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Chapter Nine

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Kazuya's eyes grew to the size of saucers. She was sure that if someone were to look close enough, they could see little stars dancing in her pupils.

"Is it a good idea to have the festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?" Jirou asked, sceptical of the school board's decision to continue with the Sports Festival.

"Administration thinks this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than ever. Plus, they're beefing up security compared to past years and it's not something we can cancel because of a few villains." Aizawa's tired eyes peeped out from a tiny slit in his face wrappings, making him look even more undead.

The UA Sports festival is one of the most popular events to be televised globally. Kazuya remembered how pumped her parents had been when Kagami got to compete, although her sister seemed more excited about "kicking ass and taking names". The memory was quickly pushed to the back of her mind as she refocused on Aizawa's words.

"One chance a year, three chances in a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss the festival. That means you better not slack off on your training," charcoal-grey eyes narrowed gravely, a threat looming behind their cold stare. No one was going to fight him on that, that much was certain.

Later in the day, the class split into groups to discuss the upcoming games, many taking it more seriously than others. Kazuya rested her head on her arms as she slumped over her desk and stared off into space.

The Sports Festival is open to not just the hero course, but to every UA student; that means she might have to fight against Hitoshi. While he never used her quirk on her, she knew he was strong enough to force her loss if he willed it. Would he even be willing to fight her? Did she even want to fight him?

"What about you, Imai?" Her mind came crashing down when Iida called her name.

"Huh?" Shaking her head free of cobwebs, she blinked herself back into reality.

"Everything alright?" Izuku asked, noticing her dazed expression.

She smiled, albeit distractedly, "Yeah, just nervous. I guess I've had enough cameras shoved in my face for a while." He gave her an understanding nod and let her go back to her thoughtful sulking.

When the bell rang for lunch, Kazuya did her best to hide in the small crowd of her classmates as they left the classroom. However, she had to split off from the group eventually and her confidence began to dwindle. The judgemental stares returned and she realised she didn't want to eat in the cafeteria.

I guess it's lunch outside again. She sighed internally then pulled out her phone to ask Hitoshi if he would mind eating in the courtyard again. Before she could shoot him a text, however, his tired voice spoke up from around the corner.

"I don't even know why a villain like that bothers. She's worthless."

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Hitoshi had gnawed the inside of his cheek to the point where he could taste the blood in his mouth. If it weren't frowned upon by practically everyone, he would have beaten every kid that talked shit about Kazuya into the ground.

He didn't know why, but when he heard her name come out of anyone else's mouth, he wanted to force them to walk right into a semi-truck.

With all this in mind, he kept his head down and focused on rescuing his best friend so she wouldn't have to bear the lunch room alone. As he walked down the hallway leading to her classroom, he was glad to hear that most people had moved on from the subject of the villainous doctor's daughter.

"Did you guys see that Imai chick?"

Of course, he spoke too fucking soon.

"Yeah, she's a freak!" snickered the shortest of the three douchebags.

"Pure evil, I heard. I mean, I don't even know why a villain like that bothers. She's worthless." Not even a split second after his friend finished cackling at his own words, he was approached by a shady figure.

"Why don't you talk a little, you personified headache? I don't think they heard you in the States," Hitoshi might not be the strongest physically but he could still fuck up these guys. All it takes is one word…

"What the hell did you say to — "

Bingo.

"Choke your friend," the vein in his forehead pulsed with agitation. Eyes going white, the leader of the shittier, off-brand Three Musketeers brought up his tiger-like hand and held his friend up by his neck.

"Y – Yuudai?!" gasped the suspended boy.

"Cut it out, man!" the shorter one shouted, looking between Hitoshi and his friends pathetically.

"I want you to repeat exactly what you just said about Imai Kazuya," violet eyes stared blankly as if unamused. Repeat it so I can have a reason to make you knock each other's teeth out. All three of them immediately slipped under his Brainwashing trance.

"Did you see that Imai chick?" hissed one of the students, muscles tensing as he tried and failed to keep himself from speaking.

"She's a freak." Tears began to stream down the face of the boy getting strangled by his friend.

"P – Pure evil." Hitoshi raised his brow when the last one dug his teeth into his bottom lip to stay in control. He took a step towards the bastard and looked him dead in the eye. Go on, he seemed to say.

"I don't even know why a villain like that bothers," the words came out bitterly as he finished his sentence for him, "She's worthless, right?"

The light gasp from somewhere behind him was so quiet that he almost missed it; however, when he searched through his peripherals and saw Kazuya, he knew he had messed up. How long had she been standing there?! Surely, she didn't hear only what he had said…?

"Kazuya, it's not what it looks like," he dropped his control over the idiots that were now behind him. Her earth-coloured eyes stayed trained on the ground as if they were scared to meet his gaze. Her emotions weren't readable, but he knew that far-off look of hers meant she was trying to process.

"I've been dealing with this shit all day," her voice cracked harshly, "Not once did I think that I'd have to hear it from you. You're my best friend for fuck's sake."

"Listen, I – " There wasn't a chance for Hitoshi to get a word out before a stinging sensation blossomed across his cheek. He had never been genuinely slapped like that before.

Kazuya finally lifted her head to glare daggers into the stunned eyes of her thought-to-be best friend. She stormed down the hallway without a second glance, pausing when he grabbed her hand. In a fit of rage, she turned around and shoved him as hard as she could. Granted, he only stumbled back a foot or so, which made her even more irritated.

"Stay the fuck away from me!" she shouted before disappearing around the corner in a blue blur. Hitoshi's words filled her mind like a hive full of swarming bees. This was the last straw. At this rate, she was seriously considering becoming a villain. At least then she could see her father and

It didn't even occur to Kazuya that someone was walking in front of her until she ran face-first into their body.

"Imai?" called a familiar albeit dumbfounded voice. Looking up, she realised she had run into her Modern Hero Art History teacher and certified ass-kicking hottie, Midnight. However, there was no time to bask in her awesomeness like she would in class.

"I can't take it anymore!" Kazuya dropped to her knees, hands pulling at her hair until blue and black strands littered the floor. Without missing a beat, Midnight caught the young girl and pulled her into a restraining hug.

"What happened?" she asked slowly, voice strangely soothing compared to the flirtatious tone she often held when she talked. Kazuya tried to explain, but thinking about it made her more angry and confused. Her eyes darted around, searching for answers or a sign that would never come.

"I just want it to stop!" She knew how pitiful it sounded. Her mind begged her to scream and cry I want my daddy! Midnight scanned her face as if she were searching for something then paused to silently assess whatever was found.

"Come with me," the R-Rated Hero smiled comfortingly and helped Kazuya onto her feet. Afraid she was going to get kicked out or something, she stayed rooted in place. Midnight was patient and stood next to her until she was ready to continue.

Eventually, they made it to the teacher's lounge. Inside the small room were a few teachers she recognized from the USJ incident, along with a few she had classes with every week. Chatting at a table next to a mini-fridge was Aizawa and Present Mic.

"I believe this one's yours?" Midnight's icy blue eyes shifted to the bandaged man.

"What happened?" he asked as soon as he caught sight of the crying child. Everyone except the three teachers surrounding Kazuya filed out of the room as she once again explained what was troubling her.

"Did these kids hurt you physically? Did you see who they were?" Aizawa asked, expression unreadable thanks to the dressings covering his face. She shook her head and sniffled.

"I didn't recognize any of them…" Other than Toshi.

"It's okay. You don't have to think about that right now," Midnight wrapped her arms around Kazuya again and held her longer. While she usually didn't like being touched, something about this woman's embrace made her melt into her immediately. She was so kind and warm, it was like she could fall asleep right here in her arms.

"I'm just gonna…lie down right here." Midnight's Somnambulist quirk began to push her further and further towards sleep until she fully collapsed.

"She reminds me of Livewire. I guess chaotic runs in the family," Present Mic scratched the back of his head, still baffled by the student placed into a chunky chair.

"That woman was the definition of chaotic," Aizawa sighed. He wasn't wrong.

"I only released a little of my power, so she should wake up right after lunch. Hizashi and I can bring her back to class after I report this to the principal," Midnight ran a hand through her dark violet hair. A frown marred her beautiful features at the thought of searching for security footage of the incident and then dealing with the paperwork. Aizawa nodded his approval and then spared Kazuya one last calculating glance.

"Try not to freak her out when she wakes up," he suggested before shuffling out of the room. Mic didn't realise he was talking about him until the grumpy man left the room.

Sure enough, Kazuya woke up terrified at first because Mic wouldn't stop shouting, then was escorted back to class by a much more comforting Midnight. Her classmates didn't say much to her, but a few snide comments from Bakugou made her realise just how much of a resting bitch face she had.

With her head rested on her desk and her eyes glazed over, it was hard not to see her as a literal zombie. No one dared to speak to her in case it lit some metaphorical fuze. She knew sulking would do no good, but it was all she could do except break down or break things.

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"Why the heck are you all here?!"

Uraraka's surprised shout drew every eye in class 1-A to the door. Some looked more shocked, while others seemed annoyed. A sea of onlookers stood right outside the hall, muttering amongst themselves with the cameras of their phones pointed into the classroom.

"Do you students have some sort of business with our class?" Iida asked in that same authoritative cadence he always used.

"Why are you blocking our doorway? I won't let you hold us hostage!" Mineta raised his small fist into the air threateningly. Well, as threatening as a little grape boy could be.

"They're scouting out the competition, idiots. We're the class that survived a real villain attack. They want to see us with our own eyes," Bakugou gave no shits as he walked straight towards the mob, "At least now you know what a future pro looks like. Now, move it, extras."

"You can't keep calling people extras just because you don't know who they are!" Iida swung his hand up and down as he scolded the blonde. Of course, he brushed off the scolding with a scoff.

"So this is Class 1-A. I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass."

No one seemed to notice it at first, but a deadly aura was emanating from the back of the classroom.

"Is everyone in the hero course delusional, or just you? How sad to come all the way here just to find a bunch of egomaniacs," the indigo-haired student stared at Bakugou with nothing more than boredom and contempt in his violet eyes, "I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others, I was forced to choose a different track. Such is life. Now, however, we get a second chance."

This was news to many of the hero-course students, evident by their faces now twisted in shock. There were some with good grades and astounding strength that would surely be kept in heroics, but for those lacking in one department or another, this sudden relay of information was horrifying.

"I'm here to let you know that if you don't bring your very best, I'll steal your spot right out from under you," the sleep-deprived boy spoke again, eyes travelling over every student in the room, "Consider this a declaration of war — "

He was silenced by a pencil, surrounded by a violently red aura, whizzing through the air and stabbing into the wall next to him. It hit with such force that it splintered and left little wood chips scattered on the floor. Gasps and startled exclamations erupted from both sides of the door.

"A declaration of war?" Kazuya was suddenly standing, her eyes shadowed by her hanging hair and her hand's red glow fading. "We're worthless. We shouldn't be an obstacle for someone like you, right?" As her head tilted up, her veil of azure fell away from her face. Her dangerously calm expression gave anyone who looked her way chills.

"Don't do this right now," Hitoshi frowned, knowing damn well that arguing in front of a bunch of people wouldn't be good for either of them.

Grabbing her bag, Kazuya strolled up to the spectators. Her scarily blank expression didn't change when they took a few frightened steps back and left her standing face-to-face with Hitoshi. She began to agree with Bakugou when he called them extras.

"Is this your idea of a good apology?" she folded her arms over her chest. Her indigo-haired friend shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"You're the one who said I should prove these idiots wrong." She didn't have to look behind her to know she was getting some strange looks from her classmates.

"Well, I'm part of this group of idiots, so you're gonna have to try harder than a half-assed threat," she furrowed her brows, making her look more like a villain as she nodded in the direction of the gathered horde, "I'll give you a war and I'll give them their bad guy."

"Are you serious?" They both knew she wasn't joking.

"If you impress me at the festival, I'll consider giving you a chance to explain yourself. Until then," Kazuya pushed past him with a rough shove from her shoulder, "stay out of my way, 'Toshi."

"'Toshi?"

The confusion in her classmate's voices made her smile to herself while walking away. She felt like a badass. Now, she could get her revenge on Hitoshi in front of millions of people and prove she wasn't one to be messed with. Would she be putting truth to some beliefs that she was a villain like her father? Maybe, but damn did it feel good.

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Kazuya spent the days leading up to the festival training her heart out. At home, she'd leave her gloves off and try to control when she did or did not push and pull. A lot of tableware and a window were sacrificed in the process, but her mother bottled up her irritation for her family's sake.

Her mother had tried to convince her to invite Hitoshi over for an armistice, but she was adamant that it had to be done this way. That's when Elena began to suspect that this feud was slowly becoming less about him apologising and more about wanting something to push her mentally.

One Saturday, while Kazuya was in the back garden exercising and trying to build some muscle, the house phone rang. Her mother was in the shower upstairs, so she answered it herself.

"Imai residence," she called while wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel. The line was quiet for a long while. Just as she was about to ask who was calling, a hushed voice broke the silence.

"...Spitfire?"

She gasped and looked around to make sure the coast was clear, "Dad?! You can't call us here! You'll get traced or something like in those crime movies!"

"I know, I know I just needed to…" he sighed in exasperation, "I miss your voice." Kazuya's heart sank.

"I miss you too," she involuntarily smiled, "The Sports Festival is starting soon!"

"Yeah, I'll be watching," Taigen got extra quiet this time, almost whispering.

"Root for me, will ya?" Kazuya chuckled. There was an uncomfortably long pause that gave her a chance to listen to the ambience of his environment. A few whooshing sounds and honks told her that he was near a busy street, probably using a payphone. "Dad? Are you there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm here. It's just that your sister said the same thing before her first Sports Festival," Taigen's fatherly laugh was music to her ears. She didn't even notice how tired and strained it was.

"Where are you?" she blurted out, the longing in her chest becoming too painful.

"Sweetheart…" her father groaned dejectedly.

"I can come to find you! No one has to know! I'll disguise myself, I – I won't tell Mom!" Kazuya stammered through the freshly formed tears welling up in her eyes.

"You know we can't," Taigen spoke more sternly.

"But what if we could? I don't have to know anything about the League, we can meet somewhere super secret and just talk. Please, Dad, I just want to talk. You've missed so much! Mom's not okay, I got into a fight with Toshi — "

"Kazuya!" her father bit out.

"NO, I NEED YOU!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, tears finally falling. Her legs gave out and she slid down against the kitchen wall. "I can't keep living like this. The things they say about me, about you, about our family…I just want it all to stop. I want you to come home."

"I know, Sweetheart. I do, too, but I can't. Everything's a mess. I don't know if I'll ever be able to come home," Taigen's words were like an arrow to the heart but she had accepted them already. At the USJ, when he said he couldn't come home for a while, he meant he couldn't come home ever.

"Promise me I'll at least see you again?" she asked in a broken whisper.

"I promise," her father answered hesitantly. Because goodbyes made it feel too real, he hung up without another word and left Kazuya listening to the receiver's buzzing static. Her mother rushed downstairs with a towel on and a baseball bat in hand.

"Are you okay?! I heard screaming," she quickly scanned the room. Kazuya didn't answer. She sat there and cried until there was nothing left.

While it was heartbreaking to hear her father say he wouldn't be coming home, she pulled herself out of that emotional ditch by focusing on the Sports Festival. If he was watching, she wanted him to see how much she had improved within her short time at UA. She wanted him to be proud, even if they were on opposite sides.

So, she trained non-stop for the next two weeks.

Her at-home workouts helped her gain some muscle mass, even if she was still lacking compared to some of her other classmates. Every day, for an hour or two, the students were allowed to go all out with their quirks in one of the gyms or outside. Kazuya's decided points of conditioning were her stealth, control, and stamina.

She knew the effects of her quirk would last an hour, so she touched a bunch of pavement that Kirishima had broken up and stuck it to her tracksuit. The extra weight made it harder to sneak around the trees that surrounded UA, but she still caught some of her classmates off-guard. One such incident got her frozen to the tree she was sitting in.

"That's not nice," she frowned. It was unclear whether she shivered because of the cold or the uninterested look thrown her way. Todoroki turned to walk away and she panicked, "H – Hey, I'm just messing with you!"

"You can get out yourself," the dual-quirked boy took another step forward, only to have a small nut from the tree hit him in the back of the head.

"Todoroki, come back here and melt this ice!" Kazuya crossed her arms and pouted childishly. When she noticed Todoroki had paused to glare at her, she sent another acorn his way and landed a hit square in his chest.

"Fine." He begrudgingly scaled the tree. Taking a seat next to her, he rested a hand on her frozen legs and thawed them out. A thought crossed the young girl's mind as the melted ice dripped down.

She caught it in her free hand and watched it slip through the cracks between her fingers. Before it hit the ground, however, she activated her quirk and strained to pull the water into her other hand. After getting the hang of it, the liquid swirled around her fist like a watery glove.

"Pretty cool, huh? I've never done this with water before," her lips curved into an impressed smirk, holding up her arm for Todoroki to see. He didn't look away nor did seem as excited. Kazuya's lips twitched into an even bigger grin at this.

Seconds later, the water glowed red as if someone had thrown a cracked glowstick into a pool. It collected above them in a big orb and then, with a splash, it dispersed in every direction, drenching both of the students.

Kazuya laughed so hard that some of her giggles turned to pig-like snorts. When Todoroki glared at her, damp hair stuck to his nicely shaped face, she only cackled harder. Her doubling over caused her balance to shift and ended in her plummeting from the tree branch. She cried out and shut her eyes tight, expecting to hit the ground so hard she couldn't breathe…

but it never came.

Peeking an eye open, she noticed Todoroki had jumped down and caught her. There was an awkward silence that followed the revelation, where she slowly removed her arms from around his neck and took a wobbly step back. Her legs were still a little numb from the coldness of his ice.

"Uh, thanks. I guess I owe you two favours now again, huh?" she averted her eyes and cursed the heat in her cheeks. There was no response. Just as she was about to apologise for getting him wet, she felt a warmth emanate from Todoroki's left side that grew hotter and hotter. Her eyes widened and her body went stiff as the left side of his uniform top burnt away from the extreme heat. Kazuya stared at his exposed arms as the water evaporated for much longer than she was willing to admit.

"Did I burn you?" he suddenly asked. It took Kazuya a second to realise she hadn't called him hot in her brain but out loud. Thank the stars that he thought he meant his quirk!

"O – Oh, no, I'm fine! See? Peachy!" she prattled on while waving her arms up and down like a penguin. He probably thinks I have brain damage. Way to go, Kazuya!

Thankfully, Todoroki didn't ask any more questions and went back to training after watching her mental struggle. Even after he was gone, her face still felt hot, and her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She couldn't explain why, but she wondered how good it would feel to touch those warm bic —

"Creep! Stop thinking like that! You have more important shit to do," she slapped herself. With a disgruntled huff, she continued to sneak around, making sure not to run into her peppermint-haired peer for the rest of the day. Even so, she couldn't help but sneak a few glances in his direction when they went back to the classroom.