("Underlined text" is supposed to be read as Sign Language. "Italicized text" is used only for Misaki's Dad's quirk. "Bold Text" is used for messages Misaki types out.)

Chapter Fourteen

Bellyache


"Plum?!"

Bakugou Katsuki just so happened to be on the same train as she did.

His scowl was as big as ever when the two of them made eye contact, and it wasn't hard to tell that he was just as surprised to see that they were headed in the same direction. It seemed as though they must have had heroes in the same location or at the very least on the same side of Japan.

She pursed her lips. They weren't going to the same hero. They couldn't be. Bakugou would never ever in a million years pick somebody on the ranking that wasn't near the tippy top. But, why of all the internships in all of Japan did he have to pick the only one that would force the two of them to be in close quarters?

"Great. You're here, just great. You're not going to intern with Best Jeanist, are you, plum?"

She shook her head. What a relief, she had nearly had a heart attack when he mentioned that. She wasn't sure if she would last if they were going to be forced to be in the same room or something. "I'm interning with somebody else, the Lolita Hero, Hime, to be specific. You don't have to worry about us sharing the same hero."

"That's the best fucking news I've heard all day," he answered. "I don't have time to put up with your shit."

Misaki had an equal amount of excitement on her face as she stared him and down and typed out a response: "Yeah well, just don't tell me you're going all the way to Okayama too."

"Tch. Well, ain't that just the blessing of the year. I can't believe this shit. No, wait, it's a big city. Even if I have to share the same air as you doesn't mean I have to bother with you. I won't have to see your fucking face thanks to that." Bakugou said. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk to her anymore, and she gave him her pleasantries before turning her attention away from him and out the window to the countryside.

"Always a pleasure to be in your company, too, Pineapple."

She turned her attention down to her cell phone.


Ashido has sent a text message.

Ashido: Hey Misa! How's your train ride going?

Misaki has sent a photo.

Ashido: You're with Bakugo!?

Ashido: Wow, here I thought you two hated each other's guts. o3o

Misaki: :( Rude.

Misaki: Also, stop that.

Misaki: It took me by surprise. I guess everyone else is busy getting ready but I'm just having so much fun.

Misaki: Wrong. Help me!

Misaki: I'm just glad we aren't interning together or anything. Mina! Why didn't anyone from your so-called BakuSquad warn me he was going to the same prefecture as me?

Ashido: He only let it slip to Kirishima who he was going with!

Ashido: This is news to me, Misa!

Ashido: (0^0)

Ashido: I believe in you.

Ashido: It's not like he's going to blast you away like during the festival again. You can survive a train ride with explodo-baku.

Misaki: I only wish I had the same amount of faith in myself as you had in me, Mina.


Once she had gotten done trying to talk things through with her friends, she set her phone down on her lap and wondered why the universe was gifting her this sort of thing. What had she done to piss it off? She was really starting to assume that there was some kind of higher power at work here that was laughing at how flustered and angry she got when she was trapped with this guy. It was one thing to have to put up with this during school and it was another to be trapped with him alone for a long period of time on a train.

How did one person manage to be around Bakugou Katsuki without pulling their hair from their heads? She could only wonder how Midoriya managed to put up with him if they were really childhood friends.

They met eyes briefly - just long enough that she caught sight of his crass mouth again as he couldn't help but start talking to her again. "What's got a stick up your ass?"

Her eyebrow twitched, and she mouthed the words, "Excuse me?"

He rolled his eyes and stated matter of factly, "You're usually feisty and ready to fight with me if I say shit like that to your fucking face. Not this, pardon me, oh excuse me, don't mind me, crap. Something must be fucking wrong if you don't even talk right."

Misaki was confused by that. "Why would you be interested, Bakugou? We've done nothing but fight each other and dislike one another since we met. We can politely ignore each other if we want."

"If I'm gonna be stuck on this fucking train with you until Okayama than I don't want to deal with your fucking mood," Bakugou crossed his arms over his chest and glowered. It was like he had split a fuse inside that head of his or something. Well, there was no turning him off now. "So, spill, the fuck is wrong? Trouble in paradise with icy hot or some shit?"

"Uh..."

Misaki stared at him like he had lost his goddamn mind. Was he trying to imply something here? Well, he would be more than wrong in regards to something as silly as that. She shook her head. "Uh, no. I wasn't even thinking about him? We're just friends...? If anything, I'm just thinking about all the suckers that have been bothering me since the festival. I haven't exactly had a lot of positive feedback from people, and I was stopped by at least five people that thought it would be funny to test to see how deaf I am."

She had been trying to ignore that.

It was better to blow them off than to give them any time of day.

Bakugou scowled. It seemed as though that he hadn't been hearing good things either, and why would he? After they had forced him up on stage in chains like a dog? Of course, people were thinking bad about him! "Oh, yeah. I got plenty of that shit from some fucking kids too. Calling me out and calling me stupid shit. They don't fucking understand how I feel about that whole thing. That icy hot bastard ruined my pride by being a chicken. He gets off on telling you about it, huh?"

Misaki rolled her eyes. "Actually, no. We haven't talked about that. I'm actually not surprised he backpedaled, you can't change how you feel in a day with stuff like that. It sucks that you both couldn't have a real fight though. I would have liked to be able to watch you guys fight without anything getting in the way. At least that way I'd know who was more worth my time in challenging to get to the top."

Bakugou stared at her for a minute. Huh. He hadn't been expecting to hear her say that. Well, she just had to go and ruin it by adding in that she wanted to beat them all either way. Yeah, he should have known that she would just piss him off again. Her eyes flickered outside to the countryside they were passing through on the train again.

Misaki glanced back at him for a moment, debating if she should say any more before going through with it, "You're not the only one having a shitty time because of the festival." she said.

Bakugou only scoffed at that notion. People were probably feeling bad for her than anything, pitying her actions and failure. "I bet people paying attention to your sorry ass must be new, huh? You must be getting a lot of pity."

She didn't change that look on her face. "It's been almost one hundred percent negative, actually."

Misaki wasn't sure why she was telling Bakugou Katsuki of all people about her problems but she sure was doing it now. It was swelling up inside of her again and it wouldn't die like. Like a flame or an ember that was just waiting to spark into a wildfire. It made her so angry, a kind of feeling she didn't want to feel, but she couldn't shake it. "You wouldn't believe how much bullshit I've heard already about myself. I couldn't even walk two feet this weekend without somebody getting in my face and asking if I was really deaf! Can you believe that shit?"

"Figures, you should have expected as much," Bakugou shrugged. "You make it seem like you can do it all and people don't know any better. If you ask me, it's better to channel all those motherfuckers and make something out of insults into something you can actually use as a hero instead of worrying about their ignorant nonsense."

Misaki was left staring at Bakugou feeling like he had just dropped the biggest bombshell on her that she had been overlooking this entire time. It was like he understood where she was coming from more than she thought he was. She floundered and gave him a small reply back. She honestly wasn't sure what she babbled out, be it a "Thank you!" or "Wow, that makes sense!" But whatever they had just spoken of was over. It was like there was nothing left to be said about their own experiences.

Something about that conversation with Bakugou left her wondering about a few things rather than getting the thoughts out of her mind.


Once Misaki had left the train and gone to her hotel to drop off her things, she went straight to her internship as instructed. She had learned as much as she could about Hime, and she found not so much but enough to tell her what she needed to know. Hime was around the same age as a much more popular hero, Hawks, and she had made her debut as a full-time hero and not sidekick earlier this year when she saved a U.A. student from a villain, it had been a third-year as far as she could tell, and that act had really done her some good P.R.

Her track record was impeccable.

It was hard to defeat a hero that had mind-control abilities. Well, that is, if you didn't have the ability to fall for their traps. Misaki knew that Hime's quirk would have no effect on her because her quirk had to be heard to be able to work properly. That made her an ideal candidate to work with somebody who couldn't control who her power affected.

The moment Misaki entered the office she was smothered into a tight hug that was accompanied by the smell of peppermint and the feeling of frills and cotton pressed against her skin.

Shinso Kotone, otherwise known to her fans and the hero community as Hime, a hero with the ability to control your actions by the sound of her alluring voice. She had the penchant to dress in very specific Lolita elements, but the ribbons and bows were tamed in her casual wear. She had long brown hair that was loose at the moment and her eyes were a familiar shade of purple. She was very kind and compassionate, however, sometimes when she was out in the field her princess swayed elements had her acting a little bossy or over the top.

"It's nice to meet you," Misaki managed to say the minute that the woman let go of her.

Hime grinned with the stars twinkling in her eyes. Her hand raised to meet her mouth as she laughed. "I'm so happy that you choose me over your other options! I mean, I knew you would pick me because I'm the most qualified for tutoring you in the field."

They weren't kidding when they said that Hime was an eccentric person. Well, Misaki had seen it for herself when she saw some of her battles on the internet, it was really strange seeing it in person. Something about her was strangely familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. She was going to figure it out though, sooner or later. "Our quirks are the most compatible, you mean."

Hime nodded her head, "That too! Young heroes don't get interns often. Hawks is gonna feel like I ruffled his feathers because he is not the only one with a cute little intern."

"He took on somebody else from U.A.?" Misaki raised an eyebrow. She wondered who the heck had been picked by him, it was likely that it was somebody who had made it into the finals but she had no idea what type of student that Hawks would want.

Hime made a face. It was clear that she wanted nothing much to do with that guy, and whatever information that she did have from him wasn't gotten of her own choice. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was one of your classmates. He made it abundantly clear when we spoke last. He's stationed on the other side of Japan, and thank God for that. I can't stand him. Anyways! This is not about anyone else. This week is about you learning what you can from the Pros!"

"We're going to have a long week. But first, we're going to sit down and have some tea. It always puts my mind at ease before I'm getting ready to head out into the field." Hime said.

She dropped a bombshell onto the ground and it just exploded. They were going to sit around and have tea when she knew the rest of her classmates were going to be out there working already? What kind of option was that? Hime had a pristine smile on her face and it was like she wasn't going to lose her cool from the smallest scowl on Misaki's face. It was said so matter of factly and without hesitation that she almost didn't know how to react. Hime took it upon herself to lead Misaki into her office, and start pouring the tea.

Misaki sat down across from Hime.

She wanted to do something, she wanted to go out there, wanted to see some action, or at the very least, pick up something that was going to be useful for her training. She didn't think when she came here that she was going to be cooped up and having a tea party of all things. She waited for a few minutes as Hime danced around the room, not saying anything but trying to get a word in edgewise every chance she got.

She lifted her hand to get Hime's attention.

"What are we going to be doing this week?"

Hime raised a finger to her lips to shush Misaki. She continued to shake her head, telling her that she wasn't going to get what she wanted if she asked in that manner. Misaki wanted to retort that she hadn't said anything aloud and technically, she didn't have to shush her, and that was pointless but placed her hands back on her lap respectfully. It wasn't like she was in charge here, Hime was.

Once Hime had set the table and doled out the tea; She took her glass in her hand and took a sip before setting it back down against its saucer. "First things first, we need to talk about composure. I noticed during the sports festival that if somebody pushes your buttons, you get overwhelmed. It happened in that match with Shimizu Mari, and it had happened with that Bakugou Katsuki, most particularly the latter. If you had focused on keeping your head on your shoulders, and not letting them get to you visibly, you might have had a better chance. When you let someone know that they have a rise on you, they take that and run."

"I don't think you're one to talk about composure," Misaki couldn't help but quip.

It was true.

Bakugou really riled her up, and she had gotten so determined on beating him and his mouth that she had forgotten about the most important rule of her quirk. She should have been paying more attention to her body, and less attention to how hard she could physically push herself without making to topple over onto the ground. She knew that she had the bad habit of letting herself blow up when it came to people that thought less of her, but she was trying to get better about it.

It was just wasn't easy when all she had to work with was somebody like Bakugou. She wasn't always out there where she could try and change the minds or feelings of the public, all she had was an early taste of it from this feral pineapple. As they say... nobody's perfect. She thought. She was just going to have to work on this.

But was it really that crucial?

Well, Hime wasn't any better as far as she knew.

She had the habit of losing her head if somebody called her the wrong name, and it had a lot to do with that guy she had saved. She had clearly been trying to set herself up as a princess type hero, but the boy she saved had blurted out that she was an angel.

It might have had something to do with the fact that she used a small harp as a tool to sync her music with, and the fact that the guy had been knocked stupid and when he woke up she was standing over him in the sunlight, but still. People had the habit of calling her Angel, instead of Hime. Her cool composure was always tested when somebody did that.

Misaki had noticed that detail in particular when she came across some interviews; This was calling the kettle black.

Hime's eyebrow twitched. "I will pretend I didn't hear that. Look, I'm not just talking about during your fights. You have a better way of handling yourself then I can. What I have not seen, however, is how you handle yourself with the media. As a girl, and someone with a disability, people are already going to be counting you out no matter what you do to show them wrong. I am sure you know that. We are going to learn how to do a lot together, but this week, along with showing you the basics of response out in the field, you're going to learn your teaspoon from a tablespoon!"

Misaki blinked.

Wait, what? There was a point to this tea party? She didn't exactly understand what the connection was. What was the point in learning about how to handle a snack time? Besides knowing how to behave in a fancy restaurant?

Hime paid no mind to the bewildered expression Misaki's face. She only continued to open her mouth and laugh, clearly excited by her own plans of the days ahead. "Yes, that's right! I'm going to be giving you etiquette lessons alongside hero training. You're very lucky! By the end of this week, you're going to be able to hold your head high and never lose your cool. You will be able to know your way backward and forwards when it comes to taking the brunt of bad and rude comments," Hime advised with a nod of her head.

She tossed the hair that had cascaded across the shoulder back behind her with a simple flick of her hand, and her lips curled into a big grin.

If a sweatdrop could have formed on the back of her head, it was would have. Perhaps, Misaki had made a mistake in judgment. She pressed her hands against the table and stood up, she shook her head. "I get why learning how to handle the media is important but how in the world does having a tea party do anything for me?"

Hime raised an eyebrow, "Wait, did you think that you would be sitting down and enjoying tea to learn from me?"

Misaki blanched. There was something about the glint in Hime's eyes that did not seem good. It was like she had been hiding some secret exercise that nobody else knew about, and this secret was about to make her start laughing again. "Well, how else do you have a tea party? I do not know what you are getting at, Hime."


At the agency for the Best Jeanist, Bakugou Katsuki was standing there unsure of what the heck Best Jeanist was prattling on about to him. He had come here because he wanted to get some advice that made some sense to him. He was tired of having to share the same space with his classmates that took up all the time and made learning about shit that didn't matter. He had come all this way to finally get some one on one action with somebody that knew what they were doing, and wouldn't waste his time.

It seemed like this guy wanted to waste his time, though.

After getting suited up and walking into this office with a dozen other interns, he thought that he was about to become the top dog again. Jeanist had a salty expression, and things turned their heads quickly. "To be honest, I'm not a big fan of yours." Best Jeanist told him with a plain look on his face. His eyes were narrowed, and his hand rested against his hips as he finished giving the blond a look over.

"Huh?" Bakugou stared at him like he had lost his damn mind. What the hell was this guy doing saying something like that out of blue? He was supposed to be a hero that got things done.

"And," Jeanist continued, "I have a feeling you only chose my agency... because I'm one of the top five most popular heroes, right?"

Bakugou's eye twitched.

Uh, why the hell else would he have come here? That was the entire point! If you were going to be a hero, then you needed to get to the top. To get to the top, you needed as much experience that you could get, and getting it from people that were already there? That was ideal. He had wasted no time when he noticed one of the highest marking heroes on his list, he had marked it down and paid no mind.

"But you decided to draft me," He growled.

Yeah, exactly.

Why would Best Jeanist go and pick somebody that he couldn't stand to have as an intern? It seemed like a waste of his time if he just wasn't going to do his job.

Jeanist adjusted the swoop of his hair out of her eyes and nodded his head at that piece of information. It was like this was nothing to him, he paid no mind to how annoyed Bakugou was. He just kept talking and didn't miss a beat as he glanced around, "Yes! Because all I've had lately are little do-gooders. You're the first one a long time... who is a bit more ferocious and my job as a hero is reforming people like you. Heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin. I can see it in that glare of yours. So, tell me, what is it that really makes someone a hero?"


Hime only lets out a sigh at the shameless display in front of her. She had once again grabbed the wrong item and miscommunicated the wrong choice by picking this glass. Everything about Hisakawa Misaki was near what it needed to be when it came to her stance and moves out in the field, and she even knew how to handle herself amongst her fellow students and friends, but she still lacked the true essence of sincerity. It was like she was doing things but her heart wasn't quite coming across right.

"You're still too stiff, Stella Nova," She remarked.

Misaki looked at her with a grimace. "I wouldn't be if I wasn't waiting for you to smack me again!"

Did she not realize how hard it was to fight and try to locate the right thing? Hime had decidedly taken her to a training room at the speed of lightning that first day and they spent hours doing the same thing over and over again. By the time it was her third day of this process, her entire body was aching and all she wanted to do was scream in rage.

Imagine the floor covered in different tools for a tea party, a pot, glasses, utensils, food, anything that you can imagine on a spread. Then, imagine that you have to dodge the attacks of an opponent while trying to find the right object while not falling on your ass.

It was next to impossible.

When Misaki didn't grab the wrong thing, she was getting pushed around the ground and forced to start from the beginning. She was getting fed up by the end of it, but Hime had not a care in the world for that. She would also scold Misaki if she failed to keep a good attitude. More or less, it was an exercise that was doomed to fail.

Trial by fire. That's the only way to learn something. If you had no choice but to do something, you figured it out fast enough. That was what she would hear from Hime every single time she complained about it.

She would never hear the end of it if she grabbed the wrong spoon.

Sure, if she complained enough, Misaki would find herself back at a table but that wasn't any better for her aching body. Hime would spend that time grilling her about how to handle herself in interviews, and how to speak without missing a beat. She would ask the most intrusive questions and not bat an eyelash as the harshest of words came out of her mouth. Misaki would be seated at a table set for a traditional tea party more or less with Hime standing nearby with a swatter in her hand.

No matter what she did, they spent hours doing this and that over and over again. There was no escape. The moment Misaki picked up the wrong thing or said something wrong she was graced with a firm wallop on the back of her hand. She had to make good use of her time and she had learned fast that the wrong answers were just going to get her smacked. Misaki had gotten somewhat better at picking up what she needed by leading cues but she had a long way to go. Speaking of which, Hime was still scolding her as they spoke.

"Remember, you have to smile. If there's one thing that All Might does perfect its that," Hime chastised her, and shook her head with a sigh. "People are going to scrutinize you no matter what you do. So, hold your head up high and pay no mind to the harsh criticism. The best heroes know how to bite their tongue when they need to."

Misaki rubbed the back of her aching head. Three days of this and she was tired. "I just picked up the wrong glass. I do not see why that required a smack to the head. What is this, princess training from some old grandma?"

Hime's eyebrow twitched, but she smiled through it. "What was that?"

Panicked laughter escaped Misaki's lungs as she felt a hard gaze on her from Hime. She scrounged up some kind of excuse and shook her head, raising her hands in her own defense. Hime could only laugh at her panicked expression. If she wouldn't listen to her and remember to keep her back upright, not slouched, then this wouldn't be an issue at all. She had a plan for this young heroine, and she had no time to waste. That was the only thing that she kept telling Misaki when she dropped her head in annoyance.

Misaki was starting to think that these internships had been a trap. She was thinking that nobody else was having the kind of trouble that she was, hell, she half-assumed that Bakugou was having a better time than she was. She hadn't even seen him back at the hotel, and she knew that she should have noticed him around by now, they were staying at the exact same place!

Shoulders tight, she forced a smile back on her face and stared at Hime. "Let me guess, we're starting over?"

"Let's take it from the top, then. Which of these is the right way to hold the glass? Do you hold it like this? Or this? Or would you not even pick up the glass first?"


It was exhausting.

Bakugou was having just about the kind of fun that Misaki was having at her internship. Of course, he didn't know that at the time. He had been getting scolded for his attitude and forced to sit through the nonsense that Best Jeanist was saying. He hadn't even listened to most of it, it was just a lot of things that didn't matter, he was constantly talking about how he was supposed to do this or do that, but he didn't have the patience for that. A hero wasn't somebody who went around and just played the fool.

You got out there and did what needed to be taken care of, kicking the ass of anyone who got in the way of that.

The path to peace was a victory.

Easy as that.

The first thing that he did as soon as he left his internship that day was grab something to eat and it was lucky of him to just stroll into the same place as Hisakawa Misaki. For the first time, she didn't glare back at him with narrowed eyes, she only gave him a nod of recognition and turned away. It was a lot better than whatever the hell they had going on before. She was at his throat and he was at hers.

She looked ragged. Although he was surprised to see that her hair was pulled back out of her face with a bow, he hadn't really seen her change up her look like that. She had to be able to use her hair for her quirk to work, so it was often down and where she could reach it. She had noticed his eyes lingering on her change in appearance, and she subconsciously lifted her hand to pat down the accessory.

Well, he wasn't one to talk, he had been put through the wringer too. Best Jeanist had done something to his hair and flattened it so much that it wouldn't even puff back up no matter what he did to it. He had been trying to rake his hand through his hair to fix it, but damn, that man was another level and he can't stand it.

She took one look at him, the flattened hair and all, and all she had to mouth was: "Shitty internship experience, huh?"

He scoffed but had to agree with her on that. Obviously, her hero hadn't been what she expected either, and she had enough bandaids on her arms and legs to show for it. "You're telling me."

That wasn't going to change when they returned back to school either, but for now, this was different.

Be the fact that they were stuck at the same hotel or that they mutually weren't big fans of their heroes training methods, coupled with the need to vent - something kind of collided. For some reason they were actually talking with one another now, maybe it was because they both needed to blow off some steam or maybe it was because both knew they didn't have to front with the other.

It wouldn't mean anything if they vented like this; It was a mutual benefit.

Now, it wasn't unlike Bakugou to be so crass and crude, but he was surprised to learn that Misaki didn't have a filter as well. She had been so testy that she had started to talk without warning about the nonsense that she had been putting up with. To think the goody-two-shoes princess could be so blunt actually made him want to laugh his ass off. She presented herself as posed, polite, and even proper when she addressed most people with a sheepish grin. But, here she was, with him and saying rather testy things without even trying to pretend to be nice.

There had long been something about her that made him think about his own troubles, thinking about something that he had been ignoring for a long time now, and how she handled herself was a lot differently than he did in regards to that. They weren't so different after all, it turned out. At least when it came to a hairpin trigger.

Evidently, her hero had the same idea that Best Jeanist had.

They thought that it was a better idea to spend their time working on games instead of real work. She had been going through a literal tea party over and over again, although, it was intense for a tea party. The whole idea was to try and break them of what people considered bad habits, but, it was really just more frustrating and annoying than anything.

Nobody came to an internship to get chastized.

They came to learn something that would actually help them with their training!

She groans, continuing her story of the day to him as she typed away on her phone: "And then she tells me to run laps for ignoring proper tea etiquette! Can you believe that? I got whipped around the training room for picking up the wrong spoon of all things, what's the difference anyway? What kind of hero does she think I am?"

He rested his fist against the table.

"You ain't got shit like Jeanist," he retorted. "His methods are inane at best, half of the words out of his mouth have to do with clothing puns and I'm going to wrangle my own neck if I hear another one this week. On top of that, I've got these fucking monstrosities on! I can't even get these fucking jeans off! How is that even fucking possible?"

She had been looking for the opportunity to bring this up - he knew she had.

"I mean I noticed that. But, is that why your hair is... like that?" She asked, finally.

"You don't even wanna go there, plum. I will end you for real this time if you say another word about it," He looked like her like he would strangle her where she sat if she asked that one again. It was flattened out and gelled down like cement. He had tried to fix it but to no avail was that even working to this moment. It was sticking somehow and he wanted to smack it back in its space with his hands.

"Best Jeanist is fucking crazy," was all Bakugou would tell her about this. "I thought I was going see some real shit considering his hero rank but holy fuck, he's focused on rounding out personalities and shit like this is some kind second chance scare program at a prison. He's got all these dumbass metaphors and meaningless puns. The hell is he thinking? He's supposed to be some top dog but he's wasting everyone's time. I might've been better off with that lace queen you're running around with because at least she's letting you train."

Misaki shook her head: "I wouldn't call it training. It's more like trying not to get your ass kicked by someone who looks like they shouldn't be able to do it. Besides, I think they have a point, I just don't think they're executing it right. Like, yeah, there's a reason why you should know how to handle your public image but you should be able to do it your own way."

Bakugou scoffed. "It's a waste of time no matter what. Being a hero means being out in the field, fighting, winning, and destroying dumb fucks with whatever means you got."

"You are abrasive, you know? All Jeanist is telling you is that if you don't watch what you say, it makes people think less of you." Misaki pointed out, she gestured to the window next to them where a couple of kids were ogling them. It was obvious that the kids recognized them from the sports festival, as when Misaki gave a little wave a few of them glanced away, embarrassed. When Bakugou glowered at them, the kids made a break for it and ran off far away. He rolled his eyes at the brats.

Misaki frowned. "For starters, you scared those kids off just by looking at them. They saw you and misunderstood. It's not entirely your fault, though. What they did to do during the awards ceremony was wrong. They should have known better than to make you accept something that you didn't want."

Bakugou paused for a moment and stared at her. What was she getting at? He thought that she had been knocked stupid after their fight, and didn't have a clue about what had happened after that. She must have watched when she got home. He didn't exactly care about what people assumed, he knew who he was, and it was their problem if they didn't get it. He had wanted a fair fight, and he had denied that. Everyone caved in some shape or form against him before they could give it their all, and he won on technicalities.

It had just broken him when Todoroki fucking gave up.

He hadn't wanted to take that for an answer.

They made him accept victory against his morals, and he had been very angry about it. He sucked it up and didn't mention it to anyone, but yeah, he was still pissed off about it. The adults just paid him no mind and made him go for it. It seemed like they just thought that knew what was right, and Bakugou couldn't stand that.

She broke him from his thoughts as she started to type again: "I get it now. You want to win fair and square against people so there's no denying how strong you are. So, them forcing you to do something like that was really wrong. It sort of made everyone think you were just angry about not being able to destroy Todoroki in general, but that's what you meant. I think that's why Jeanist is trying so hard to try and correct you because he's made an assumption and went with it."

He hadn't thought about it like that. People were assuming that he was a villain just because they didn't get what the meaning of real power was. They just ran with some stupid ideas. Tch, morons. It wasn't his fault that they didn't understand. It was strange to hear this coming from the plum of all people, he had thought that she just hated his guts and thought the same as the rest of them. But, her thoughts were methodical and she seemed to be genuine with her words.

Made a real show of him bound in chains and restraints, too.

"What of it, plum? Why are you even pointing that shit out?"

Misaki hesitated for a moment, and then let him have it: "Because I know you aren't like that. Just because you might be a sourpuss doesn't mean that you're evil or whatever they're saying out there. It was pretty wrong of everyone to force you to go out there when you didn't want to do it, and now you have to try and get past what people think of you. I know we don't get along for obvious reasons but I still respect your dedication to your beliefs. I think everyone could stand to hear you out before they jump to conclusions. It's kind of how I feel when people expect me to be basically useless out in the field because of their preconceived notions about disabilities."

Huh.

Bakugou wasn't sure how to respond to that. So what if people thought worse of him? They were the idiots for not understanding what the real meaning of victory was. They should have understood, it was as simple as that. If this plum had already figured it out on her own, then nobody had an excuse for not getting his feelings! His respect for her had gone up just a little but she wasn't much higher then she had already been; He wasn't going to let her get away with saving him when he didn't need it.

That still needed to be dealt with.

Oh well, that could be handled later, he just needed to blow off the steam from this dumb internship.

Instead of unpacking that statement because he had no time to even deal with the implications of her words, he decided to give back some of his own criticism of her actions. "You could stand to fucking not gawk at people when they call you on your shit. You spent half your fights wasting your energy on nonsense when you could have just used your quirk to win."

Misaki nodded, not adding anything else from before. "Fair enough. You're not wrong."

It went quiet for a few minutes as the two of them ate. It was... okay. He wasn't as frustrated as he had been when he had escaped from Best Jeanist, but he was going to feel the same way when he woke up in the morning. This distraction was enough for him, actually, he felt a little better, but he wasn't going to say that shit out loud. He eyed Misaki from the corner of her vision as she typed away, it seemed like she was checking in with somebody, as her eyes read through a message with pursed lips.

She then cocked her head and began to hurriedly type something into the message box. "Hey, uh, have you looked at the class chat at all? Midoriya sent a location message and it's got everyone scratching their heads."

Oh, that.

His mood soured again. Bakugou had tried time and time again to remove himself from that but Tenya Iida just didn't fucking give up. He just muted it and paid no mind to it whatsoever. He lifted his phone and dipped into the message window, sure enough, the idiot had sent a message with just coordinates, he took those numbers and plugged it into the search bar. It took him to Hosu. That was when he noticed the taglines that popped up when you searched for Hosu City.

"What the fuck?"

It seemed he and Misaki reached the same conclusion.

There had been an attack on Hosu City by some kind of strange beasts. It was unlike anything that had ever been, and those monsters looked a lot like the Nomu that had come to the U.S.J. with the League of Villains. None of the details were adding up, but they could both guess that Midoriya and anyone else in Hosu were in danger.

They both shared a look.

It wasn't like they could do anything about it where they were; This was just a grim reminder and a frustrating truth, while they were wasting time playing games, the villains were getting faster and stronger. Every single one of them needed to be getting stronger too, not kicking around the ball and doing ridiculous things.


AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Sorry for the delay. Holidays and all. Health has been a bit poor. But, I'm glad to update. Remember to review if you can, those are what really motivate me to keep writing.