he resembled like a strawberry with his stiff green curls. 

You laughed. "Yes! You're so cute! Oh my god!"

He slapped a hand on the lower part of his face. First, it was the hug, and now you were saying he's cute? Midoriya Izuku thought he was ready for UA, but it turns out he's still far from ready.

You chuckled one last time, before turning away to give him a chance to breathe. "Okay, aside from all of that, I think my Quirk isn't that all good."

Midoriya tried to calm his flaming face. "What.. what do you mean?" Why would seeing the future not be good, was his silent question.

You smiled, but it did not reach your eyes. "Because the future isn't always a beautiful sight to see. You know what's going to happen whether you like it or not, so you can't afford to sit back without doing anything to prevent it. It's a heavy burden to have, Midoriya-san. A tiring power."

At your words, Midoriya couldn't say anything else. 

For a while, the two of you fell into a comfortable silence. Or maybe it was only you who felt that coziness in the air after you basically dumped him with that information.

"I'm sorry," you finally said the words that you've been meaning to say for so long.

Midoriya turned to you, eyebrows furrowed. "For what?"

A small smile drew on your lips. It was filled with guilt and regret. "For everything."

In silence, you only watched Midoriya and his colleagues experience that backlash from afar. You were complacent enough to just support them by the sidelines and hope that these students will give the whole world an interlude of peace.  

There were so many times you could have helped them out. So many times you could have welcomed them when the others turned away from them.

But you didn't do anything. 

You were a bystander. 

The memories of watching them fall one by one festered like untreated wounds, and now that you're back in the past, the only way for your wounds to heal is to give these little heroes everything that they deserved back then. An apology through words and actions.

"But... what happens in the future isn't your fault, right?"

You turned to Midoriya, confused. He was now rid of all fluster in his cheeks. His eyes held a strong determination, pulling you in at that moment. 

"You don't have to apologize to me. What you saw in the future, it's not your fault."

You were left stunned by his words. "How can you be so sure I'm not the source of whatever future we'll have?"

There was silence in the air as Midoriya pursed his lips, contemplating his words. Then he raised his gaze, and said, "Because you're trying to change everything all on your own."

Your breath hitched.

"It's a heavy burden to have, you said it yourself. But if you're the source of that future, then why would you try to change everything and carry all of that burden all by yourself?"

Earlier, when you saw him, there was relief in you that tugged at the sight of how different he was from your memories. But now that he stood here, staring at you with that determined gaze of him, the same gaze you saw when he was saving so many people all by himself―

You realized that he never actually changed. Even if he was beaten up, injured heavily, hated so much by the world, Midoriya Izuku was still the same as he was before. A tenderhearted person. Your true hero.

Midoriya swallowed his fear and shut his eyes tight. "A-Also, your Quirk is really cool! So if you want to, you can talk to me about it!"

And his next words were the words you expected to hear from him. They were the words you wanted to hear from someone the moment you started discarding your own life.

'You can talk to me about it.' 

You sighed, smiling at the boy. "Thank you for saying that." Not only was he cute, but he's also quite charismatic as well. He's really warming himself up into one of the spots in your heart.

Maybe it was the fact that someone acknowledged the heavy burden on you, but as you continued to walk beside Midoriya, the smile on your face couldn't be wiped away. He didn’t talk either. Whatever it was that he’d thought, it made him relax by your side.

In just a minute of silence, the two of you stopped in front of a towering door, with the words '1-A' engraved vertically upon it. 

"Well,” you huffed, placing both of your hands on your hips. “That's all for our 'getting to know' session then, Midoriya-san."

He turned to you, and when his gaze slithered to your arms— he stiffened and blood rushed through his cheeks. "Y-yes! I enjoyed getting to know you very much!" 

His formal and rigid answer made you chuckle a bit. He really was adorable. The clamoring noises from behind the door caught both your and Midoriya's attention. "I'm gonna go now. Your classmates seem to be inside already, so..." your voice trailed off into a soft tone.

Midoriya held onto the straps of his backpack and offered a wobbly smile. "I'll see you at the orientation?"

You went silent, only focusing on how his smile didn't waver its purity. Then your lips curled at the ends. "See you, Midoriya-san."

You gave one last nod to him, with him doing the same (albeit more flustered than you), and then walked away. 

You didn't, in fact, see him at the orientation.

Students lined up in the vast stadium. All the first years were separated depending on their Department; the Hero Course students at the left side, next to them was the Gen-Ed students, then next the Business, and the Management students, while your Department was at the furthest right side. 

There you stood, at the end of the line, and right in front of you was the indigo-haired boy who glanced when he noticed your peering form. 

"You're late," Hitoshi drawled. The gray jacket of UA's uniform was something that you weren't used to seeing him with, but it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, he looked quite attractive when he was just standing there formally with the famed outfit of UA. 

"You're also late," you spat out, glaring at him playfully. "You're literally at the end of the line as well." 

Hitoshi just huffed at your words. He turned, hiding the smile that threatened his lips. "I was here a bit earlier than you though, so technically I won this time." 

"Haah?" You punched his arm, and the boy chuckled. "I'm not declaring a new war from you today so you didn't win anything."

He raised a brow. "You'll compete with me the entire time during the Journalism Examinations, but now you're suddenly stopping? Don't tell me you're tired of trying your best already." 

There was an agreement between the two of you the entire examination: whoever does things/finishes things early, they win. The loser will treat the winner to somewhere- you didn't know where just yet, since all of these deals were created simply just to fuel you into doing your best (especially when you sometimes lose your bearings). Hitoshi never really complained about it. Sometimes he found your random burst of declaration a bit weird, but somehow it ended up being a part of his schedule as well. (He didn't even know there's a reward for this. He's just going along with your flow.)

"Technically I won already," you gloated, raising your chin up. "I'm in the top 3, you know!"

Hitoshi was about to raise his hand to your head, but he stopped himself. It was a bit cramped in the line you're in. Instead, he just let his words flow out for you to hear. "Yeah? Well, good job on that. You did really well."

Your eyes widened at his warm compliment. "You're.. you're in a good mood.." 

Heat traveled to your cheeks when Hitoshi smiled at you. "I guess it's the first-day jitters taking over me."

"First day jitters my ass. You're just excited I'm your classmate," you teased him despite the flush growing on your face.

Hitoshi rolled his eyes at you and looked away. The silence that followed only made you laugh silently to yourself.

When your new classmate wasn't making talks with you anymore, you peered past multiple students from all of your sides, trying to find a specific person from a specific class.  Even through the crowd of colored hair (and different types of head shapes), your eyes finally landed on someone with messy brown hair and a deep, sleepy frown on his face. 

And your eyes brightened. There he was.   

Sen stifled a yawn, but it seemed like he was interrupted by someone since he turned to the side and said something to them. You knew he didn't like being interrupted when he's yawning, so he's probably snapping at that person to stop whatever they're saying. It's not even the first day of classes, and yet he's already making such an impression on his class. You had to bite down on your tongue to stop yourself from chuckling. 

“(L/n)!” 

But amidst your staring, a muffled voice from behind you called out your name. You, and a couple of students, turned to look at where the voice came from, only for your eyes to land on Snipe who beckoned you to come closer.

"Did he say '(L/n) '?" One student from your left side whispered to his peer. 

You ignored whatever they were whispering to themselves and walked towards Snipe. "Did you need something, sensei?"

Your new adviser placed a hand on his hat and sighed. Exasperated. "I knew it was going to be like this, but I didn't expect him to do it at the orientation... again ." 

You blinked a couple of times. Snipe seemed too annoyed by his own mumblings, and the crowd that whispered became even louder for you to ignore. "Um... what do you need me for, Snipe-sensei?" 

He only realized that he wasn't telling you the full thing just yet when you raised your voice then. "You're 10 minutes late."

You flinched at his words. Is he about to scold your punctuality right before the orientation starts? You admit, you were a bit late since you accompanied Midoriya in building 1, but you never thought you'd get lost in the hallways. You had to ask one of the cleaning robots to take you to the gymnasium so you took a bit of time getting here... 

"I'll look away from it for today since you're still getting used to the school," Snipe said, making your shoulders visibly relaxed. "But that doesn't mean you won't receive a punishment for it." 

You visibly deflated once again.

Damnit, UA , you're over here trying to save the world and yet you'll still get punished for being 10 minutes late? You somehow wished Nezu would just give your teachers a heads-up like: 'Hey, that kid over there shouldn't receive any work anymore'. He should have let them know that you're going to be a lot more stressed than most people. Maybe even give you a bit of favoritism (you just don't want to be stressed anymore, okay). But of course, you have to act like a normal student. Of course. 

You didn't realize your mind was flying until Snipe flicked your forehead. "Hey, listen to me when I'm talking to you."

You straightened up immediately. "Yes sir!" And you covered your throbbing forehead with one hand. Even his flicks were far too painful for you! Is it a part of his Quirk, or something?

Snipe just stared at you. You can't see his expression so you couldn't read him, so it took you aback when he let out another sigh. "If Aizawa ever threatens to expel you, tell him you're not a part of his advisory and use my name. Got it?" 

He had said that with an edge on his tone, and you could only rub your forehead and stare in confusion. "Why would he expel me? Class hasn't even started just yet." Aren't teachers also not supposed to have that kind of power for their class, to prevent the abuse of authority or something? Also, Aizawa? Where have you heard of that name before? 

Snipe just shook his head. "You'll understand when you hear it from him. Now go." He gave you one solid push, making you stagger. When you turned to him with an obviously baffled expression, he just explained once again. "Find Class 1-A and tell them the orientation will start a few minutes from now."

It was only then did you see an empty spot by the right side of the gymnasium. Your eyes widened, finally finding where people's attention suddenly darted into. You were wondering why the whispers about your name became very quiet— it turns out everyone was just focusing on the lack of 1-A's presence instead of your existence.

After asking your teacher where 1-A could have been, you bowed to him one last time and went for the PE grounds.

You knew you're not the most punctual person in the world (since you were a bit late for today), but an entire class being late for the orientation? Is the teacher holding them back, somehow? There's no way a UA teacher would do something unproductive like that. And what did Snipe mean about the expulsion thing with Aizawa?

The more you thought to yourself, the more you connected pieces of evidence that appalled you. Could that teacher be expelling students on his time… ?

You shook your head. No, they couldn't . You're probably just overthinking this. There's no way something as extreme as that will happen in this school— plus, nobody got expelled in the past. So you’re definitely overthinking this.

When you finally reached the PE Grounds, your eyes landed on a buff man wearing a yellow black-striped outfit. He was peeking from beyond the PE Gymnasium, and if you hadn't known any better, you would have thought he was a creep spying on children doing their PE activities or something.

"All Might-san."

All Might flinched and whipped his head down to you. "Y-Young (L/n)!" he whispered sharply. 

You blinked back at him. He's not doing anything wrong, is he? He's the Number 1 hero, so why did he have to sound like he just got caught doing illegal things by someone? "Is Midoriya-san here?"