kaycblu: thank you so much! ❤! i'm so happy you enjoyed it! please, enjoy this one too! (´ ∀ ` *)
bbymojo: you're very welcome! i'm really happy you enjoyed it. it was so satisfying and fun to write. she's definitely opening up more ❤ it took a while, huh? haha. thank you so much! i'm happy you like her character design ! (＾▽＾) that was a very enjoyable project. I have another one ready to upload, but I won't do so just yet. it definitely has spoilers in it, ahah. after 3 or 4 more chapters i think i'll have reached the point where i can share it with you ❤. i'm so excited. thank you so much as always!
Oblivious IJ: dun dun dun duunnn ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ
Potato-Faye: Shoroki ~ ! aha ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡ ! Shotaru world domination!
Frenchie Is French: ahh, that makes me so happy ❤ thank you so much! they really are such cuties. i probably didn't go into as much depth as you would like, but i hope you enjoy this chapter! (´･ᴗ･ ` )
kirika o7: thank you so much! more Shotaru moments coming right up! i got a ton brewing. ～('▽^人) more so next chapter than this one. please look forward to it! ❤
jaffa3: thank you so much! i'm very happy you like it ❤ i have more artwork coming soon , ehe ~ (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ
Littlecosma001: omg, thank you so much! can't believe you binged it! ah, that means a lot. ❤ i'm very grateful to you and more than happy that you're enjoying this. Mineta and Hotaru are interesting friends, haha. and you're absolutely right. Shoto and Taru really aren't all that different. ❤ thank you a ton for reading, and i hope you enjoy this chapter too (* ^ ω ^)
Rynxenvy: i'm so happy! thank you. ❤ i really loved that chapter too. i actually kept rereading it myself, LMAO o(^ω^)o they are finally melting ~ !
lovelyhatter: thank you so much! that means so much to me. words can't even express how much. ❤ ! ah, i'm so grateful and happy. here's the next chapter, for you !
Emocean: thank you so much! i'm very grateful! i hope you enjoy this chapter, too! ❤
lmc9389: her parents are exactly as they seem—the type that like to hurt people. of course, there's more to them as well. this story is no where near close to being done, so some things are still in shades of gray. i'm coloring things a bit slowly, ehe. sorry about that. but i guarantee you'll get the answers to your questions as the story goes on. anyways, thank you a ton for reading! ❤ (*^‿^*)
•○●○•
hello, everyone!
i hope you all are doing well. ❤
school has started again and i'm sad about that, haha.
but, that's life. ヽ(ˇヘˇ)ノ
i hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone for reading.
thank you for sticking with me and keeping me company. ❤
this is fun, haha. i'm happy to write for everyone!
enjoy, and i apologize for any errors. ❤
❤•○●○•❤
Declarations of War
❤•○●○•❤
"Good morning, Sensei." Hotaru greets as she walks into the teacher's lounge, without scheduling an appointment as always.
All Might who's in his scrawny form starts to cough up blood in panic even though she's seen him like this many times. Thankfully, she still believes his identity to be "All Might's cousin." She bows to him in greeting as she passes by, heading straight towards her obvious favorite teacher.
"You're early." Aizawa states, annoyed that he can't rub at his tired eyes due to still being confined in bandages. "Class doesn't start until another hour."
She comes to a stop right beside his desk, giving him a closed-eyed smile with the smallest head tilt. In her hand is a small paper bag. It crinkles when she opens it and reaches inside. She pulls out a can of coffee and sets it on his desk, then placing a straw right next to it. He stares at it.
"What's this?" He mutters.
"It's for you." She pouts with a glare before turning to All Might. "I also got one for you too, cuzzo."
She tosses another can at him, and he catches it with ease. All Might grins widely, laughing at how she has been calling him "cuzzo." He's been craving some iced coffee like this, but he's more happy at how she's evolving than the gift itself. She's really starting to flourish.
"Thank you, Young Aihara." He says gratefully, and she nods.
"You're welcome. I've been walking to school lately to be more active." Hotaru begins with a smile. "I stopped by a convenience store on the way here to get a coffee, and I thought I'd get you both one too."
"Why?" Aizawa questions with his scratchy voice.
"Because, I felt like it." She answers, frowning at him while bringing her free hand to her hip. "You're also really tired all the time. So, I thought this would help you wake up a bit. Just say 'thank you.'"
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." She beams happily.
She places her bag on the table so she can have an extra hand to open the can for him. Once she does that, she carefully puts the straw in too before placing it directly in front of him. He's still all bandaged up and helpless, so there's no way he could've done that himself.
All Might snickers at Aizawa. It's such a family-like scene. Almost like a father and daughter. They really are cut from the same cloth. Aizawa instantly silences him with a glare. Hotaru raises a brow at the two, oblivious to what's going on in their heads.
"Anyways," Hotaru straightens up and grabs her bag. Her silver eyes become intense. "I'm going to go now. I just came to drop these off. There's something I need to look into before class starts."
"Look into?" Aizawa grumbles in question, looking at her with narrowed eyes. Whatever she needs to look into has made her happy attitude do an entire one-eighty. "You're not getting into trouble, are you?"
Hotaru blinks a few times as she gazes into Aizawa's serious eyes. She brings her finger to her chin, her lower lip protruding. She doesn't think she'll be getting into any trouble. But, what she wants to look into is troubling itself.
"Well, do you remember that group of general studies students that pushed me into a puddle?" She asks.
"Yeah." He answers with a heavy sigh. "I already told you that they've been dealt with accordingly."
"I know. I remember." She laughs, bringing her hand over her mouth as she does. He must be thinking she wants revenge. Revenge doesn't sound bad, but that's not what's really troubling her. "Don't worry, they are the least of my concerns. What I'm most concerned about is that puddle. It's been bothering me for the past few days."
"The puddle?" All Might repeats, looking at her in confusion.
"What's so concerning about a puddle?" Aizawa asks, voicing his and All Might's thoughts.
"The fact that it's a puddle." She answers with a straight face. "It's way too deep to be just that. I think it could be a pond. A neglected pond. So, I'm going to investigate. There will only be trouble if it turns out to be a pond. Because, to let a pond get in such a state is unforgivable and something I can't overlook."
Instantly after those words, she turns around with a parting wave. Only to pause when Aizawa suddenly calls out to her.
"Aihara," He voices her name, and she looks over her shoulder curiously. After a few seconds of studying her, he makes a statement. "You've been working hard."
"Of course." She smiles elatedly, giving him a two-figure salute. "You better watch me at the sports festival. I'm not going to hold back."
Aizawa and All Might watch silently as she leaves. When the door closes behind her, All Might rubs the back of his neck. Her bond with aquatic habitats and fish is… quite different. He looks over at Aizawa to ask what his thoughts are regarding that, only to gawk when he hears a slurping sound.
"How did you finish your coffee already, Aizawa-kun?!"
Hotaru walks down the hallway, gazing out the large windows that stretch down the outermost wall. The dissipating clouds are painted a coral and indigo color as the sun rises. Her lips curve upwards at the breathtaking sight, and she only tears her eyes away when she hears footsteps coming from ahead. Her eyes instantly light up at who it is. She hasn't seen the school nurse in a while.
"Good morning, Recovery Girl." Hotaru greets with a small bow. The old woman smiles and returns her respectful gesture.
"Good morning, dear. You're early today." Her eyes suddenly narrow. "You didn't skip breakfast to get here at such an early hour, did you?"
"Mhm," Hotaru hums in confirmation at her being early. She comes to a stop to talk to her some more, holding up her paper bag. "My breakfast is in here. I'll eat it before class. Don't worry. I don't skip any meals. I also get plenty of sleep, too."
"So, you've been taking care of yourself?" Recovery Girl smiles softly, relieved at that. She was genuinely worried for her health, and looking at her now it's evident she's been taking care of herself.
Her silver eyes seem to shine more brightly every time she sees her, and she no longer resembles a walking and scrawny zombie. She's naturally petite and slender, but the training she's been putting herself through is obviously starting to show. She's on the road to becoming in good shape, definitely growing physically stronger.
"Yeah, I finally took your advice to do so." Hotaru gracefully smiles, raising her hand to wave. "I need to get going now. It was nice talking to you. Enjoy your day."
"You too, dear." Recovery Girl looks after her retreating form with a smile of her own.
Once Hotaru steps outside into the fresh and dewy morning air, she pulls a green apple out of her bag and bites into it. She wipes away the juice that drips down her chin with her sleeve. Birds are singing and so are… cicadas. She stares at the ground as she walks to make sure she doesn't accidentally step on one of those. While she eats and walks to her destination, she looks skywards to reminisce the last few days.
The very moment she had recovered from her couple day cold, she started training daily. Instead of Daichi driving her to school, she insisted to walk instead to warm up for the day. Then after school, she carries out her detention task of picking up litter with her workout twist she added onto it.
Well, she won't be picking up any litter today since she's finished up her detention. Campus is spotless as of right now, too. However, she still will be staying after to train. There's so much more she can do here than at home.
Since she's already proficient with using her quirk, she's focusing on building up the one thing she lacks greatly. Muscle. She hasn't been completely ignoring training with her quirk, though. Her lips part as she suddenly remembers something. After school today, she had made plans with Mineta and Kaminari to get ice cream.
She finishes her apple and moves on to think of other things, or rather someone. Shoto. With a small smile, she starts to eat a protein bar. Just like she recovered from her cold, so did Shoto. Since then it feels like there has been a change between the two of them. She wouldn't exactly call themselves friends, but they aren't enemies either.
When they see each other, they greet each other. They don't really engage in conversations, but if they happen to it's usually kept short. She supposes them claiming to ignore each other's existence was a complete failure. Oh well. It's not like they'll become the best of friends again, but this is fine too. Either way, she's satisfied.
It doesn't take her long to reach her destination. She works her was through the shrubs and before long that so called "puddle" is in her sight. It looks like some of the water evaporated or soaked into the ground, because it looks smaller than before. Not only that. She pouts, noticing a downspout.
"...It really is just a puddle." She mutters to herself, sighing. It's good that it isn't an abandoned pond, but it's kind of disappointing too. It would be cool to have a pond on campus and back here in a private area. Well, whatever. She supposes she'll just idle her time before class starts.
She steps back onto the brick walkway and right in front of someone. Her silver eyes meet his droopy purple ones. They stare at each other in an awkward silence. His brow is raised due to the fact she is emerging from shrubs, and her eyes are curiously wide at someone else being at school early like herself. His lips slowly part, realization dawning on him due to her infamous silver orbs.
"Are you… Aihara?" He asks, bringing his hand to the back of his head in thought.
Hotaru blinks a few times in surprise. A student she doesn't know isn't calling her, "villain?" Interesting. She glances up at his wild indigo hair before making eye contact with him again.
"Yeah." She confirms, stepping the rest of the way out of the shrubs. "And you are?"
"Shinso." He answers, and she holds out her free hand.
"Nice to meet you, Shinso-san."
He stares at her hand, remaining motionless. Her amiable actions have caught him off guard, and the fact that she's talking to him so willingly. However, he knows the latter is because she isn't aware of his quirk. Those that do know of his quirk avoid talking to him and view him as the complete opposite of what he aspires to be. That doesn't explain her friendly gesture, though.
Slowly, Hotaru lowers her hand with pursed lips. This guy is kind of strange. He's also making her look like a complete idiot by not taking her hand. That might be because he is wary of her. Disappointing. She starts to turn away from him to leave until he asks her a question.
"Why did you enroll here?"
Because her parents told her to in order to infiltrate the school and spill out its secrets. Because she had to kill Shoto and do nothing but villainous things. Because she wanted to betray her parents and claim her revenge on them. But, there's no need for him to know that. She doesn't care to explain, either.
"To become a hero." She answers, and his eyes narrow skeptically. She doesn't like that look. It's like he's trying to provoke her, or maybe even place himself above her. Slowly, she smirks and faces him fully. "Was that not the answer you were looking for? Well, I can't simply tell you my secrets."
Her taunting tone and the way her eyes spark ominously, she's resembling the villain she is perfectly. He doesn't understand. How did she get accepted here? Why was she placed in class A? What makes her more capable of becoming a hero than him? It's because of her quirk.
"Don't tell me you actually expect to become a hero with that quirk of yours." He says, smirking himself. "You should just step down now. Lightning is only good for destruction."
Is this guy trying to pick a fight with her? He knows her quirk, so he knows who she is. Is he cocky or just plain stupid? Thinking about it, it's probably neither. He doesn't look like the foolhardy type. If she's being honest though, the answer doesn't really matter to her. What makes him think he can degrade her?
"Lightning is only good for destruction?" She repeats, a shadow falling over her face when she lowers her head. "Ugh, you really don't know a thing. Then again, you're not the only one. It's really annoying."
His eyes widen when she raises her head, gazing at him with those tenacious silver eyes. She holds her hand up in front of her and lightning sparks in her palm. He takes an instant backwards step, getting ready to use his quirk on her to defend himself until she starts babbling.
"Lightning is only destructive if you touch it. Haven't you ever seen a thunderstorm before? You should know how it works. Lightning begins in the clouds, and what creates it is little frozen raindrops bumping into each other which leads up to the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen is in the atmosphere, and lightning can break that up and allow for the raindrops to bring it down to earth, which is essential for plants. Why else do you think grass starts to turn a healthy green after the first thunderstorm of the year?"
Her sparking finger is in his face, and her glowing narrowed eyes are staring directly into his. A bead of sweat trickles down his temple. She has caught him off guard again, and her next actions make him utterly perplexed.
With an alluring smile, she lowers her hand and her lightning fades. Her eyes return to their original color and she takes a step back, giving him space and no longer cornering him. The rising sun is able to peek through the thick branches over their heads, making rays of light shine onto her.
"What I'm saying is, lightning is a fertilizer too. Even though it's one of the most destructive things on the planet, that's not the only thing it's good for." She turns away from him, her skirt and hair swaying. "You shouldn't pick fights like that, especially with me. Clearly you were trying to hinder me, but..."
As she starts to walk away, she looks at him one last time from over her shoulder. His eyes are wide as he stares after her. She smirks, and her next words make his teeth grit.
"I'm going to try even harder now. Don't think for a second that you can influence me."
Shinso remains in the same spot, glaring after her with tightly formed fists. Clearly she doesn't know a thing either, because he could've easily taken control over her and made her do and say whatever he wanted. She's arrogant. However, he lets out a dry chuckle while bringing his hand over his face.
For a villain, her words were very thought-provoking. He tried to bring her down, but instead she remained in the clouds. His hand drops back to his side to reveal his crafty smirk.
She's shortsighted for that.
•○●○•
Shoto sits at his desk, staring off into space as he waits for homeroom to start. He came a little early today, and surprisingly Hotaru did too. As of right now, the two of them are the only ones sitting in class.
He's glad the cold he caught wasn't a bad one. Hotaru evidently was the one who got the brunt of it, since she missed two days rather than just one like he did. His siblings were worried, insisting that he caught a cold from "overworking himself." On the other hand, his father was miffed.
Regardless of their feelings, he didn't explain how that cold of his came to be. Doing so would've been too troublesome. It was admittedly nice to have a day off. It seems he needed a short break more than he thought. The aftermath left him feeling more energized. He's been training even more diligently since.
"Hey, Shoto."
He looks over at Hotaru right after she says his name. Something he noticed lately is that she uses his first name a lot more often now. She tends to only use his last name when she's annoyed at him, or when she's ridiculing him.
Even though she called out to him, she's not looking his way. She's staring ahead thoughtfully with her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Her legs are crossed, and her eyelids lower slightly.
"What?" He inquires.
"Do you know someone with purple eyes and messy indigo hair?" She asks, her head turning in his direction. "He's a student here, and his name is…" She trails off for a second, seeming to have forgotten his name. "...Shinso? Yeah. Shinso is his name."
Shoto thinks for a short moment. The given name and described appearance doesn't ring any bells. He's suddenly curious about who this person is, and why she's asking if he knows him. It strikes him as strange.
"No." He answers. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering." She mutters with a tiny frown, looking back ahead. He stares at her for a few seconds. She looks bothered.
"Did he do something?" He questions.
"Well," She begins, fiddling with her tie. "I met him earlier by chance. He was trying to provoke me, but it was weird." Her hands drop into her lap, and she leans back in her seat. "I can't help but to feel wary of him. It was like he was trying to dig inside my head..."
She stares up at the ceiling with her brows knitted together, her lips downturned. When she was talking to him, she immediately marked him down as shifty. Clearly he was picking a fight, but he wasn't showing any signs of aggression or intention to fight right then and there. He was telling her to give up… telling her she can't be a hero with her quirk.
Honestly, what he said doesn't really bother her. She already knows she's capable of becoming a hero, and so many people believe in her. She had already come to terms with herself and already set goals she doesn't intend to give up on. The bright path she's on right now, she's not going to waver from it at all. What's bothering her mainly is Shinso himself.
Something in her gut is telling her she shouldn't treat him lightly, and normally her gut instinct is very accurate. Being a villain for so long, she can usually detect those with scheming and shady intents. However, he's not a villain. Interesting. This would be the first time she's wary of someone who isn't a villain or hero.
"It's probably because the sports festival is next week. A lot of people have been picking out their rivals." Shoto informs, and her lips part.
"Oh. I didn't even think of that." She murmurs. "Maybe that's why. But," She looks over at him seriously, not being able to just abandon this hunch of hers. "Be careful around him."
It's clear Hotaru's on edge because of this person. With how she's warning him to be careful too, he can't help but to take her advice for now. He doesn't think he should doubt her intuition when it comes to things like this. She grew up around wrongful people, so surely she can easily pick people like that out.
"I will." He agrees, and she smiles slightly. She turns in her seat to face him, her eyes suddenly sparkling.
"Oh, that reminds me. Have you heard of the nitrogen cycle? I just learned about it yesterday when I was watching the weather channel..." She leans forward, telling him about the nitrogen cycle he already knows about. He listens silently. When it comes to the weather or fish;
She's such a fanatic.
•○●○•
"I didn't know you were so fluent in English, Aihara-san." Yaoyorozu smiles at Hotaru. The school day has flown by, and it's nearly time to leave already. "When you read your assigned paragraph out loud, I was surprised."
Hotaru's lip curve upwards graciously, her eyes closing briefly. She feels touched to receive a compliment from easily one of her smartest classmates. Yaoyorozu is pretty good with English herself. Even she was surprised.
"Thank you." Hotaru smiles. "My mother is from America, so she spoke in English frequently. I was able to pick the language up at an early age. That's one thing I can say I was fortunate to have learned from her. Although," She sweat-drops. "I learned bad words before the good ones."
"Goodness." Yaoyorozu brings her hand over her lips in horror.
"Two-Face is known for her temper." Tokoyami states, not seeing any reason to be surprised. He's standing next to them in the back corner of the classroom. Shoto's standing nearby too, although not being involved in their conversation. He only listens silently.
"...And her sexiness." Mineta murmurs to himself, making the trio look at him blankly. "What? It's the truth! She's known for seducing her victims with her dangerous visuals, like Taru-chan!"
"Huh?" Hotaru drags out, facing him with a scowl. He recoils at her intense glare. "Don't say things that'll get you shocked. Me and my mom are polar opposites, got it?"
"B-But, you really do pull people into a trance!"
"Mineta-kun," She gives him a bland look. "You can look at any female and get seduced, and it's disgusting."
"You are the scum of the earth." Jiro joins in, agreeing with Hotaru while walking over from the other side of the room.
"Eh?!" Mineta wails, flinging his arms everywhere.
"I don't know, Taru-chan." Kaminari casually walks over, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "Sometimes you do cast a spell on people."
"Says the other pervert of class." Hotaru huffs, shrugging him off while crossing her arms. He holds his hands up in mock surrender. "Whatever you're talking about is clearly in your head." She waves them off. "You guys haven't even seen me intimidate my mother before."
"Wait, have you actually done that?" Kaminari gawks.
Hotaru remains silent at the multiple pairs of curious and stunned eyes staring at her. Slowly but surely, her cheeks begin to darken in embarrassment. She coughs into her fist, looking off to the side at nothing in particular.
"...A few times." She admits.
"Why?" Jiro raises a brow, looking at her queerly.
"Desperate times calls for desperate measures." She mutters her answer, and Mineta runs up to her.
"Do it now!"
Letting out a sigh, Hotaru moves over and sits down on top of her desk. Her eyelids lower and she crosses her legs. Shoto looks over at her as she smirks and cracks her eyes open. A shadow covers the majority of her face. Her lips part, making Kaminari and Mineta lean loser in anticipation. Yaoyorozu's eyes grow wide while Jiro and Tokoyami wear rather indifferent expressions.
"No." Hotaru smiles brightly with sparkles appearing around her, making Mineta jab a finger at her.
"Why?!" He blurts.
"You can't just leave us hanging like that!" Kaminari adds on, and Hotaru runs her fingers through her hair.
"As if I would imitate her." She huffs, staring down at her feet. "You guys wouldn't be able to handle it."
"What are you implying?" Jiro narrows her eyes at Hotaru. "Stop being so cocky."
"Cocky?" Hotaru repeats with a frown. "I'm not cocky."
"She's a pushover." Shoto corrects.
"Excuse me?" Hotaru shoots Shoto a glare.
"I can see that." Tokoyami nods, and Hotaru's glare falters. She looks over him instantly.
"W-What?" She stutters out in a desperate tone. "I'm not!"
"Now that you mention it, Aizawa-sensei can scare her with just a glance. The Principal too." Jiro muses aloud with a smirk just before looking at her curiously. "Do heroes scare you?"
Hotaru stares at her for silently for a moment. Her eyes are wide and brows are furrowed, and her lower lip juts out as she pouts. She adjusts the collar of her shirt before bringing her hands down to lightly grip the edge of her desk.
"Being around heroes does make me a little nervous. I find them unpredictable." She admits softly, flexing her fingers. "Villains on the other hand are more predictable to me, but I get nervous around them too."
"You're uncomfortable around both?" Yaoyorozu asks, and she shakes her head.
"I wouldn't say that. I'm having a hard time wording this." She smiles a little sheepishly. "Villains and heroes are both really strong, but they're on different sides of the same coin. For the longest, I've been stuck on the edge."
Tucking some strands of hair behind her ear, she smiles tenderly. Her silver orbs suddenly resemble gently rolling clouds. The sun shining from the window behind her makes some of her wavy locks take on an ivory tint.
"It's not like I fear them. Sensei and Nezu—I like them a lot, but I know I shouldn't get them angry. I pick who I should fear and trust, regardless of their status. Hero or villain, each individual is different. Beliefs are circumstantial. So, I can't help thinking twice." She says. "Everyone's a little self-centered."
That's when Shoto feels like he understands Hotaru a little more. She acknowledges a person's hero or villain status, but that's ultimately it. No two heroes are the same just like no two villains are the same. Maybe they act similarly, but they think differently. It's like picking out a book.
When searching for one, you already have a genre in mind. However, even books part of the same genre are diverse. The covers can be deceptive. You have to read the summary of it before deciding to dive in.
He watches as she perks up when the final bell rights, and his eyes glaze over in thought. She's a forethoughtful person, always on her toes until she hits a certain point. She has the instincts of a predator.
"So, you have trust issues." Jiro bluntly states, making Hotaru's expression dull.
"That makes sense." Yaoyorozu brings her hands over her chest, astonished. "You were raised as a villain, which means you were led to distrust heroes, and due to your status heroes naturally distrust you. Now that you're trying to become one, that instinct still remains, and now the villains you used to trust turned against you." Her eyes sadden. "You have no choice but to be wary of everyone…"
"Taru-chan…" Kaminari says wistfully, placing his hand on her shoulder in support.
Hotaru stares at them with widened eyes, blinking. That's not what she was trying to depict at all. That makes her sound like a complete wimp. It's not like she struggles to trust people, she just doesn't do so right away. Even a hero can be a stranger.
Part of her just wants to go with it, but another part of her wants them to understand. However, that'll lead into an entirely new story—the story she told Sensei. She doesn't want to share that with them. She'll keep this brief. It's time for a topic change.
"I don't have trust issues at all." She frowns, waving her hand through the air in objection. "I'm just saying that people can be misleading sometimes. Anyways," She looks over at Mineta with a smile. "Are you ready to hang out?"
"Wait, what?" Jiro looks between Hotaru and a drooling Mineta in disgust. "You're actually going to hang out with him?!"
"Don't forget about me." Kaminari grins, pulling Hotaru into a half-embrace. Jiro sweat-drops while Hotaru nods happily.
"Mhm," She smiles, holding her hand out to Jiro. "Did you want to come, too?"
"You're…" She stares at Hotaru's inviting hand before looking into her limitless eyes. "...Trash."
"Taru-chan isn't trash. She's sexy." Mineta murmurs with a perverted smile. "I need to use the bathroom first. I'll be back for you, my sexy anti-hero."
"Sure." Hotaru waves him off. Jiro, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, and even Shoto give her some sort of an outrageous look.
"She's audacious." Tokoyami mutters, sweat gliding down his beak. Yaoyorozu brings her hand over her mouth in horror as she agrees. She's unbelievably audacious.
Hotaru's eyelids lower as Mineta walks away. The small boy passes by Shoto while giving him a smug look, making him confused. What's with that expression? Shoto gets his answer instantly.
"Taru-chan is mine, Todoroki." Mineta whispers disturbingly with pressuring eyes. He wipes drool from the corner of his lips. It's almost as if he's challenging him. "You can't take her from me."
Shoto stares after him as he walks over to the door. He blinks a few times, wondering if he was hallucinating for a second. He wasn't. Where did that come from?
He looks over at Hotaru and his head tilts slightly. She's talking to Kaminari with a smile. He doesn't have any intentions to bond with her in the way those two want. Him and Hotaru are just acquaintances and he's fine with that. However, if he really wanted to, he's more than certain he could—
"Wh-What's going on?" Uraraka's startled voice suddenly grabs everyone's attention.
Hotaru's eyes crack open. Her and Shoto simultaneously look towards the doorway. The door is wide open and there are countless students in the hall. Some have their phones out with their cameras pointing inside their room, some stare in mere curiosity, while a great number of others wear challenging glares.
"What's with the crowd?" Hotaru murmurs, eyes narrowing slightly. This unexpected visit doesn't exactly seem friendly.
"I'm not sure." Yaoyorozu answers in a whisper, appearing worried.
"What business do you have with Class A?" Iida asks pointedly.
"We can't get out!" Mineta runs forward in panic before he glares. "What'd you come here for, anyway?!"
"Scouting out the enemy, small fry." Bakugo mutters, walking past him and towards the doorway. Mineta points after him and looks at sheepish Midoriya in panic. "We're the ones who made it out of the villains' attack. They probably wanna check us out before the sports festival. There's no point in doing stuff like that."
Bakugo comes to a stop in front of the crowd, and the majority of them visibly grow tense. Some even take a backwards step. Bakugo gives them all a dirty look before saying something that nearly makes Hotaru laugh.
"Out of my way, extras!"
"Stop calling people 'extras' just because you don't know them!" Iida scolds him.
While the class panics because of Bakugo, and as Iida continues to scold him, Hotaru starts to frown. Is that really why all of those students are here? If so, this would be the second time this happened to her today. She finds herself agreeing with Bakugo. Although she understands their curiosity, she doesn't really see how this is of any benefit to them—which makes it pointless.
"I came to see what the famous Class A was like, but you seem pretty arrogant." A familiar voice suddenly speaks.
Hotaru's eyes widen when she sees Shinso making his way through the crowd. He maneuvers to the front with ease, a few seeming to naturally steer clear of him. His eyes meet hers for a split second, his next words making her glare.
"Are all the students in the hero course like this? Seeing something like this for the second time makes me disillusioned."
Bakugo instantly growls, his face twisting in anger. Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, and Mineta shakes their heads quickly in denial and Shinso's question. However, Shinso doesn't believe that in the slightest. Hotaru sliding off of her desk with her own miffed expression doesn't help the situation.
Shoto recognizes Shinso from Hotaru's description of him earlier. He looks over at her to confirm if that's him, but her guarded stance says it all. Seeing him now, he can see how she would be vigilant. He does seem cunning.
"There are quite a few people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that?" Shinso questions idly. "The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems they may also transfer people out."
Hotaru's lips slowly part in surprise at that. She didn't give it much thought before, but she supposes it makes sense. Those who didn't score high on the entrance exam were put into other courses other than the hero one. Shinso must've been one of those people.
"Scouting out the enemy?" Shinso muses, his eyes lingering over her form longer than anyone else's. "I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll swipe your feet out from under you. I came with a declaration of war."
Hotaru crosses her arms over her chest, looking off to the side. She's no longer interested in this situation. It's essentially a repeat of earlier. She lets out a sigh and her brows furrow. Although, she does feel a little irked now. He calls them arrogant, yet he's the most arrogant one present. Coming all the way here and trying to brew trouble, declaring war so blatantly. He has amazing grit.
"You being a villain might have the greatest chance of getting transferred out." Shinso states, dragging her out of her thoughts. Is he trying to pick a fight with her again? How brash.
The majority of her class looks at her in panic when she meets Shinso's eyes. She stares at him impassively, not planning to respond. That's what he wants her to do and she won't take the bait. Clearly he's testing her and trying to make her slip somehow. Unfortunately for him, she doesn't just lunge at anybody. Besides, Aizawa would totally give her an earful.
Her gaze breaks away from his and falls onto a nervous Midoriya and Uraraka, and then a cautioning Iida who's telling her not to feed into Shinso's speech. She almost smiles and waves her hand to show that she's not going to do anything, until she looks at Mineta.
The small boy is wiggling in place and sweating. Oh, that's right. He has to use the restroom and these arrogant students aren't showing any signs of leaving. That changes things. Her friends are very high up on her priority list, so she'll help him out. She'll scatter the crowd.
"Oh?" Hotaru suddenly and finally speaks up. Her smirk makes nearly everyone panic. Shoto stares at her blankly as she moves by him.
She walks towards Shinso who looks to be the leader of the enemy scouting cult. Her hands are in her pockets, her head angled downwards so her bangs somewhat shield her eyes while casting a shadow. Her silver orbs gleam as she comes to a stop in front of Shinso and beside Bakugo. She stares directly into his violet eyes.
"Well, that doesn't sound very interesting to me. So, I better try my best. You guys want war, right? I'll give it to you. Me being a past villain…" She brings her index finger over her lower lip, sticking her tongue out in a frightening way while her eyes glow. An eerie our spreads and her irises shrink. "War is something I specialize in."
Nearly everyone clears a path for her like the originally wanted. The dark aura surrounding her fades in an instant. She smiles cutely before looking at Mineta in triumph.
"You can use the bathroom now, Mineta-kun." She beams brightly.
"I-I don't have to go anymore." He stutters.
She stares at him wordlessly for a few seconds, her smile fading. The blank look she's currently giving him slowly morphs into one of disgust. No way. Kaminari halfway voices her thoughts aloud.
"Did you…?!" He sputters, not wanting to finish that.
"Of course not." Mineta denies having an accident, gazing at Hotaru in alarm. "It just went back in. I never experienced this before. Taru-chan… you really are otherworldly!"
Turning away from him, she stares at the ground while bringing her hand over her face hopelessly. That's strange, and disgusting. Her lips gradually downturn though. Otherworldly, huh? Well, that's not wrong.
"Hey, hey!" Someone with messy gray hair suddenly roars from the crowd. "I'm from Class B next door! I heard you fought some villains, so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself! If you bark too much, it'll be embarrassing for you durin' the real fight!"
Because of him, all attention is temporarily drawn away from her. She lowers her hand and watches as Bakugo moves pass her to leave, making that gray-haired student furious for being ignored.
"Wait a minute, Bakugo!" Kirishima calls out to him with a deep frown. "What're you gonna do about all this? It's your fault that everyone is hating on us!"
"If anything, these guys are the ones hating on us." Hotaru murmurs under her breath, staring directly at Shinso. "You're the definition of conceited."
Bakugo glances at Hotaru, taking notice of her glaring eyes. He then looks over his shoulder and at a perturbed Kaminari. This entire thing is pointless. They're making a big deal out of nothing.
"It doesn't matter."
"Huh?!" Kirishima spouts.
"It doesn't matter as long as you rise to the top." Bakugo repeats coolly, and Hotaru's eyes widen.
She stares after Bakugo as he leaves. The top? He's right. That's all that matters right now—doing well at the sports festival. What's happening now is meaningless. She lets out a heavy breath and stares up at the ceiling. She can't believe she fed into this negative energy. Bakugo is actually pretty wise when he wants to be. He's clearly going to go all out. She feels nervous suddenly. Is she ready to face him?
"Aizawa-sensei?" Midoriya suddenly speaks in confusion.
Sure enough, Aizawa is now standing in the doorway and staring at her. She blinks a few times. What's he doing here at the end of the day? Seeing him here and now is a little odd. It's time to go. His eyes narrow and she grows tense. His capture weapon darts out and seizes her without warning.
"H-Hey! What are doing?!" She cries out in panic. Losing her balance, she falls onto her bottom. He starts dragging her out the door and everyone sweat-drops. "Sensei?!"
"You keep releasing that villain aura and it's troublesome." He mutters, miraculously pulling her along easily despite his bandages. "Nezu told me to fetch you regarding that."
"Hold on a second!" Hotaru tries to free herself desperately. "I have plans to get ice cream with my friends!"
"You should've thought about that before acting improperly."
"Do you see all these people? They started it!"
"They didn't violate any rules like you did."
Hotaru looks around desperately in panic, thinking about how she can possibly get out of this. This is no good at all. She really wanted to hang out with Mineta and Kaminari. They had this planned for so long now. Her eyes land on Shoto emerging from the classroom and she instantly reaches out towards him.
"S-Shoto!" She calls out to him, and he looks her way. "Do something!"
He stares into her pleading silver orbs for a short moment. She's reaching out to him with both hands and pouting like a child. It's sad. He turns and starts walking in the opposite direction. She cries out.
"Todoroki you jerk!"
"My woman!" Mineta sobs.
•○●○•
"That was a close one." Kaminari sighs.
"Too close. Our date almost got ruined." Mineta nods in agreement.
"For the hundredth time," Hotaru begins, licking her mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. "This isn't a date."
"I don't know…" Kaminari disagrees and takes in their surroundings. "This is kind of romantic."
The three of them are currently sitting at a round table right outside of an ice cream café. An umbrella is open over their heads to block the afternoon sun. String lights are hanging although it's still too early for them to shine. Hotaru looks around at these things before focusing on the cars driving by.
"Romantic?" She whispers to herself, making her two friends nod eagerly. "I don't see it. Besides," Her silvery eyes narrow. "Why would I go on a date with two guys at the same time? Or, perhaps I should say why would I go on a date with either of you?"
"That was harsh…" Kaminari and Mineta sigh in defeat, their heads dropping. Hotaru lets out a short laugh.
Luckily, Nezu and Aizawa only gave her a warning about her villain aura. They either took pity on her or were feeling generous. Nevertheless, she's happy. She hasn't hung out with friends in a long time. The last friend she actually hung out with was… Her eyes widen a bit. Shoto. That's a surprisingly long while.
"Taru-chan," Mineta whines, waving his vanilla ice cream cone around in despair. "How am I not your type?"
"We've been through this." She gives him a blank look. "I'm not interested in becoming anything more than friends. Try me one more time and I'll definitely shock you."
"It's because of Todoroki, isn't it?"
Hotaru freezes, staring at Mineta in shock. He's pointing at her accusingly and his round eyes are envious. Kaminari and Mineta stare at her. Her shock at his unexpected words starts to morph into something completely differently. She's suddenly interested in the pattern on her waffle cone.
"You know," Kaminari looks at Hotaru curiously. "You and Todoroki definitely have a past history."
"What of it?" She shrugs indifferently, although restless.
"You protected him for years, didn't you?" Mineta murmurs in all seriousness, gazing at Hotaru with speculating eyes. "To do that means you must care about him a whole lot…"
"No way!" Kaminari suddenly gasps. "It all makes sense now!"
A stray cloud moves over the sun, making their bright surroundings dark. The wind blows and ruffles up Hotaru's hair. Her lips part ever so slightly, and her eyes are hidden beneath her messy bangs. Her grip tightens on her ice cream cone. Lowering her head slightly, the top row of her teeth grazes over her lower lip. Distant car horns resonate along with the occasional chattering of people walking past them.
"...I'm indebted to him." She whispers, her eyelids draping over her eyes. "Which reminds me. We..."
Mineta and Kaminari lean forward in anticipation for her next words. What is Shoto to her? It's obvious she cares about him. How much does she care? Were they a couple? They're so jealous.
"We have to train for the sports festival!" Hotaru suddenly stands up from her chair, making their jaws drop.
"Don't change the subject, Taru-chan!" Mineta jabs a finger at her.
"This ice cream is probably jam packed with calories. I need to go burn them off." She slams some cash onto the table. "You both should, too."
She turns and starts walking off quickly with red cheeks, taking her ice cream with her. Kaminari and Mineta stare after her in a daze before snapping out of it. With a grin, Kaminari jogs after her.
"Where do you think you're going?" He calls after her as he reaches her side. Mineta runs after them too with dramatic tears streaming down his face.
"Please tell me it isn't true, Taru-chan!" He cries out.
"Get out of your delusional heads." Hotaru grumbles with a twitching eye. "I've chosen to walk away instead of shocking you pestering people. Whatever you're thinking, just stop already."
"Alright, sorry." Kaminari huffs as Mineta finally catches up to them.
"Taru-chan?" Mineta questions.
"Think before you speak." Hotaru advises before he says whatever is on his mind.
He doesn't plan on asking about Todoroki. Taru-chan just made it clear he was being delusional about them, so he's no longer worried about Todoroki stealing her from him. She's way out of Todoroki's league. He's more curious about something else right now.
"Why do you still wear shorts under your skirt?"
He's struck by lightning.
~ Next Chapter Sneak Peek:
❤•○●○•❤
Save! Rescue Training
❤•○●○•❤
"Don't tell me you're actually sleeping."
Shoto studies Hotaru as she rests on the rough chasm ground. She was one of the chosen to be unconscious for this rescue training, and she's definitely unconscious. He crouches down next to her. Carefully, he places his hand on her shoulder and shakes her lightly.
"Aihara?"
"Hm...?" She mumbles, still in dreamland.
"I'm going to save you now."
"...'Kay."