I'm not grounded anymore! After the tournament, I was officially ungrounded, and the rest of the week has gone as usual. Lessons are starting to intensify now we've got exams coming up, and we've got mocks soon as well, so it's time to up the studying.
Training has been going well too. I can see in darkness now almost as well as I can see in daylight - I still walk into the side of the odd piece of furniture though. I've also learnt I can't use my Rifting for as long as I thought either, and it works best at mid-distance. The journey from home to school is too long.
My training has focused lately putting as much power as I can behind a small force - there might be times I'm working in small spaces, but my moves are restricted due to the size. Stamina training is also common.
Today is Saturday; last day of school and then our sacred day's break. Yamada's become notably strict in English and that bothers me slightly.
Bakugo hasn't spoken to me since I beat him. It's making things very awkward actually. He's not being angry as such, just completely ignoring my existence.
It's lunchtime. Our group of Shoto, Midoriya, Ochako, Iida, Bakugo, Kirishima, Tsuyu and me - Tokoyami and Momo don't seem to be here currently - sit in the back corner of the room. Bakugo and Kirishima aren't actually with us yet, they're talking with Sero by the front of the classroom.
"I liked that tournament thing we had," Ochako says. "Everything else has been so boring lately."
Midoriya nods. "Yeah, but with the Sports Festival, internships, the Hero Killer, all at the start of the year, I guess we're all used to high levels of excitement."
"Kurono! Can you please get off the table!"
"Put a sock in it, Iida." I stick my tongue out at him.
We all suddenly turn to Bakugo, who is storming towards us angrily, Sero and Kirishima behind him, looking anxious.
"Bakugo, I really don't think this is a good i-"
"SHUT UP, STUPID HAIR!" He takes a breath and looks at me. "You, you're the only one here who's beat me. But you're not gonna hold that title, okay?! Fight me, after school, back at Gym Gamma, Quirks this time. Then we'll see who the best in the class is."
The class has fallen silent.
"No."
"NO?!"
"No." I shrug. "I would lose."
"No...NO! No, you will fight me! I need to prove tha-"
I stand up. "Bakugo, come with me." I hadn't realised how darkly and coldly I just said that, and the rest of the class is now 'ooooooooh'-ing softly.
Bakugo and I walk out the classroom, then I lead him down the corridor, down the stairs and onto the next floor.
"I'm not going to fight you," I say, finally.
"WHAT?! Why the fuck d'you take me all the way here for then?!"
"Calm down, there's no way we were going to have a coherent conversation with the pressure of the class and your own pride interfering." Okay. Rant time. "For starters, I'm not the best in the class. I'm the best at fighting Quirkless it would seem, but there's a reason you won the Sports Festival and I didn't. My Quirk is dark based, you wiped the floor with Tokoyami and the guy beat me in the Sports Festival, so there's no way I'd be able to win by using Quirks. So stop beating yourself up, okay? If there weren't any bounds then you would've definitely won, so stop throwing a tantrum that you didn't win, because life isn't fair and shit happens. If you always win, you don't learn how to lose, which can be detrimental to your overall success. Get over yourself."
Bakugo looks at me in apparent shock.
"You're a piece of shit," I continue, "but I consider you a friend. Please don't ruin that, and make everything awkward for everyone, and just take it on the chin."
We walk back up to the classroom in silence. As we walk in, everyone turns around abruptly, pretending they weren't all looking to Jiro to hear what we said.
"Where did she take you, Bakugo?" Mineta asks in that stupid, suggestive tone of his.
"WHAT YOU TRYNA GET AT, SHORTY?!"
"Calm down, Bakugo." I roll my eyes. "Mineta's just jealous because he knows I'd kiss every guy in this class before I even considered his existence." I sneer down at him. "You have no redeemable qualities."
"Bit harsh, Kurono," he sniffles. "I was only joking!"
Bakugo and I return to our group and I calmly explain how everything's sorted, before sitting back down on Shoto's desk. Conversation moves onto the up and coming exams.
"Ribbit, everything is getting more intense at school."
"Yeah, I've noticed that too," Kirishima points out. "I'm super stressed though, I suck at exams."
I nod my head. "Same, it's like a constant mental battle just to succeed."
"Yeah, but at least you actually do well in exams!" Kirishima continues. "Even though you only did school from when you were ten, you still managed to get into Yueii and on recommendations. I just can't seem to study right."
"Hey, well, we're all here if you need help with anything," Midoriya says.
"Yeah!" I smile. "Although I can only probably help with maths, as that's my strongest subject by far. Don't ask me anything about modern literature."
Halfway through our conversation, Momo suddenly enters the room with a level of urgency. "Kurono! Mr Principal wants to speak to you! It's important!"
Oh no. What have I done now? I don't think I've done anything wrong? Have I?
The class once again 'oooooooh's deeply.
"Did he say what for?"
She shakes her head.
Well fuck. I stand up and head over to the door. "If I don't return, assume the worst."
As I walk down to Nezu's office, I try to list as many things as I can in my head on why I've been called to his office. Nothing jumps out at me though, for once I have actually behaved and done nothing wrong.
I knock twice on the door before entering. Inside, behind his desk, is Nezu, and three seats are in front. Two of the seats are already filled, one by Aizawa, another by a policeman, one who I've not seen in a very long time and had practically forgotten about…
"Ah, Kurono! Please, take a seat, you're not in trouble."
Well that answers one question. I take up Nezu's offer and sit down in between Aizawa and the police officer. Aizawa's face has such an unusual expression: he doesn't look happy, but for once he's trying to hide that fact.
"Would you like some tea? Coffee?"
"No thanks. Not a huge fan."
"I see. Well, I'll get straight to the point. You remember Detective Inspector Yoshi Noriko?"
Vaguely. I nod.
Then he says five words. Five words I never expected to hear.
"Kurono, we found your parents."
~¥.¥~
Hello boys and girls. I would apologise for the cliffhanger but I'm not sorry at all. I put it in there deliberately, to make you suffer, because I'm a cruel writer like that. Ahahahaha.
That's all I have to say for this chapter.
