As she arrived at the classroom, Nana noticed that Shinso was late.
Fear began to bubble within her. Oh my god, would he be able to get up? Is he alright? It's all my fault that he didn't enough sleep. What should I do...?
Thankfully, before her anxiety could get to her, Shinso opened the door and stepped into the classroom, cracking his neck.
"Oh, Shinso, good morning!" Their classmates greeted.
"Morning..." He nodded back. His eyes met briefly with Nana's, but he immediately looked away and directed his attention to another conversation.
"It's not like you to be late on the day of the sports fes, class rep." One teased.
"Yeah, well..."
Nana did not pay attention to what they're saying. She remained in her seat stiffly, glaring down at her clenched fists. Her lips were pursed as she felt the crushing guilt on her shoulder. She might as well've been crying, letting her tears drop silently. He's mad at me. He won't even look at me. What do I do? How do I apologize?
A thought struck her, but she immediately became anxious. She carefully pulled off one of her gloves and studied her scarred hand.
Yes...this is the only way to make up for what I've done... She was thinking about her Quirk. But would he find me annoying? Would he be weirded out by me? Would he even want me to talk to him in the first place? No...no, I shouldn't be thinking things like that. I'm just trying to apologize, I just want to help him do his best.
Nana took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. She strode over to Shinso and tugged on the back of his jacket. "Shinso-kun, may I have a word with you?"
"Huh?" He turned around, and then averted his eyes away as soon as he saw it was her. "What?"
Nana was close to tears. Out of all the people she knew, he was one of the last people she wanted to get on the bad side with. She wanted (dared) to consider him as one of her few, few friends. He won't even look at me...! (QAQ)
Shit...I can't erase the image of Mina under me from my head. How am I supposed to look at her without thinking weird stuff? Shinso was mentally facepalming.
"I just wanted to talk to you, do you have time?"
"Yeah...sure." He pardoned himself from the group he was originally talking to and walked away with Nana back to their seats. "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"
"Well..." Nana took a deep breath and mumbled, "I'm sorry about what happened last night."
"That? Well, it's already happened, so don't be bothered by it. It can't be helped." Shinso cracked his neck with a heavy sigh. "Ugh..."
Nana bit her lips uncertainly. He definitely didn't get enough sleep. To think that I'd hinder him like that on such an important day! It's all my fault, I must make up for it somehow... "Hey, Hitoshi-kun..." She started slowly. "I'm gonna warn you in advance that this may sound weird, but can you come with me for a sec? Somewhere else, not here."
He frowned slightly. "Why?"
"Just...please, let me make up for what I've done." Nana hung her head in shame.
"I've told you, don't stress over it."
"No, seriously!" She tried to sound more determined. She grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. "Please."
"..." Shinso was a bit surprised at her firm attitude; he had never seen her act like so before. He looked around to make sure that their classmates weren't looking. He sighed, "Fine, make it quick though."
"Alright."
They walked out of their classroom and found an empty spot beside the stairs. Shinso cracked his neck. "So what is it that you want?"
"Well, um..." Nana hesitated again.
"Just spit it out."
"...Okay," She took a deep breath, "Hitoshi-kun, may I hold your hand for a second?"
Shinso was startled by the sudden request. "May I ask why?"
"I-I haven't shown you my Quirk yet, right?" Nana said hastily as a rosy hue of embarrassment bloomed on her cheeks. "I wanna help you. I wanna apologize, so please...?" Her voice was trembling with nervousness. "Trust me."
"..." Shinso sighed. He somehow felt bad for her; he couldn't imagine the amount of anxiety and mental rehearsals she had to go through to say the simple request. "Well, now thinking of it, it is true that I do not know your Quirk yet... Fine, so I just let you hold my hand?"
"Y-Yeah..."
He held out his hand, and Nana pulled off her gloves and held it gently in hers. He was mildly surprised at how soft her hand was despite the rough appearance of it.
"I'm sorry, my Quirk only works on physical contact." She mumbled and interrupted his thoughts.
"What is your Quir—"
He felt it before he finished his sentence. A blissful, healing wave of energy spread all through his body as he was enveloped in a cocoon of warmth. Although he did not exactly remember how it felt, he was certain that this was the same feeling of being protected and loved in his mother's womb. Every cell in his body was cleansed, and energy was restored. The warmth ended and what came after was a refreshing coolness, as if he was drinking iced tea and eating watermelons on a open wooden porch during summer.
"My Quirk isn't useful in combat, and it isn't helpful in information gathering either. I can't exactly heal wounds like Recovery Girl, but I can make you feel less tired and more refreshed." Nana forced a smile. "It's a boring little Quirk, but if it can be of help, I—"
"Thank you."
"Huh?"
"Thank you," Shinso repeated. "It's a good Quirk, a rare Quirk, actually. Healing types aren't common."
Nana blinked, and then she broke into a smile. "You're welcome, and coming from you! Brainwash is even rarer, isn't it?"
"I don't know, maybe."
"Well, I guess that it still wasn't enough to erase the shadows under your eyes..." Nana frowned slightly upon seeing the dark colors remain in their place.
"Oh, those are natural." Shinso muttered. "Of course you can't help it."
"Those are what?"
"I'd have shadows under my eyes even if I had a full night's sleep every day. Of course your Quirk can't help it."
"Wait, actually?"
"Yeah."
"Oh...okay then." :/
Shinso did not understand the mild disappointment in her voice. He sighed, "Let's go back, I need to lead the class down."
"Okay."
"THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL! WHERE THE HERO WORLD'S INCHOATE LITTLE EGGS AIM FOR EACH OTHER'S THROATS―AND THE TOP! OUR GRAND YEARLY MELEE!" Present Mic's voice was already loud enough (unknown if it is due to his Quirk, or he's naturally loud), but his volume was further magnified a thousand times due to the booming speakers.
Nana winced slightly as her ears started to hurt. She was fairly certain that if he used his Quirk, Present Mic wouldn't even need the microphones and speakers. He might as well just stand on the rooftop of the stadium and holler. With a great sigh, she focused her attention on the first class to enter the field; the class which she (the Villain Alliance) attacked on.
"AND LET ME GUESS, ALL YOU MISCREANTS CAME TO SEE THEM, RIGHT? THE FRESHLY FORMED MIRACLE STARS THAT SHRUGGED OFF A MASS VILLAIN ASSAULT WITH THE WILL OF STEEL! THE DEPARTMENT OF HEROICS, FRESHMAN CLASS! YOU'RE ALL HERE FOR CLASS 1-A, AREN'T YA?"
Shinso noticed her dirty expression and glanced down at her. "You okay?" He questioned with a slight raise of his eyebrow.
"Yeah…I'm fine."
Her expression said clearly otherwise.
Shinso looked back up at the class entering the field. "Hn…" After giving it some thought, he spoke to her again. "Nana,"
She looked up at him. "Yes?"
"Just think that you're carrying on Hana's will, but just in a gentler, more civilized way."
"Uh…" Nana was unable to completely comprehend the sudden suggestion, but she caught the gist of it and smiled. "Thank you, Hitoshi-kun."
"No problem."
"AND FOLLOWING CLASS B, HERE COMES CLASSES C, D, AND E, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION!"
"Oh, that's us." Nana blinked and gave Shinso a slight push on the back. "Lead us out, Hitoshi-kun!"
"Alright, alright, don't push…" Shinso grumbled as he lead his class out onto the field. However, the audience reaction to them was clearly less enthusiastic than that of class 1-A's, or even class 1-B's. Although he was aware of the reason behind this phenomenon, he was still not particularly pleased.
"AND NOW HERE ARE CLASSES F, G, AND H, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SUPPORT! AND NOW FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT…"
"Tsk…" Nana heard one of her classmates mutter. "They're treating us like we're just the foils for the Heroics Department or something…"
That is true… She thought as she glanced up at the spectators. Their eyes were all fixated on the kids in class 1-A; kids whom she should be more than familiar with. It can't be helped, I guess, but still… She looked around at the audiences. But still…
She tugged on the back of Shinso's shirt. "Hitoshi-kun…"
"What?"
"We will win, right?"
"Yes, we will win."
"We'll place high so we can come under review to be placed in the Department of Heroics, right?"
"Yes, we will." Shinso didn't understand why she had to confirm the promise once again, but he nodded.
Nana sighed in relief. "Alright…now I just hope that you'll get along with Sana and Nina."
"…" Shinso looked away. Yes, he was aware of the fact that it's impossible for Nana to even make it past the preliminaries on her own, so gonna be mostly Sana and Nina that's going to be participating in the sports fes instead of her. However, knowing the fact was one thing, liking it was another thing.
"Hitoshi-kun? Are you listening?"
"…As long as Sana doesn't go on an unstoppable rampage."
"I-I'll try to stop her if she does!"
"Yeah, please do…"
Both of them went into a state of depressed silence. Sana, huh...
Hey, guys! Sana shouted indignantly. Exactly how much do you not trust me? I'm not some sort of wild animal! I have common senses too, alright? I know how important this thing is!
Oh really? Itsuna scoffed.
Yes really!
On the stage, Midnight slashed her whip to gather their attention. "NOW! PLAYER REPRESENTATIVE! BAKUGOU KATSUKI OF CLASS 1-A! PLEASE COME ON STAGE!"
There was a small commotion within class 1-A as one of them slowly strode forwards.
"Ehh? Our representative is Kacchan?" A boy gasped.
(Why did he sound surprised?)
"Well, he did place first in the entrance exam, remember?" Another reminded.
One of her classmates from 1-C rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the Heroics entrance exam…" She muttered.
True, Nana agreed. She stood on tiptoes to try to see the stage better. Bakugou…? I wonder who it is…Do I know him?
A familiar spikey ash blond head slowly emerged from the crowd. The boy had his hands stuck into his pockets, and his expression was a mean scowl.
Oh, yeah, I do know him; so he's Bakugou huh… Nana's eye twitched as she recalled her visit to 1-A's classroom a while ago, and Bakugou's provoking (#understatement) attitude. Before she could make any further comments, her train of thought was interrupted by a loud gasp by Sana.
OH MY GOD! IT'S THAT RUDE GUY!
Bakugou Katsuki took a deep breath as he stood in front of the microphone; his hands were still in his pockets, and his expression was as cool as ever. "As player representative, I declare…"
Everyone waited in anticipation of what he was going to say.
"…I will place first."
Nana blinked during the moment of stunned silence.
Hold on, did he seriously just―
Sana interrupted Nana's thoughts by blurting out a string of threats. THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA PLACE FIRST, HUH? BRING IT ON BITCH! I'M GONNA DROWN YOU IN QUICKSAND AND CRUSH YOU TO LITTLE SAND PARTICLES AND TEACH YOU A FUCKING LESSON! I'M GONNA BEAT YOU UP SO BAD THAT YOU'RE GONNA RUN HOME CRYING!
"Ack!" Nana winced. Sana! Volume! Headache!
Oops, sorry Nana, but still! I'MMA BRING THAT MOTHERFUCKER DOWN.
Sana wasn't the only one booing. The entire audience and the freshman population were shouting insults at Bakugou.
"Don't push your luck, class A!"
"Sludge fucker!" (Nana didn't understand this insult in particular, but she assumed there was a reason for it.)
Bakugou snorted and gave the booing people all a thumbs down. "Ya'll would make fantastic stepping stones, I'm sure."
"That kid is unbelievably overconfident! I'm gonna be the one to crush him!" A kid from class B snarled.
NO, THAT'S GONNA BE ME! Sana shouted.
Nina groaned. Sana, this is exactly why Nana and Hitoshi have trust issues with you.
Nana winced as Sana continued to shout in her head. She watched as Bakugou Katsuki stepped off the platform. Is he really being overconfident like what everyone is saying? She wondered. His expression didn't seem like it to her. No, that's not it. He's seriously pushing himself to strive for the top.
Midnight ignored the uproar caused by Bakugou's (questionable) player representative speech and continued on. "Alright! With that, we can move directly onto our first event! Onto the preliminaries, as they're called! Lots of fine folks choke on their tears here every year! And this year's first round of destiny is…!" The roulette wheel behind her stopped spinning. "The OBSTACLE RACE!"
"Obstacle race…?" Nana echoed incredulously. "How…?"
"This is a race between all 11 classes! The course makes a nearly 4km ring around this stadium! And since we always sing pride on our freedom on campus, well, this is what it's all about! You're free to do anything―and I mean anything―so long as you remain within the course! So let's get cracking! Everyone on your marks…!"
"Anything, she said…" Shinso mused as they shuffled towards the starting point.
"Huh?" Nana glanced at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"…START!"
She wasn't able to hear Shinso's answer, for she was pushed into the starting gate by the crowd. She nearly suffocated under the pressure of pushing and squeezing of other fellow first years."H-Hold on! This starting gate is way too narrow! Hitoshi-kun, where are you!?"
…!
Wait, so as early as the starting gate, we have our first filter…And what Hitoshi-kun and Midnight said about 'being free to do anything'… Realization dawned on her. She suddenly remembered how she had regained control of her body, surrounded by villains who were immobilized by ice back in the USJ. Class 1-A…...Ice…...SANA! SWITCH WITH ME!
Eh!? Sana was startled as she was suddenly handed the control. Already!?
Jump onto your sand! Ice is coming!
Huh!? What're you―Ah!
Sana realized what Nana was talking about at the very last second, and she summoned a mountain of sand out of the ground and jumped onto it before the ice could get to her. "Whew," She sighed in relief. "That was close..." A grin bloomed on her face as she rode her sand out of the starting gate tunnel. "But that was fun! I'm excited of what's to come next!" She licked her lips with a sneer at the other kids who got immobilized by the ice.
Really? I'm just plain terrified...
Alright, so I was on this week-long road trip (it was very fun, thank you for asking) and I was totally drained of energy when I arrived back home. I mean, I only completed like half of this chapter before I went on the trip/when I got back (#smarttimemanagement) and I was seriously contemplating whether to just go to bed and forget about this.
But no.
It's Hitoshi's birthday.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIHAVETOUPDATEEEEEEEEEEEE *incoherent screaming and frantic typing*
Anyways, here I am with this (super rushed) chapter! Ta-da! (I think I deserve a praise for managing to squeeze this out of me in the last hour) HAPPY BIRTHDAY HITOSHI MY BOY! YAY! *piñata explodes, confetti flies everywhere*
So id anyone notice that I purposely did not mention Nana's original Quirk in the past 9 chapters? :3 I mean, I did mention a few times that it's not battle-oriented, but I never said what it was...? (Please tell me someone noticed, because I'd be disappointed if no one did) And when she said "My own Quirk is fit for a Hero, yet I'm a Villain" back in Chapter 7, what she meant was this healing type Quirk of hers! Apart from All Might, the Hero who inspired her the most when she was a child is probably Recovery Girl.
Also, allow me to rant a bit here...I'm just totally in love with Overhaul and Setsuno right now DX *sobs* I wanna write them so badly! No, you don't understand how much I want to write them! And Tengai is so chill and Rappa is like damn dude why are you so awesome?! And it's just five of the eight expandables? What will I do when the rest of the three shines? I wanna write the Internship arc so badly! Also, Togashi actually started to update Hunter X Hunter again so I'm living with the constant fear of seeing 'hiatus next week' with every update of HxH. And then I have my own personal story projects to write and I should actually finish that script I started in RPG Maker... Lots of things to do, very busy yet not busy at all and my author notes seem to be getting longer...Oh well!
Review!