Once again, she's sprinting back to Midoriya-kun's side. And as she arrives once again, even Recovery Girl and All Might can see that something about her has changed. She marches up to Midoriya. "Midoriya-kun, I need to know something." She hesitates a bit before asking. "What did you mean by 'born different' from Bakugo-kun?"
His eyes widen at her.
All Might stands up in shock. "You… Don't tell me you…!"
Rose turns to him in surprise, surprise that All Might apparently knows about it too. And she can tell by his face that it's a secret he doesn't want anyone to know. When she runs this information through her head, remembering every detail of Midoriya's conversation with Bakugo, she finally comes to another question. "Could it be you… didn't have a quirk before? Not that it manifested late but that… you were… quirkless?"
And from the way those green eyes stare back at her, she can tell she got it right. Immediately she starts to wonder how a quirkless boy could somehow gain a quirk through some method other than genetics and what All Might has to do with it, but—
Recovery Girl sighs. "All Might… It's time. At this rate, you won't be able to hide it forever."
"B-But…!" He had only just barely resolved to sharing the truth with Dr. Shinbyou! There was no way he could suddenly just—
"It's okay. I'm not interested," Rose interrupts them.
They both gawp at her a bit in disbelief. But she means it. She's sincerely not interested in how he got his current quirk, especially since she can tell she's encroaching on something very private to everyone in the room. She doesn't need to know. All she really knows is that if Midoriya-kun was born quirkless, that explains everything in his conversation with Katsuki Bakugo. From what she can gather, and also from what Midoriya-kun has told her directly, Bakugo-kun was very cruel to him when they were children and made fun of him for being quirkless. But now that Bakugo-kun has realized he was wrong to do that and has even come to respect Midoriya-kun's desire to save, he's been trying harder to become as kind as Midoriya-kun, to develop a hero's heart. But Midoriya-kun didn't believe he really wanted to change, that maybe instead Bakugo-kun was just using him to get a good grade. Bakugo-kun managed to convince him otherwise… but after the blonde admitted to manipulating him…
"Midoriya-kun… I…" And for some reason the answer just comes to her. "I can't help you."
Midoriya blinks.
"I'm sorry, but no one can save you from yourself. You have to… face yourself. You can't run away. That's not who you are, and you know it. Bakugo-kun was right about that. If you're afraid of being weak… then you have to face that weakness. If you're afraid of being a burden, then you have to face it when people treat you like one. And… if you're afraid that Bakugo-kun will only get worse around you… then you have to decide what it really means to save him."
For a long moment, Midoriya just stares at her, and for the first time, she can't really tell what he's feeling. It's probably a mix of emotions too complicated for even him to understand.
"But…" he finally starts, "But what if it's not enough? …What if… nothing changes?"
"You're the one… You're the one who said to try. To give it your all. And even if you fail, I believe that's worth something." Just like how he lost at the sports festival but was still able to help his friend. "And you… saved me with those words. More times than you can ever imagine… I'm here now because of you. So even if you never change…" She's not sure why she's starting to get nervous and embarrassed now of all times. But she has to say it. "You'll always be my hero."
He can see in her bright, golden eyes that she means it. Bright… That's right. Her eyes don't look dull anymore. They're finally shining, like the sun. He can see it. Rose Omoda has… changed.
She… She finally got better… because of me?
And slowly, his eyes catch the light from hers and start to shine too.
"S… Senpai…" he whimpers, "I'm… so glad… Thank goodness, you…" Then his eyes shine with tears. All Might and Recovery Girl stand there speechless as Midoriya's eyes slowly regain their life. They feel like they're witnessing a miracle, witnessing a soul come back from the dead.
And Rose starts to tear up too. "That's right, Midoriya-kun. I'll be fine… Thank you…" She takes his hand and can't stop her eyes from overflowing with joy. "Thank you so much!" she sobs, clutching his hand tight. I love you. She wants to say it, but she can't. She knows she can't, because the one Midoriya-kun really wants to hear that from the most is… "I'm sure… I'm sure if you let him, Bakugo-kun would thank you too." He looks shocked at her for a second. "But Midoriya-kun, you never even asked him… You just assumed you weren't helping him, but you never asked him how he felt. I know you probably think he won't give you a straight answer, but—"
"No," Midoriya interrupts, and since he's feeling a bit better now, he slowly sits up, regaining a bit of energy. He rubs his eyes and continues, "It's not that. I already know… how he feels." He knows now. Kacchan is a true friend.
In fact, he might have more faith in Kacchan now than ever before. Kacchan tried until the very end to convince Midoriya he was wrong. He kept trying like a true hero. Midoriya was the one who lost all hope after being lied to, after being told he was at fault. Midoriya had ignored everything else and zeroed in on that. It's embarrassing to admit, but he might've overreacted. In fact, he wonders if being a girl has made him even more emotional lately than he used to be… or maybe it's the fact that he's still in love with Kacchan. Maybe it's really making him act crazy…
But either way… "I still… don't think I'm good enough… I'm not good enough for him to respect me. And I still don't want to see him until I can apologize properly… and to everyone else in my class too… Ah! All Might." His mentor gives him his full attention. "I'm really sorry. I almost really let you down. I'll do better. I promise." But those green eyes look so haggard and puffy from crying that All Might can only stare at him with worry. "Ah… See? Like I thought. I… I still don't look okay. I bet people would think… I might relapse again. Ha ha…" Even now, he's still trying to keep smiling for them.
Rose looks at him with vague pity and then thinks for a moment in silence. Midoriya-kun's deep complex about not being "enough" stems from Bakugo-kun treating him that way all their lives. That's why the only person who possibly even has a chance of fixing this is Bakugo-kun… But from Rose's current memories of him… "Midoriya-kun, can you wait here a little longer? I… don't know how long, but… if you really don't want to see Bakugo-kun right now, and you want to apologize to everyone properly, then… I need you to trust me. I… I want to do everything I can to help."
Midoriya knows. He can see it in her eyes. "O… Okay…"
Just like that, she turns to leave again. At the door, she says lastly, "Stay there and rest for now. I promise we'll fix this."
Midoriya nods nervously, but it's too bad that she doesn't catch the slight change on his face as she turns to leave. Omoda-senpai… She's so cool and nice…
Th-Thump
Hm? He feels a familiar thumping in his chest. Hm? Hmmm? He starts to sweat, a flash of panic visible on his face. A… Again?! He turns red. Just… what is wrong with me?! All Might and Recovery Girl both panic a little too as he turns to lay face down on his pillow and thrashes around a bit, screaming into it.
When Rose arrives at class 1-A's dorm, the first thing she sees is that most of the students are in the lobby, still trying to comfort each other after all that happened. She assumes that they're mourning over Midoriya's impoverished mental state and wants to tell them that he's snapped out of it, but she has to stay focused and remember that the last thing Midoriya-kun wants right now is his classmates swarming him before he can prepare a proper apology. Instead she searches the room for…
"Um! Excuse me!" Some of them had noticed her when she came in, but now they all turn their attention to her. "I'm sorry. I know you all must be very upset about Midoriya-kun, but… I'm trying to help him. Has anyone seen Bakugo-kun?"
Immediately, some of them look a bit surprised and confused, but they soon sink back into a somber silence. Only Uraraka walks up to her. "Senpai? Did you just say you're gonna help Deku-kun? Do… Do you know how? He…" She tears up again. "He was so…"
"I know. But I'm going to do something." She puts a hand on her underclassman's shoulder. "Do you trust me, Uraraka-san?"
The brunette looks into her eyes, and she gapes a bit at how bright they suddenly look. Her senpai suddenly looks like a new person. She can't imagine what must've happened to her in the short while since they last saw each other at lunch, but the confidence in her eyes is suddenly so blinding that they rival Uraraka's usual sunniness. If Rose was beautiful before, she's breathtaking now. And even Uraraka blushes under her intense gaze. The brunette can only think of one answer. "Yes! I trust you!" She wipes her eyes vigorously and sniffles. "What do you need? Did… Did you say you wanted Bakugo-kun?"
"Yes." She glances around again for him.
"Ah. He's…" she trails off. "Could… Is… Is it possible… you could help Bakugo-kun too?" Rose blinks at her questioningly. "He's…" Rose can tell from her face that she's struggling to talk about something truly painful. And based off of Rose's own memories of their session, she thinks she understands why.
"I understand. I'll do my best. Where is he?"
"…In his room. I'll take you."
They make the short trek to the 4th floor, and when they exit the elevator, they see Kirishima sitting outside of Bakugo's door. Sure enough, Rose notes how he looks just as depressed as the others. He reacts a little to the sound of the elevator ping and looks surprised to see Rose, but before he can really say anything, she asks to talk to Bakugo. Kirishima makes a face that she defines as "cautious" or "defensive".
"I'm going to help him," she assures, "And Midoriya-kun too. But I need his help. Please."
He looks predictably uncertain, but since he doesn't have any better ideas, and he's pretty sure she can't make things any worse, he reluctantly knocks on the door and tells Bakugo they're coming in.
"I have to speak to him alone." Both Kirishima and Uraraka look surprised at her, but she nearly glares at him. "I'm sorry, but I promise it'll work out." She doesn't actually know for sure, but with every fiber of her being, she wants to believe. And he feels that. That's why he fights his protective urge, stuffing it down, and nearly stomps away in a huff. Uraraka enters the elevator with him, and Rose stands there alone for a moment. She takes a deep breath and braces herself. Because if she does this wrong, if she overestimates herself… she might not leave this room alive.
