"Here we are," Uraraka's mother hummed as she set matching bowls of fluffy, steamy rice on the dining table, "There's plenty left in the cooker so no need to shy away from seconds!"
"Thank you for the food!"
The Uraraka family's breakfast consisted of freshly fried mackerel with a side of salad, sweet potatoes and natto wholly complimented by piping hot miso soup. This was a strange yet amusing ritual of theirs- dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. Lunch was lunch with the promise of the heaviest and most delicious food to carry a person until evening so they needed only meet that requirement.
Uraraka's chopsticks shot out in blurs, jabbing into the fish, rice, then potatoes. She grinned giddily at the mash-up of flavors dancing in her mouth, swallowing her second serving before stuffing some of the salad in her cheek. Her chopsticks next hovered over the natto, shook, then furtively pushed it towards her father.
The man chuckled softly but straightened back into parental rigidness when his wife nudged him in the rib. "Now, Ochaco," he reprimanded halfheartedly, "You're in high school already so you shouldn't be picky with your food." He pushed the natto back to their daughter who puffed her lip out in displeasure.
"But natto tastes so...eh..." Uraraka whined, "I don't know how you guys can like this stuff."
"I'll let you in on a little secret," her father winked at her, "I don't like natto either. So to make Mommy happy, we will eat our portions at the same time, alright?"
Uraraka twisted her lips and proceeded to munch on her fish and rice instead.
"Speaking of likes and dislikes..." Uraraka's mother interceded, "How is school? It's awfully nice of them to give you such a generous break while you're in the middle of finals. Is everything alright?"
If it weren't for Bakugo's training, Uraraka would not have caught her chopsticks just as they slipped from her hold. "Erm...it's good, yeah. Everyone is studying and I'm...err...training! Yep, yep! Right here."
Her father's brows rose and fell. "Is that so? Because I haven't seen you so much as lift the couch since you arrived."
"My muscles are still a little sore, Daddy..." Uraraka grumbled through a strained smile.
"Are you and- What's that boy's name... Getting along?" Uraraka's mother tapped her temple. "Your project partner- Bakugo, was it?"
Uraraka took a nervous sip of water from her glass. All of a sudden, the food seemed too plenty to finish.
"Ah, yes, that young man," her father chimed in, patting himself on the chest and smiling widely. "Ochaco, you have no idea how relieved Mommy and I were when you explained everything to us."
"Just you, dear," his wife deadpanned.
"I'm still surprised sir All Might assigned you two to be partners. You'd think the teachers would want to keep you and Bakugo a safe distance from each other after how violent he was with you during the Sports Festival. I need to have a talk with the Principal about this."
"Daddy!" Uraraka yelped, "You've got it all wrong! Bakugo isn't- He's not a bad person at all."
The man frowned at her. "Tell that to everyone who watched your match."
Uraraka set her chopsticks down on their holder. "Bakugo was only as unrelenting as he was because he considered me a threat to his victory- a worthy and equal opponent. Since then, I've trained restlessly, learning martial arts and overcoming the hurdles of my quirk to get stronger and prove to him and everyone else that I won't fall behind." She looked up at her parents and curled her fingers into a hard fist. "Bakugo is an inspiration for strength and he's actually a kind person once you get to know him!"
Her parents' chopsticks hung in the air, both sitting agape at their daughter's passionate plea. The first to stir from their awe was her mother, whose lips warmed to a knowing smile before she covered them to quiet a dainty giggle. Her husband noticed this and asked, "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," the chestnut-haired woman cooed and shifted her gaze to their daughter. "Bakugo must be very important to you, eh, Ochaco?"
"...Ye-yeah. In a way." Uraraka knew this particular tone of her mother's, having heard it before whenever the playful woman would tease her cousins about their school crushes during family gatherings.
"Important?" her father scoffed, "Well, of course, her grades are codependent with his and they perhaps formed a bond of camaraderie, but that's the extent of it. Right, Ochaco?" He smiled surely at the blushing girl, confident in a responsive nod. When no such gesture was returned, his face fell. "Ochaco?"
Uraraka twiddled her thumbs, unable to look at the older man in the eye as she mumbled, "About Bakugo... Listen, Daddy, I-" The chime of their doorbell stunted her words.
"I wonder who that could be?" her mother pondered, wiping her hands on a tissue napkin.
"Delivery perhaps?" Uraraka's father suggested.
The chestnut-haired woman stood from the table and made her way to the door, undoing the locks and slowly peeking from behind the screen that stood beyond. Her eyes lit with glee as she turned to Uraraka and announced, "Ochaco, a handsome young man has come to see you!"
"What?!" Uraraka and her father simultaneously nearly spat out their drinks. The gravity manipulator's thoughts immediately traversed to a certain foul-tempered blonde who she left without notice back at U.A. Surely, she had not forgotten his numerous texts and calls demanding her whereabouts; she merely silenced her phone. Had the reaper of penance come for her at last? Her mother eagerly beckoned her to the door, to which she reluctantly obliged. To her horror, the door opened wider, allowing the mysterious figure inside.
Though almost immediately, all ill thoughts dissipated when a small foot stomped onto their wooden floor and a mussy, bright orange-haired boy, about twelve, came attached to it. His grey eyes found hers, she pointed a finger at him and him at her, and matching smiles illuminated their faces.
"Karu!" Uraraka squealed.
"Cha-chan!" the boy beamed back.
The two met in a tight embrace between the entrance and dining hall, laughing and nearly in tears. Uraraka's mother closed the door before walking back to the table to join her husband.
"You're really back," the boy breathed in relief as he pulled away, "And I told you- it's not Karu, I'm a man now so it's Hikaru! Hi-ka-ru!"
"Yeah, sure," Uraraka giggled and gave him a few pats on the noggin. "You'll always be little Karu to me, no matter how old you get."
"Hikaru!" Uraraka's father called, "Come join us for breakfast! There's plenty to go around and we can all listen to Ochaco's high school stories. Ah! You should also tell her how your studies have been since she was last here."
Hikaru's eyes glinted as though an important realization just came to him. Arms flailing, he yanked Uraraka towards the door by her fingers. "No time!" he fussed, "We only have a few minutes before they completely run out of it. Hurry, Cha-chan! We've gotta go!"
"Run out of what?" Uraraka asked.
Uraraka's mother looked up from her food and tilted her head at them. "What's all the excitement about?"
"Move!" Hikaru persisted and before Uraraka could assert herself, they were completely out of the house.
.
.
.
.
"Where are you taking me, Karu?" Uraraka asked just as she hopped over a fruit crate whose vendor waved and greeted her a good morning.
Hikaru flashed her the brightest smile she'd seen from him yet. "To the market, duh! They have limited time edition mochi for sale right now and we're dessert fanatics so let's go, go, go!"
They raced down the street filled with locals and merchants carrying about their businesses as normal, the brunette having to flag down the hem of her skirt despite wearing black leggings underneath. "Good morning, Uncle!" she greeted the older male merchants along with, "Good morning, Auntie!" for their wives or older female shop owners she passed by.
"Be careful, Ochaco!" they fretted but in a jolly manner, "You and Hikaru shouldn't move around too much here! It's crowded and slippery!"
Equipped with sturdy faux leather boots, Uraraka found friction to be the least of her worries. She zigzagged through their shortcuts into town and after hopping onto the opposite street, her soles squeaked to a loud stop.
Hikaru, who was running ahead for a time, also halted and hollered, "What's the holdup? Come on! We're almost there!" Failing to elicit a response from the older girl, he grudgingly walked back to where she stood and followed her gaze to their hometown's familiar structure- Ugata Station. "Cha-chan?" he mumbled, nudging her in the arm.
Uraraka remained transfixed, fine locks of amber swaying across her face as she observed the crowd spilling from the building. For some reason, her heart was pounding and it was not because of their run. Something was coming, but the only prophetic visitors were the cumulus clouds drifting above the town.
"Cha-chan!" Hikaru called again.
This time, Uraraka turned to him. "Huh? What?"
Hikaru frowned. "What are you staring at?"
"...Oh! Uh, no-nothing! Um..." Uraraka noticed the concern on the bright-haired boy's face and tried shaking it off his person. "We're going to the market, right?" she laughed, "Let's hurry before all of the special mochi run out!"
"That's what I've been saying!" Hikaru snorted, having forgotten about his worry almost instantly. "But you keep slowing us down with your girly staring habits!"
"Sorry, sorry..." Uraraka muttered as they took off into a run again. 'Ah! My parents might be worried about me!' She stopped yet again to check her phone. Nothing. 'Just to be safe...' Figuring Bakugo gave up since his last message days ago, she turned her ringer back on and proceeded to run after Hikaru.
Unbeknownst to the two, Bakugo emerged from the station doors shortly after, his crimson eyes surveying the area and its inhabitants. A hint of honey brown tickled his peripheral but when he tried to focus on it, a new crowd had gathered at the specific spot, obscuring his view completely. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shook his head.
A security guard, having noticed the teen's disorientation, approached him and asked, "Do you need help with anything, sir?"
"I'm looking for a girl named Uraraka," Bakugo answered frankly, "Have you seen her?"
The official seemed taken back for a moment. "Excuse me?"
"Uraraka. She's a girl about this short, talks too much, stupid hairdo, eats and smiles a lot... Uraraka!"
"If you're looking for a specific person, sir, your best bet would be to search the central part of town up ahead. I recommend trying the market first. It's a large place, but the hottest spot for gatherings, touring and of course, shopping."
"Urrggh..." Bakugo grunted and trudged to the destination indicated. While waiting for the streetlight to change, he took a moment to further study his surroundings, taking in the energy that gave life to and influenced the bubbly girl that was Uraraka.
The town saw more of the sea than where he and Midoriya resided, that much was certain. The people were much more amicable, too. While on the train, he could not help but be astounded by the number of shrines that surrounded the area, occupied in prayer by the humble locals. Now, it no longer surprised him that another shrine stood just a couple of blocks away from the station, filled with adults and young children who felt the need to give their deities thanks for another pleasant day blessed by seabirds circling the sky.
'Praying too much made them too ridiculously nice,' he mused, glaring at the random individuals that waved and smiled at him as they passed by. They all had that infectious smile. 'Fake scum. No one can always be that happy.' His glare intensified but, as he anticipated, their smiles stayed and they simply returned to their mundane activities. At last, the green signal came and he stepped off the curb to begin his quest for the famed town market.
...
Uraraka looked around with a large smile plastered across her face. Despite not having been back in a long while, the market was as large and welcoming as she last remembered it. If she had to be honest, 'market' was a loose term for the establishment, its size and accommodation regarded closer to a general shopping center or medium-sized mall. She stepped onto the escalator after Hikaru to head for the fourth and highest floor.
Hikaru excitedly tapped his fingers on the rubbery rails and looked back at Uraraka. "I'm going to get the brownie special," he boasted, "It's the most popular flavor right now. What are you going to get, Cha-chan?"
"Hmm..." Uraraka rubbed her chin in thought. "Strawberry-"
"Bo-ring!" Hikaru cut her off, "Get something more exciting! You always get strawberry mochi."
Uraraka grinned shyly. "That's because it's my favorite flavor...but fine. We'll see what they have available and I promise I'll pick a different, more exciting flavor. Happy?"
"Good!" Hikaru beamed, "You'd better!"
The pristine doors slid open as Bakugo walked into the building with a disgruntled scowl, grumbling, "This is a market? What the hell..."
To his annoyance, the entrance started visitors off on the second floor so one would have to make a choice of going to the first floor or venturing up to the other floors. In the best scenario, a 'market' would imply a small, single building where everyone would shop for their groceries and whatnot and have a better chance at bumping into people they know. But this?
Bakugo walked up to the directory and read:
1st Floor- Food Court, Parking, and Security
2nd Floor- Market Entrance; Apparel and Fashion
3rd Floor- Computers and Household Appliances
4th Floor- Main Market
'And the second and third floors have about five stores each. Lucky me.' Bakugo dug his phone from his blazer pocket. His nose wrinkled at his mother's last message calling him an idiot for his ridiculous journey but then wishing him luck anyway. 'Just say what you mean, damn hag.' He navigated to his last calls and hovered a thumb over 'Uraraka- Call failed.' Why she had the cute idea of playing run, hide and ignore of all times, he had no clue, but it was not his intention to elaborate on that at the moment. Despite his past failures, he pushed on her name anyway and brought the phone to his ear.
Uraraka nearly floated off the escalator at the loud jingle of her current favorite song- "Datte Atashi no Hero"- used as her ringtone, causing Hikaru to jump slightly beside her. Shrugging curiously, she pulled the phone from her shirt pocket only to have her heart jolt to her throat at seeing Bakugo's name glowing on her screen.
Bakugo's eyes shot up the escalator, his ears barely picking up on the distinct ringtone that could only be Uraraka's. 'Seriously?!' He searched the many backs of people's heads as they ascended, hoping to spot a poofy brown bob fumbling for a phone or looking at one.
Hikaru poked Uraraka in the arm. "Come on, Cha-chan! I think there's still some left! I just saw one of the kids come down with a box!" His feet moved from steel to tiles in one swift jump then dashed to the next escalator.
"Wait, Karu!" Fearing for the boy's safety, Uraraka shoved her phone back in her pocket and ran after him yet again.
The ringtone faded away and Bakugo, desperate to find its source, leaped onto the escalator heading upwards. 'The security guard said market so the damn market it is!' He attempted another call and sure enough, the ringtone rang above him this time. He looked up only to see a crowd of strangers peering down at him, covering the opposite side where the jingle was coming from. Unable to push through the crowd ahead, he did the only last thing he could think of and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Uraraka!"
'Bakugo?!' Uraraka pirouetted towards the direction of his voice, nearly dropping her phone in the process.
Bakugo raced up the escalator, pushing aside and squirming past anyone in his way.
Strangely, Uraraka found herself stepping on the platform below her but was pulled back by Hikaru as he hopped onto the fourth floor. Unable to reason with his excitement, she stumbled into the main marketplace after him, able to only look back sadly at the lack of familiar ash-blonde hair and crimson eyes from the plethora of faces that stared at them.
"I can see a crowd at the ice cream section!" Hikaru cried, "Cha-chan, we've gotta get at least one of those limited edition boxes. Let's hurry!"
"Alright, Karu," Uraraka sighed, "Just clear the way for us and we'll see what we can get."
'She's close!' Bakugo pushed another annoyed person to the side just as he arrived on the third floor. He could barely make out the words but read 'Main Market' peeping from the next and last floor above.
Uraraka stared at the phone in her hand, Bakugo's name glaring at her the same way the original person would. Her hand trembled to answer but her conviction to keep a distance from him overcame that urge. 'Was it just wishful thinking when I heard his voice?' she asked herself.
"Ne, Cha-chan."
"Hm?" Uraraka blinked innocently at the orange-haired boy next to her.
Hikaru held up two boxes of their sought-after mochi and mumbled sadly, "I forgot to ask money from mama and the lady wants us to pay for these already. Sorry..."
Uraraka found the vendor glaring back at her and frantically searched herself for any remaining cash. When she pulled the small wrinkled material from her pocket, her face turned sullen. "I'm sorry, Karu," she said, "I only have enough to pay for one of those." Her heart twisted at seeing Hikaru immediately attempting to place his brownie mochi back in the freezer. "No, silly!" She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Put back the spicy mango one."
Hikaru's eyes widened. "But that's yours!"
"It's alright," Uraraka assured him, "It'll come around again someday! I'll always have the strawberry mochi anyway."
Hikaru looked down at the box of brownie mochi in his hand. "I'll share these with you then, Cha-chan," he decided, "Mochi tastes better when it's shared with the people you care about."
A seemingly distant memory of when Bakugo made her strawberry mochi ice cream for the first time pulled a smile from Uraraka's face. "I couldn't agree more," she whispered and handed her cash to the vendor.
Going by the direction of her ringtone he heard prior, Bakugo jogged into the marketplace and was presented with a labyrinth of food and people all jumbled in one large shopping area. "Damn it," he hissed and darted down one of the emptier aisles, just missing a certain brunette and orange-haired boy walking up the opposite side with their new box of brownie-flavored mochi ice cream.
"Whoa, they have cheese rings now, too," Hikaru noted, pointing at the upper shelves full of chips.
Uraraka counted the coins in her hand. "Hm, I think we have just enough... Do you want one, Karu?"
"Nah. Actually, let's go see what new Ramune they have this week! I've been curious."
As Uraraka followed Hikaru to the next aisle, a blur of blonde and black caught her irises. Heart racing, she stiffly turned its way, scarcely discerning what seemed like a male figure disappearing from a distance.
Hikaru tugged her sleeve impatiently. "You're doing it again..." he muttered and successfully plucked the gawking girl from her spot.
'Was that...?' Bakugo whirled around in time to discover an elderly woman entering the aisle he had just run down from. 'Nevermind.' Sighing, he crossed to the next aisle to his left but still found no sign of Uraraka. He highly doubted she would linger in the detergent section anyway. It only took a few steps for him to backtrack into an area full of fridges housing goods from fish cakes to canned drinks.
"Careful, young man!" a sorter beside him chastised, "If you break it, you buy it."
Bakugo's hand rested on a cold bottle of a popular soft drink that read, 'Ramune.' His lips quirked to an amused grin as he marveled, 'I used to drink these a lot back in grade school.' Deciding against its sugar count, he steadied the bottle back in its place and stalked off to another direction to continue his search.
Uraraka stepped out from the tea and coffee aisle, playfully juggling her change with Zero Gravity. "I thought the Ramune would have been here for sure," she groaned, "It really has been a while since I've been back home. So much has changed!"
An excited Hikaru ran up from behind her and pointed at the fridge about two aisles over, cheering, "There it is!" They took a closer inspection and immediately honed in on the new flavor- jackfruit. With a contorted face, the orange-haired boy pulled the chosen bottle down.
"Are you sure you want that?" Uraraka asked skeptically.
"Yep," Hikaru affirmed with a hard nod, "Can't knock something until we try it, right?"
"Alright then. Let's go pay for it." Uraraka caught the coins between her hands and released her quirk.
'Not again!' Bakugo suppressed the explosions threatening to detonate from his palms when he found himself surrounded by freezers. To make matters worse, he was isolated from the rest of the shoppers, concluding he had stumbled upon an ill-favored section of the store. Fed up with his blind endeavors, he dialed Uraraka's number once more.
FUREE tte FUREE tte nando mo iwaseru nante iu sainou?
Zutto tachimukatte yo yuuki wo kureteru yo!
Bakugo ran the long aisle of frozen dinners to his right, phone held tightly against his ear as the other line rang again.
FUREE tte FUREE tte chippoke subete ga sakenderu!
Sono me wo mitereba atashi mo hashireru.
"Oy, Uraraka!" Bakugo called and skidded to a sudden stop. Before him, holding the pink phone singing its boisterous melody, was a middle-aged woman wearing the market uniform and standing watch over the limited edition mochi display. Quietly, he approached her, bringing his phone down to his side as he asked, "Hey..lady...where'd you get that phone from?"
The cranky woman glared at him and barked, "A girl and some snot-nosed kid left this here! First, they ruin my display just to buy one package, then that girl has the nerve to leave her noisy gadget on my stand to drive customers away! Hmph!" She scooted away to redirect the cellphone to lost and found but paused when the blonde stood in her path.
"I'll take that off your hands," he offered, "Uraraka is- She's someone close to me so I'll give the phone back to her in your stead."
The woman's grimace only darkened. "Eh? And have me blamed for a customer's lost item left around my display? I don't think so. I'll only give this to you if you can prove your relationship with this girl to be true!"
Bakugo pushed Uraraka's name on his call list.
FUREE tte FUREE tte nan hyaku!
MAIRU mo todokeyou.
Zutto hashiru tame ni tachidomatte mo ii yo!
The older woman silenced the phone and handed it to the seething blonde without a second thought. He tucked both phones into his pocket with a triumphant smirk. "Did you see which way she went?" he asked.
"I just sell merchandise, boy," she bucked, "I don't keep tabs on people unless they do anything suspicious. And right now, you're the only one acting out of the ordinary around here so I suggest you move along."
Bakugo turned to leave the unwelcoming display but stopped short at a package thrown crookedly back in the freezer. Though he was in hot pursuit of the gravity manipulator, his mouth watered against his better judgment and his finger pointed at the chosen snack. "I'll take that off you, too," he stated and pulled some tufts of cash from his wallet.
.
.
.
.
"I sure am excited to try these," Hikaru jumped giddily down the street, "When I saw the advertisement on TV, I just knew I had to have them! And now here they are!"
Uraraka gave his head a gentle rub and giggled, "I'm excited, too. Thanks for wanting to share your snacks with me."
"That was never a question!" Hikaru puffed his chest out. "I'll always share everything I like with you, Cha-chan. You've done so much for me... It's the least I can do."
"You're sweet, Karu." Remembering her past thoughts about her Hero Analysis partner, Uraraka's hand instinctively traveled back into her shirt pocket to fidget at a dreadful hollowness. "Eh?" She rummaged her upper clothing and pulled both pockets out only to come up empty. Her eyes thinned to worry as she frantically sprinted back to the large building.
Hikaru followed after her with a confused scowl. "Where are you going? Home is this way."
"My phone..." Uraraka panted, "Karu, I forgot my phone at the market!"
"You what?!"
"I know! My parents will kill me! And we can't afford to get a new one right now, so..." Uraraka cupped her fingers together and flew up the steps with Hikaru sprinting close behind. He fumbled for his own phone, hoping to call whoever may have found hers and kindly ask them to return it. In their hurry, the duo nearly struck the flawless doors as they slid open. Not wanting to waste another second, Uraraka hopscotched up the escalator, apologizing profusely to every individual she consequently shoved aside.
"I'm calling your phone right now, Cha-chan!" Hikaru announced as he pushed the dial key and pressed the phone to his ear.
FUREE tte FUREE tte nando mo iwaseru nante iu sainou?
Zutto tachimukatte yo yuuki wo kureteru yo!
Uraraka froze in midair, her wide eyes meeting Bakugo's own shocked ones as he descended towards her. Like magnets, their heads angled to each other as their paths literally crossed and the distance between them grew. He held her pink phone in his hand, the device glowing and loudly singing away, but he made no attempt to answer it.
Datte atashi no HERO.
To her shock, he grabbed the rail running opposite to his and took a leap of faith, startling the people standing by the area. She released Zero Gravity and stood flat on her feet, his name barely leaving her lips as she called weakly, "Bakugo...!"
"Cha-chan!" Hikaru shrilled and made his way up the escalator as well.
No longer caring for ethics or mild-mannered pushing, Bakugo rushed towards Uraraka, a clear path made for him by the frightened locals and tourists. Fortuitously, the instance he reached her hand, they staggered onto the third floor and straight into a bare wall when Uraraka's ankles could not stabilize their momentum. He held her head protectively and guided her into his shoulder, letting his knuckles and knees take the brunt of their impact.
Uraraka lifted her face to meet his pained gaze, caught off guard by the gentleness of his embrace. "What are you doing here?" she nearly sobbed, "How did you find me?"
Bakugo gritted his teeth. "You think you can just leave without saying anything, ignore my calls and texts, not contact anyone about where you are and expect me not to worry enough to want to find you?!"
Uraraka flinched, expecting further berating or even a hard squeeze of his hand, but gasped when Bakugo instead tilted her head up and planted his forehead on hers. Their eyes lingered on each other for what seemed like hours, neither teen paying any mind to the spectators they had inadvertently pulled in. Her heart ached at the rage and angst in his eyes, but not more than it would have torn her to entertain thoughts of love that could never thrive, much less exist.
Bakugo pulled away and rose to his feet, sleepless eyelids cloaking the windows to his soul. "I don't know why you're doing this, Uraraka," he said, "But don't think that just because I'm crass and straightforward means that I can't feel anything. At least consider me a bit!"
Uraraka bit the inside of her cheek.
"This is the craziest thing I've ever done in my life," Bakugo admitted with a bitter chuckle, "And despite it all, why do I get the feeling that you still don't get it?"
"What's to get?" Uraraka choked, "I can see you're here, Bakugo. I just don't know why. Don't you think you're getting carried away with teasing me?"
"...Damn it, Uraraka, I'm trying to tell you that I'm serious about you! Get it through your thick head already!"
Uraraka's eyes widened and her lips stilled. 'Serious...about me?'
"Shit!" Bakugo hissed as his frustrated fingers tangled in his hair, "I don't know what else I can do to make you believe me! You're so...you're just... Arggghhh!" He pantomimed a ball with his hands and sent the imaginary object flying in all directions.
Uraraka, stuck in a stupor, straightened up and raspily uttered, "Bakugo...ne, do you...?"
Before any more words could be exchanged, Hikaru slid between the two with his arms extended to shield what he could of Uraraka. He shot a menacing glare at the much older teen whose own red eyes burned with repugnance. "Na," Bakugo growled, "What do you think you're doing, kid?"
Uraraka stood up, eyes wide in panic. "Karu, don't!"
"Get away from Cha-chan, you pervert!" Hikaru demanded angrily.
Bakugo nearly lost his balance. "Pervert?!" he reiterated in disbelief, "Kid, you've got the wrong idea here."
Hikaru raised his arms over his head and the next thing anyone knew, there was a flash of blinding white light.