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“I don’t get them.”
The redhead in front of her looked up, cheeks puffed from the onigiri she’d been devouring. She tilted her head in confusion.
The brunette sighed, propping her arm on the table and resting her chin on her palms. “Midoriya and Bakugo.”
The redhead swallowed. “What about them?”
“I don’t understand their relationship.” She glanced at the two sitting a few tables behind her friend. It wasn’t hard to spot them, with the blond yelling about something to the redhead next to him. Midoriya and the others at the table were laughing at their friends.
They really did have a strange group, she thought. From the student council secretary, Tenya Iida, the biggest rule follower in the university, to Denki Kaminari, who she’d seen sleeping in class more than awake. Then there was the mysterious heartthrob, Shoto Todoroki, who rarely started a conversation unless necessary, and Ashido Mina, who was practically friends with everyone thanks to her bubbly and friendly personality.
She knew that these were two groups merged into one because of Bakugo and Midoriya’s relationship, but she couldn’t understand how they didn’t seem to mind each other’s presence, despite their clashing personalities.
“What do you mean?” her friend asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“I mean, you’re probably used to them together since you went to the same high school. But didn’t you ever question… their compatibility?”
“Their compatibility?” Raya repeated, taking another bite of her onigiri, chewing slowly as she thought about it. “I don’t get where you’re going with this, Ai-chan.”
Ai tilted her head, surprised her friend had never questioned it before. “Raya, have you really never questioned their relationship?” The redhead shook her head, still frowning. “Midoriya’s such a sweetheart. He’s friendly and caring, and his smile could cure depression. But Bakugo is just…” She trailed off, gesturing vaguely in the air for her friend to interpret.
Finally, realization dawned on Raya, a knowing smile forming on her lips. “So, you think Midoriya-kun deserves better?”
Ai shrugged. “I mean, I can’t really say since I don’t know them that well. But their dynamic just confuses me.”
Raya turned to look at the table, now calmer as the group settled down to eat. “I guess I never really questioned it. Midoriya-kun and Bakugo-kun have been friends for a long time. At the start of high school, there was a rift between them, but after Midoriya got into this really toxic relationship with some terrible guy, the two of them just clicked again. Bakugo’s been by his side ever since.”
“Toxic relationship?” Ai asked, shocked. She hadn’t known Midoriya had been in a toxic relationship. (Though, if she were being honest, in the darkest parts of her mind, she sometimes wondered if this current relationship was the toxic one. Maybe she was just being judgmental.)
“Oh yeah,” Raya rolled her eyes at the memory. “Total jerk. He was super possessive and wouldn’t let Midoriya hang out with friends. Every time Midoriya tried to break up with him, the guy would have these depressive episodes and threaten to kill himself.”
“That’s awful,” Ai blurted out, and her friend nodded enthusiastically.
Ai’s eyes wandered back to the peculiar group. She watched Bakugo glaring at Todoroki, who looked completely unfazed, while Kaminari and Sero’s laughter echoed through the cafeteria.
“But what does Bakugo bring to the table?” Ai accidentally blurted out, wincing at her own lack of a filter.
Raya blinked up at her before her lips twitched in amusement. “You do know Bakugo-kun is one of the smartest students, right?”
Ai whipped her head around, completely caught off guard. “What? Doesn’t Midoriya do his homework for him?”
Raya stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. The nearby tables glanced over in confusion or annoyance, and Ai couldn’t help but cover her face in embarrassment.
Okay, maybe she had misjudged Bakugo.
When Raya finally calmed down, she sent an apologetic smile to anyone still looking her way, then turned back to Ai. “That’s honestly the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Please tell me people don’t actually say that about Bakugo-kun.”
Ai shrugged, looking down at her lap. She might have heard some rumors from people whispering in the back of the library, but she probably should’ve realized they were just jealous.
“Bakugo-kun is very smart,” Raya continued, using that matter-of-fact tone she often adopted when teaching Ai new facts. “We shared most of our advanced classes in high school. Believe it or not, he was usually one of the top students, and sometimes I’d ask for his help. He may be loud and insult you to your face, but he’ll grab your notebook and start tutoring you.”
Ai frowned, feeling a twinge of guilt.
Raya wasn’t done defending him. “He’s also competitive, and even if he acts like he doesn’t want to be involved in something, once you give him a role, he gives it 100% to make sure no one regrets it,” she said with a smirk, leaning closer. Ai followed suit, barely noticing the heavy footsteps approaching. “And he’s a really, really good cook. He made the best katsudon I’ve ever had when I went to his house with Midoriya-kun for a project.”
“Oy!”
The loud voice made Ai jump, whipping her head around so fast she nearly got whiplash. She tried to keep her jaw from dropping when the subject of their conversation stood in front of them, glaring at them with his usual scowl.
She swallowed, suddenly wondering if he’d overheard everything.
Raya, apparently used to this from high school, leaned back and smiled. “Hello, Bakugo-kun.”
The blond growled, practically tossing a folder toward the redhead, who caught it with ease. “Those are the chemistry equations you asked about last night. Read them, learn them, and stop messaging me at ass o’clock because you can’t figure out the damn assignment. Got that, Boots?”
Raya nodded, grinning as if she hadn’t just been insulted. “Yup! Thanks a lot, Bakugo-kun!”
“You’d better get an A on the next exam, or I’ll kill you for wasting my time.” Bakugo turned to leave, and only then did Ai notice Midoriya standing a few feet away, waving enthusiastically at Raya. She waved back with the same energy.
“I’ll return these after cla—”
“Don’t bother.”
Raya rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she watched her two high school friends walk away. She opened the folder, her smile softening, and turned the notes toward Ai. “Bakugo-kun rewrote his notes just because I asked. If that’s not hidden care, I don’t know what is.”
Ai looked at the neatly written notes and, for a second, wondered how she could become friends with Bakugo Katsuki. She pinched herself at the thought, scolding herself for judging him a few minutes ago and now wanting to befriend him for her own benefit. She was so selfish.
Instead, she asked, “Did he just call you Boots?”
Raya scoffed. “Yeah, he refuses to call anyone but Midoriya-kun by their name. He calls me Boots because I’m always wearing boots.” She stretched out her leg, showing off the knee-high boots she had on.
Raya closed the folder and stuffed it into her bag, a small smile still on her face.
“Bakugo-kun and Midoriya-kun are perfect for each other. They balance each other out—Bakugo’s loudness and Midoriya’s calming presence. Their relationship may not look like the perfect ones we see in stories or movies, but they’re true to themselves and love each other more than anyone I know. People wish they had a relationship like theirs.”
Ai nodded, leaning back in her chair as she glanced at the now-empty table the peculiar group had occupied. Maybe she had been too quick to judge someone she barely knew. She didn’t share any classes with Bakugo and only had Humanities with Midoriya, so she had no right to judge.
But then again, what’s life without a little judgment?