After talking with Tsuyu Izuku finally made it to the library. The wide open space and the sheer number of books, while once dizzying to him not so long ago, had become a more familiar sight as time had gone on. Dropping off his current load of books and getting ready to pick up some new ones, he ended up spotting a familiar face at a rather familiar table. Sure enough, as Tsuyu said, Blake was in the library sitting simply and quietly at a nearby table with a book in hand. It was the same table that, not a few weeks prior, the two of them had sat down to have his discussion about how she'd first seen him immediately following Initiation. He smiled and shook his head as the memory played out... hey, who knows, maybe the two of them could have a slightly better conversation here and now rather than having that heavy stuff hang over her head.
Breaking off from the rest of the library he approached Blake and, before he got up close to her, he actually managed to make out the title of her book. His emerald eyes blinked in surprise and recognition; oh hey, The Man With Two Souls? He'd actually read that way back during Combat School. As part of the more general parts of the curriculum meant to teach them stuff like Math, History, Basic Literacy and all that, the lit. teacher at the time had actually used The Man With Two Souls as one of the class' reading materials. While he was approaching, Blake eyes glance up and she seemed genuinely surprised.
"Izuku! Uh, hi. Fancy meeting you here." Her surprise at seeing him was evident as she placed the book down on the table. With a friendly grin he offered a quick wave.
"Hi there Blake. I hope I'm not interrupting or anything." He commented offhandedly as he stood beside the table. If he was intruding on Blake's personal time then he wouldn't want to make the presumption of taking a seat without her permission. Blake seemed to get over her initial surprise and, eventually, her own calm expression returned as she shook her head.
"No, don't worry Izuku. You weren't interrupting anything. I was just finishing reading my book here... or, re-reading it. I've been taking some time to really look this over recently. Just... caught my eye, you could say." Seeing Izuku standing Blake rolled her eyes slightly and soon offered him a seat. He gave her a quick nod he sat down and took a reaffirming look at the book in Blake's hand.
"Oh, The Man With Two Souls? Holy woah, I haven't read that in years." Blake arched an eyebrow at that, her interest piqued.
"You've read this Izuku?" Izuku offered a quick nod as Blake sheepishly looked down to the side. "I mean, not to sound surprised that you've read something like this, it's just... I didn't figure that old books like this were your type. You came off as more the comic book collector kind of guy, what with your interest in Hunters and Heroes." Izuku smiled a bit sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well you aren't wrong..." A slight chuckle escaped Blake's lips as he owned up to it. "But I have read this before as part of a literature class way back at Birch Academy. Admittedly it was a while ago but I still really remember this book. It was pretty... striking." Izuku said with a slight grimace as Blake nodded her head slowly.
"Yeah, that's certainly one way of describing it..." Blake muttered as she looked down at the book. "The story of someone who got so involved with his own desires and vices, to the consideration of nothing else, that his own darker nature ended up taking control of his life and ruining him right up until the moment where it just had to end... not exactly the uplifting story of the century." Izuku nodded his head in agreement but... frowned slightly. While it was true that the story of The Man With Two Souls wasn't exactly uplifting, he never exactly viewed the book as so dark himself. Yes, it was dark and definitely less uplifting than what he normally read, but...
"While I think that's somewhat true for most of the book, I actually kind of sympathize with the Doctor... at least once we get towards the end of the book." Blake looked up at him and there was a somewhat soft smile on her face.
"Not for nothing Izuku but I'm not surprised you'd be sympathetic toward someone in a desperate situation like that." Again he nodded but there was a slight smile on his face as well.
"I mean, sure, there's that but... I mean that I think Doctor Jekyll actually did the right thing in the end." Blake seemed honestly surprised by this and she actually closed the book for a moment to set it to the side. There was something deeply interested in her gaze as she leaned forward.
"I don't think I follow Izuku... Doctor Jekyll causes all this trouble and mayhem and, even if he didn't kill people directly, it's his actions that lay the responsibility of those deaths at his feet. He doesn't 'do the right thing'. He can't stop Hyde, he can't help the people he's hurt and he can't even stop his own desires from forcing him to continue to hurt more people so he just... well, kills himself. It's as good as running or hiding, even if more permanent." Izuku saw her tilt her head to the side. "How is giving up the right thing, Izuku?"
"Well... I don't think he is giving up, Blake." Izuku commented as he brought a hand up to his chin, rubbing it slightly. "It's true, Jekyll's pretty abhorrent when he's just letting these things go on, he only really becomes sympathetic when he realizes how much his own selfish self-indulgence has hurt everyone around him and how much trouble it's causing everyone. You're right that the ending is sad and that it seems bleak but... to me, it always seemed like there was a silver lining. Because Jekyll didn't just give up... he did act Blake. He took responsibility for his actions and was willing to make amends. Sure, it's not in a way I'd ever want anyone to 'actually' make amends, I'd never want anyone to do... that. But it's like you said... Jekyll couldn't destroy Hyde, he couldn't stop him and he couldn't help the people's he's hurt... except for in one way. I think... I think it would've been giving up if Jekyll decided to just let Hyde win. If he decided that despite everything that he didn't owe it to people to try to make amends 'somehow' and to stop Hyde form hurting them."
"So... in the end, while it's sad, I do view Jekyll's final action as sympathetic and positive. He does what he can to make amends and to fix this situation the only way he can." Blake took a short breath as he finished, the black haired girl bringing a hand up to her hair as she nervously fidgeted around with it.
"I mean... it's a nice way to think about it Izuku, that much I can agree with. The idea that it's more a last sacrifice for the greater good... but I mean, with the wider themes of the novel being about duality and the darker actions that can hide behind even seemingly good people... I dunno. Jekyll was trying to do good with his potion and, in the end, just gave in to things that were good for him or that were easy to do. It doesn't really seem like the book's angling for the kind of positive spin on the end that you got out of it." Blake said cautiously as he just let his head drop for a moment, thinking for a second before he met her amber eyes again.
"But I think it's because of what the book seems to build itself around that I think that ending holds merit. Because honestly, I do see it as about duality... the duality in all of us. It's easy for anyone to give in to that kind of indulgence, especially when you think there aren't any real consequences. However, that attitude can make you blind to the harm you do to others, even unintentionally. It takes conscious effort to be good and to do good... and I think that's all supported by the text, right?" Blake nodded a bit cautiously.
"Right... I mean, in the end it's only exposure to the potion that started all this that leave his able to be conscious against Hyde in the end..." Blake said as he gave a firm nod.
"Jekyll does what he can to fix his mistakes... and while he can't fix everything, the ending shows that he is making a conscious effort. That he's trying to make amends and to do good despite his past actions... and he succeeds. Hyde dies with Jekyll and he can't hurt anyone ever again. It shows that doing good is hard... but that no matter what mistakes we make, we can fix them if we give it our best."
Blake's hair somewhat obscured a bit of her face though Izuku could pretty easily make out a melancholy smile that crossed her lips.
"Izuku... I think that's a good way of looking at the book. Still... I mean, it might be a little easier said than done." She looked over at him with a normal, though perhaps somewhat strained, expression as she sighed. "You're the kind of guy who rushes in at the drop of a hat to save 'anyone'. Heck, you'd probably run in to rescue a kitten from a tree... actually, no, no probably about that." She chuckled though he failed to see the joke. "What I mean is... everything I've seen- in the Emerald Forest and what I've heard from our teammates says that you're just... a good person Izuku. I find it hard to believe you've made the kinds of mistakes that someone like Jekyll would have to make up for."
Izuku scratched the back of his head as he considered Blake's point. It was true; on the scale of someone like Doctor Jekyll, he really hadn't done anything quite that bad. He hadn't killed anyone or seriously hurt them physically, he hadn't abused people in his life... in fact, most of the time he was the one taking the abuse. Still... as he thought more and more about his life and the events that transpired, he couldn't help but frown as he recalled his home life. It wasn't bad by any stretched and it was clear he loved his mother and she loved him... but... well...
"You're not wrong. I haven't ever really made any mistakes on the gravity of someone like Doctor Jekyll. I can't claim to understand how being in a position like that feels or how easy or hard it'd be to do the right thing about it." Blake nodded at his admittance, though seemed slightly perplexed when he lift his face to look at her in the eye. "Still though, that doesn't mean that I don't have my regrets or that I'm 'just' a good person. I'm only human, after all." He folded his hands together as he gave it some deep thought, trying to put all his whirring thoughts and emotions into some kind of order. "I talked about how I lost hope at some point... how I felt like I'd lost my dream and how it'd been saved, and I wasn't lying. As determined as I have been... well, it wasn't like I didn't understand the full weight of what was going on. My dream started as one of a wide-eyed child but I did grow up eventually and, well, eventually reality did set in. That I was a Child of The Moon and that following my dream would take a serious toll on me... and my family."
Izuku leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees as he continued speaking. "My father works from afar to support us. Honestly, I see him so rarely that sometimes I'm convinced that, if it weren't for the family pictures we have around the house, that I'd never see him. So basically that left the responsibility of raising me entirely on my mother... she was the one who had to make sure I was brought up right... and when we figured out I was a Moon Child, she was the one who had to help me deal with that. You can probably imagine that I didn't take the fact that I was Broken too well-" Blake nodded slowly, it being easy to imagine as he frowned slightly, "-my mother ended up taking it just as bad... not that she was angry at me but, I dunno, more like she blamed herself because I was born with a random birth defect. She took me to every doctor around, no matter the cost and... and when I insisted that I wasn't going to give up, that I was still going to try... she let me attend a Combat School."
"Looking back on it-"
"I'm sorry Izuku! I wish things were different..."
"... When we were told about your condition, I had honestly given up any hope that you'd ever accomplish your dream. I did my best to smile and to support you in your decisions of course, even letting you go to combat school but... there was always a part of me, deep down inside, that felt like it knew nothing good would come of it. That you'd eventually have to stop... that you'd have to give up on your dreams. I didn't... I didn't believe in you. I didn't have faith in you Izuku-"
"-my mom probably felt guilty and wanted to try to ease my pain by letting me at least 'try'. I think she figured that I'd give up on it eventually, like any sane person would. But... well, as you can see, I never did. Regardless of the costs involved to myself, I kept going, trying with everything I had to achieve my dream... even if it meant costing my mom as well." HIs frown deepened as he shook his head. "'Especially' if the costs were hers to pay and not mine."
"Izuku..."
"It was crushing... every time I failed something that everyone else could do so easily even while I was working three times as hard as anyone else, every time I ended up injured and having to heal naturally for weeks... it was another reminder that my dream was impossible, and that I was crazy for pursuing it. But I wasn't the only one who was being hurt by it; I saw it in my mom's eyes too. Every time I got hurt, every time I failed, it pained her to see me that way, to see me broken down and just dragging myself along for an impossible dream. She never said it out loud... but I could tell. She was silently begging me to stop. To stop putting myself through so much, so stop causing myself so much pain. She couldn't stand to see her son do something like that to himself. However, because my mother never said it out loud, because she never once wanted to tell me to give up on my dream and to stop... I didn't. Even when I could see she was being burdened by the cost of my dream as well, even when I knew she hated to see me scraping for something that, more and more, looked like an impossible dream... I didn't stop. I couldn't."
"I might have paid for my dream in blood, sweat, my time, my future and... I think you can imagine a lot of tears-" The attempt at humor seemed to fall flat as Blake just stared at him with those amber eyes of hers, her breath caught in her chest, "-my mom paid a heavy cost too. Whether it be in money or health or in suffering under the stress of raising me while I put myself through all this, it all wore down on her... it even cost her some of her happiness, I think. To see me putting myself through that day after day, knowing that... that she wouldn't stop me. I wouldn't stop me either... despite what I was putting us through, I just kept going and willingly let this go on."
"And... and even if my mother 'begged' me to stop... I don't think I would have. I would have continued to push as hard as I could... until I would have either been forced to give up by someone with the power to make me quit or until I died..."
"Most Grimm can't be beat unless you have Aura. So no, I honestly don't think you can become a Huntsman without it."
"Deku!? What are you doing here?!"
"Kacchan, I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!"
"Izuku... it turned out they were wrong though. It was pure negligence... you could've been a Huntsman all that time."
Izuku held back tears as Blake spoke. Gods, what a lie. What a horrible lie when he put it into the context of everything he put himself and his mother through. To condense all that suffering on his part and on hers to 'it was just a mistake'.
"Even so Blake... I... I was just lucky. I was lucky that someone came along and found out that I 'could' be a Huntsman, that I could be a Hero... but that doesn't change the fact that 'I' did all that. That knowing what I did at the time, even if... even if it was wrong, I still thought I was Broken. I was still putting my mother through watching me almost destroy myself to chase an impossible dream. In a way... I guess I do understand Jekyll's feelings somewhat. No matter what I do as a Huntsman, regardless of how many people I save... I don't think I'll ever really be able to make it up to my mother. Everything I did, I did myself. It wasn't anyone else's fault but my own. Even if I live out my dream, even if I become a Symbol of Peace... I'll have to live with that..."
There's a heavy silence that sat between the pair of them as Izuku finished. He'd long since clenched his hands together so tightly that his knuckles have practically gone white. He wasn't sure at the time how Blake was responding to all that, honestly he hadn't the guts to really look her in the fact right after admitting all that. Gods, she'd just asked about a character from a book and what he'd done and here he was, talking about the worst thing he'd probably done and to his mother no less. His friends, they were good people. He didn't want to think about what must've been going through her mind at the moment, what she must've thought about what he did.
"... It's hard, having a big dream like that, a dream that everyone thinks isn't possible. Especially when pursuing it hurts the people you care about..." He paused for a second as Blake spoke, the black haired young woman nervously fiddling with her hair as she seemed to try to speak. "I'm no expert on parents but... it really does sound like your mother cares about you a lot. That she made a choice that she was going to support your dream... even if it was impossible. I mean... it is a choice, right? Between telling your child that their dreams aren't... aren't feasible, that they're making a mistake and between supporting them, even when it might be impossible. The latter... it sounds like it was really painful... but she chose to put herself and you through it too, right?"
"What am I even trying to say..." He heard Blake mutter to herself. He got the feeling she didn't do this often. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that... this was a choice you and your mother made together. You made it because you wanted to save people and... she made it because she... loves you?" It seemed more like a question and he almost chuckled at her uncertainty. "And that... you're right, you didn't make a mistake like Jekyll made. You hurt her... but she was willing to go through with it for you. That it might not be as hard to get her to forgive you as you imagine..."
"I mean... that's just what I think it sounds like, anyway..."
"-and I'm so sorry for that."
"I'm your mother... if I'm not going to have faith in my son and his dreams them who will... how could I have expected you to live up to any potential you had if I didn't have faith in you. From now on... I'm going to be behind you 100% Izuku. I'll support you no matter what you decide to do or where your life goes."
He was not entirely sure when she did it but, somewhere along the line, Blake surreptitiously slipped him a bit of cloth. As he dabbed it around his eyes he finally looked back up to face Blake and handed the cloth back. She looked uncomfortable with being the person in the position of trying to comfort someone for once and it seemed like being seated with him while he was crying his eyes out in the middle of the library with everyone around to see and whisper about was causing her no small amount of embarrassment.
Even still, she was trying to offer up a look of sympathy and he can't say that it came off any more awkwardly than his own attempts.
"Blake... thanks..." After he finished crying his little heart out, Blake flinched back a bit as she scratched her cheek.
"It's... fine. I really didn't say that much and, well, what I did say was pretty mangled. You don't need to thank me."
"Still, I'm going to. You... gave me a lot to think about and some time to really put it out there. I didn't realize that all of this was weighing on me like it was... maybe because I was avoiding thinking about it at all." His expression firmed up into a determined one, a turn that surprised the amber eyed girl across from him, as he did his best to smile. "I think I'm going to call my mom again soon. Just so that she doesn't worry... besides, it's as much the result of her hard work that I'm here as it is mind, so it seems right. So... thanks again for helping me realize it Blake." Blake just smiled as best she could at the end of that and, despite some hesitation on her part, she nodded.
"Well... if you're going to insist on thanking me, then I suppose I have no choice by to say that you're welcome." The two of them chuckled for a moment and, before long, Izuku stopped crying, people stopped whispering around he and Blake and the two of them... well, surprisingly, actually got back to discussing the book itself. Izuku don't feel liberated or any cheesy thing like that but... talking about all that and having Blake, in her own awkward way, tried to reassure him... it did make him feel at least a little bit better, for now. Soon enough an hour, and then two, passed along and he and Blake took notice.
"Oh man, I meant to pick up some books myself. It's gotten pretty late." Izuku mentioned as Blake nodded.
"Yeah, I was going to turn this in after finishing it so that I could get another book. Didn't think I'd be sitting down for an in-depth discussion of it." Izuku couldn't help but smile at that.
"Still, I think it was... fun." He chuckled nervously, the beginning part of discussing the book with Blake probably wasn't exactly 'fun' but it did get there eventually. Blake nodded in agreement.
"Yeah... I had considered joining up with the Literature Club a little while back but... well, it was a bit of a bigger group than I might've liked. Plus between all of Tenya's team activities and... other stuff, I didn't have much time for it." Blake looked down at her copy of the book, a curious look coming over her face. "But... I think I could enjoy doing something like this more often. And... you seem like a pretty good person to read with Izuku... if you'd be interested, I wouldn't mind picking up similar books for us to discuss." Izuku blinked in some surprise at Blake's suggestion and gave it some thought… he looked over the books, and said the first one that caught his eye.
"Frankenstein: The Modern Sage."
"The Modern Sage huh? Another classic and one I was looking forward to reading but I didn't think you'd be up on reading that, Izuku." Blake's surprise caused him to smile, as if he'd won some minor battle by going with that one. When he'd agreed to Blake's request she seemed rather genuinely pleased.
"Well, the way you described it made it sound like a good and interesting book so, hey, why not." Izuku said with a bit of a laugh as Blake's visage broke into a small grin for a moment.
"It's as good a reason to read a book as any, really." With that Blake took one of the copies of Frankenstein into her own personal bag while he took his own copy into his hands. "Alright so we'll read this and... well, I'm a pretty fast reader. Just tell me whenever you're done and then we can get together to discuss it." He nodded somewhat enthusiastically himself as he stood up.
"Yeah, sounds great Blake. Now, I've got a few books to find myself for classes this week so... I think I should get on that." Blake just nodded as she began packing up her own things and he took that as his own signal to head off. As he did so however-
"Hey, listen, Izuku." He turned to face her and he saw a slight frown on Blake's face. "You... haven't heard any stupid rumors about... you or me going around, have you?" Izuku blinked in some confusion as Blake asked this, before shaking his head no. Blake sighed in visible relief as she looked around at the crowd of people sitting around the library. It's quick but he noticed a few of them glancing his way and then whispering here and there. "Just... do me a favor and if you hear any ridiculous rumors, just try to ignore them, okay?"
"Uh... sure Blake, no problem." With that, and one last curious look to the side that he couldn't quite read, Blake wandered on off, leaving him to his business in the library.
He would never admit this aloud to another soul, but Tenya Iida found a slight spring to his step as he finished gathering his books, deftly pivoting on the ball of his foot and heading for one of the nearby tables in the library. Ruby and Izuku had liked his cooking attempts the other day, and it had inspired him to try several more recipes. Or at least take some ideas and see if his more culinary-acclimated teammates could help him do it properly. As much as he wanted to crow about what he's accomplished already, it wouldn't have been possible without the teaching of his teammates, and reminded him he still had far to go before reaching their level.
It wasn't something he would dedicate his life to, but he found it a rather pleasing hobby. Him, of all people, with a hobby.
"Is that a good book?"
Tenya blinked as he was snapped back to reality, quickly looking around to find the source of the voice when he noticed Blake was actually sitting down at the table with one of her tiny smiles of bemusement. "I didn't know you enjoyed cooking that much."
"Ah! I apologize for not greeting you, Miss Belladonna! I was in thought." Idly he noted the several books that she had set onto the table. Only two of them seemed to have any correlation to their learning curriculum, while a thinner book was sandwiched in the middle. But he had rudely ignored her inquiry, and straightened his back before explaining. "I was actually pondering the similarities between cooking and engineering." Her eyebrow piqued elegantly, and he took that as a request to explain. "You see, no meal or device is simply made complete. They require specialized parts and ingredients, put together in a particular fashion and dutifully overseen so as to create a final product that everyone can enjoy, and one can make personal adjustments and nuances would improve the product even more so. I find it rather fascinating, and I am enjoying the act of learning how to make things more than I expected I would."
Rather than respond, she leaned an elbow atop her book pile and let out a soft 'hmm' in her own musings on the matter. "That's actually a really good point. I never really thought about the hard work people put into either of them, to be honest." There was something wistful in her tone, but he couldn't comprehend its origin.
"Neither did I! It really makes me appreciate all the hard work my mother put into her meals. I am genuinely humbled." He nodded firmly, when he noticed her wince ever so slightly. His smile curled into a thoughtful frown, about to open his mouth and make an inquiry before Blake beat him to the punch.
"Tenya...what's your family like?" Her tone was hesitant, and her gaze drifted to the table. "I don't mean to pry, but I guess I forget people have families and lives outside of when I see them. You've been asking about us, but I don't think any of us have really asked much about you." She looked back at him, a surprising firmness in her stare. "I want to fix that."
Once again, he found himself taken aback by his teammates and their thoughtfulness. They've all gone out of their way to include him in their own interests, and it brought a flare of pride to know they thought so highly of him as to ask about his own life.
And before you ask, No, he wasn't crying!
After several quick breaths he wiped at the sudden and totally unrelated expression of moisture in his eyes, and was thoroughly ignoring Blake's smirk as he finally spoke up. "Well, my family has always been very active. My grandfather is the head of the family, as well as our company, while my father takes care of many operations and deals. Mother has always been incredibly supportive of us, while father has been insistent on Tensei and I becoming Hunters."
"Sounds like a lot of pressure."
"It was, but only because we were expected to live up to our family name."
"But what about your dad? Was he a hunter too?"
"No. His aura is not as strong as ours, so grandfather felt he would only risk himself."
"I see."
Something in her tone was speculative, but he pushed it aside. "What about yours, Blake?" She blinked. "Well, when I asked about parents before, you didn't seem to say anything. I don't wish to be rude, but I admit there I feel some curiosity." He quickly brought his hands up. "Though if you wish to keep such to yourself, I will by no means judge. You are allowed your privacy, so please don't take my inquiry as some form of order!" His voice was steadily growing louder as he spoke, worried he'd managed to insult his partner. Maybe she didn't know! Maybe she lost her family to the Grimm! And he, in his arrogance, had ignorantly stamped all over such raw feelings and emotions! His rudeness knew no bounds! He would apologize right awa-
"I was just embarrassed, actually."
And there went that idea!
"The fact is, well, can you promise to keep it between us." He nodded vigorously. "The truth is, my parents are in charge of..an entire village." The last part was squeaked out, and he found himself leaning in the table intently. Thankfully she continued. "The village isn't all that big, so I doubt you could find it on a map or anything. And I'm not embarrassed by them, honestly, but I know Yang would make jokes about me being some kind of princess." As much as Tenya wanted to defend their teammate, it was hard to do so against facts. "But I haven't really talked to them in awhile. I love my parents with all my heart, but the last time I did we got into a fight, and I kinda sorta ran away from home." Now her face had a growing flush of crimson, idly dragging a nail over the cover of a book.
He wanted to yell at her for doing something so reckless, but they were in a library, and the librarian had already given him a few hard glares. And, more importantly, he wouldn't dare cast such aspersions on his partner. "I see." He managed, ignoring how she seemed to tense up. "Well, have you talked to them since then?" She shook her head, and he sighed before moving his chair closer to hers. "Miss Belladonna..Blake..I am sure you had your reasons, and I will not inquire about them. But I do insist that you at least contact your parents, to inform them of your safety if nothing else."
Her response was a snort. "I just can't. I acted like such a brat, and I-I don't want to see how angry they are at me for it."
"Which do you think they are doing more of; angry that you left home without saying anything, or worried that you haven't talked to them and they are unaware of your health?"
The answer should have been obvious, but she found herself turning even redder even as her neck began to tense and then loosen in a quick cycle. He was sure he'd overstepped some bounds, and would vocally apologize for his behavior later. But he recalled the behavior Ruby had spoken about when her own teammate was unruly, and how Izuku told her some things simply needed to be confronted instead of being left to fester. It was obviously something that Blake thought about, and hopefully it would help some of her unease. "If nothing else, Blake, I would ask you to consider it at your own pace. I will leave you to do so." He slowly got to his feet, only to stop and look down at her. "And one last thing, if I may be so bold."
Eventually she looked up.
He smiled and gave her a firm thumbs up. "I support your affections for Izuku."
Naturally surprised at this bluntness, she blushed, sputtered, and sprang to her feet. "How-I mean," She coughed and calmed herself down from yelling. "What makes you think I have a crush on Izuku." Her words came out in a hissed whisper.
"I was told by Ruby, who was told by Mister Ren, who was told by Miss Valkyrie, who was told by Professor Aizawa, who was told by Professor Yagi."
"Of course." She muttered and started to sink into her chair again.
"Indeed. And while I'm quite certain Miss Xiao Long has feelings for him as well, I will remain impartial and support both of your romantic endeavors." He nodded and offered what he hoped was a encouraging smile. "I wish you both the best of luck." With his blessings given, he turned to head out of the library with books in tow, all in all feeling very positive about the whole endeavor.
From the way Blake was rolling her face on the table, at least her mood was better than it was before. Very positive indeed!
E/N: Meet The Spy by Preventer Squall at the end.
-Shovern
Thus we come to how we finally got to bring Blake more into Izuku's circle of friends. Like Tokoyami, you kind of have to force her out of her comfort zone in order to get her in a story properly.
However, Blake has some...problems in this story that come from the simple fact that the posters on Spacebattles already know most of her issues. It becomes more obvious later in the story, but it starts here by bringing up Izuku's failure to work out his issues with his mother, and how that works into Blake's own guilt with her parents.
-Wind-waker
A/N: Due to a mistake I made in calculating the dates in my head, this one ended up coming out a day late. Rest assured, the next chapter will come out on the 7th still like it would have under the old schedule.
Apologies for the inconvenience.
-gorilla_fingers