Chapter 52:

Okay well this one is gonna be pretty long. It's gonna be a few scenes from Camie finishing some training, and Shiketsu class discussing their work along with Trish and her mommy issues. It will totally be important later. Although, this was mostly gonna be a chapter on Katsuki and Ibara.


"Watch out, fams. This guy sees the futu-"

"Oh, we already know." Kendo cut Camie off before she could warn them. Ojiro nodded along with his friend. "You did research on who you're doing a work study for, right?"

"Well… I only got told that he's my style, and I went with it. He kinda is." Camie shrugged, hoping to learn a couple more tricks to add to her fighting style.

"Since the three of you look like you're done talking, want to come at me again?" The Shaman asked the three. Ojiro and Kendo looked excited while Camie sighed, waiting for the other two to drop their bags and go for their battle stance. Camie isn't gonna play around this time and blew glamour all over the place, hoping to use her illusions to throw off The Shaman and hide her friends. Ojiro was the first to move in, noticing that The Shaman doesn't seem to notice that they had already moved away from their positions because of Camie's quirk. He used his tail to hit him from the back. The Shaman ducked.

"Too slow." The hero used his staff and hit Ojiro with it while the martial artist was still in the air, launching him back. Kendo was the second to move, but he had already sidestepped away from her chop. He tripped her with a simple kick and elbowed her back. Camie was the last coming from above. Knowing he had no time to dodge, The Shaman blocked her kick with his staff before grabbing her, pulling her close, and then punching her in the stomach. "Okay, well, you're getting used to how I do things. Remember, I see 8 of your attacks coming."

"That's to be expected." Ojiro was clutching his stomach, but he kept himself from falling. "You haven't been hit in years, if I remember?"

"Oh, that?" The Shaman sighed. "I told the press to stop exaggerating it. It's not that I never got hit, I just rarely get hit. For example, if someone is too fast, I wouldn't be able to do anything, even if I saw it coming. Trust me, I will see it coming."

The Shaman dodged one of Camie's kicks again before elbowing her stomach. "Let this be a third lesson. If your techniques don't work, then learn on the spot. Martial Arts shouldn't be a static set of things, especially when being applied in real life. Keep evolving as you fight. I may have a disadvantage against speed quirks, but the key is to learn about them as you fight, and you will," The Shaman blocked Kendo's punch, and Camie's roundhouse kick, while sidestepping Ojiro's tail swipe. "Be better than you were a minute before. Although you three came close to hitting me there."

The Shaman stopped playing around, and with a single swing from his staff, the three were swept off their feet. Before they could stand up and fight again, The Shaman finished them off with a bonk to the head with his staff. "Still, I have to say, you three might be the best hand-to-hand fighters in your respective class."

"I can see why they call you the best in Japan." Kendo groaned while caressing her head. "Although, I wonder who would win between you and Aizawa-sensei."

"Oh, we've fought before. You can go ask him who won."

"Wait, you've fought before?! How come we never heard of it?" Camie asked the teacher while sitting up. The head bonk wasn't really that painful. She got used to getting hit in the head by her other, much scarier teacher. And also Gran Torino. He does it a lot in sparring matches.

"What part of him being an underground hero do you not understand?"

"Ah shit, yeah. I forgot. Sorry about that."

"Anyway, you can go take a break. We're not really in a hurry. Just be careful around these parts. Quirkless people are much like us, but they can be bitter." The Shaman went back to his chair. Not really a chair, he just has a pillow to sit on. "Not that I blame them. I also have to pick up my daughter this afternoon."

"Really? We never knew you had one." Kendo was curious about the story on this one.

"Well, she already knew this, but she's adopted. She's still my dead wife's daughter, but we're not related by blood. She's still my daughter." The Shaman pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he was remembering a bitter memory. The three of them were about to stop him, but he continued anyway to sate their curiosity. "Things came up. It turned out that my wife's former mentor was a villain with a unique quirk. Manipulated her. You can already guess who the biological father of my daughter is. I failed to act, and the harm was already done. I never saw it coming. Then when he started whispering to my ears as I was chained up on what he planned to do to his own daughter… let's just say he's not really aware of a lot of things now. The entire thing left me with a dead wife and a baby."

"Okay, is anyone else planning to drop a bombshell on me? Seriously fams, why am I surrounded by people that drop an entire ass trauma on me? What's next? Trish elaborates on her mommy issues?" Camie has had enough. It's not that she doesn't care, but every time someone does this, it just catches her off guard. Worst of all, Izuku had issues that involved dying by the age of 30. She never really showed it, but it definitely stressed her out and only her roommate, Kenshi, knew that she vomited at least three times the moment she got back to their dorm room.

"Oh, sorry about that. I kinda get too in the moment- wait." The Shaman stepped aside. Using his staff, he nudged the three to move behind him. Suddenly, a door of a plane burst through the ceiling, landing just to the right of the hero.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ojiro yelled as he took a step back. He looked through the ceiling to see if the plane had already passed by.

"How in the-?!" Kendo was at a loss for words. Camie herself was too speechless to say anything. They could have died from that.

"Yep, saw it coming. It could have decapitated me, too." The Shaman felt proud of himself for showing off to his new interns. "Why'd you come in late, anyway?"

"You gave vague directions." Kendo handed him a sheet of paper. The Shaman read it and groaned loudly.

"I told her to make it clearer. Sheesh. I think you've earned your breaks today. You can come back earlier tomorrow or maybe even next week, now that you know where to find me. Oh, and that tragic backstory? Don't worry about it. It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I got over it, eventually." The Shaman crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash can. "Speaking of which…"

"TOSHIHIROOOOOO!" A familiar voice was heard, and The Shaman was already out of her way when she tried to pounce on him.

"Ragdoll?" All three of the students were curious why Ragdoll was here. She had been out of commission since the incident.

"Oh! You little kittens are here to learn from him? He mentored me too when I was a kid!"

"A kid? You were already 20 when you temporarily worked for me. I was already 30 by then!" The Shaman was instantly exasperated by his supposed former student. She now hangs around here after gaining a stunning amount of free time. It was also an excuse to do more work for him since he was fun to be around, if her words were something to go by. "Don't you have your teammates to help with the paperwork?"

"Well, I just picked up Kota from school and he's chilling. Also, 20 is a kid in Ragdoll years."

"Ragdoll years? Are you making things up again to annoy me? For god's sake, woman." The Shaman shook his head and looked at his mildly amused interns. "I'm sorry you have to see this. Ever since the incident, she's been here more often. And, as for you." He glanced at Ragdoll again. "I'm closing shop for today, Tomoko. I'm picking my daughter up."

"Ooh. Can I come?"

"No. You are incredibly annoying."

"And you only pretend to be bothered by it! Hey! Hey! Guys, did you know he helped me control my senses better? Search was a difficult quirk to have, with all the buzzing in my head! He even sympathised with me and helped me focus! He said all that while calling me annoying."

"I'm seeing a sort of familiarity here." Ojiro narrowed his eyes while slowly looking at Camie. Kendo did the same, much to Camie's bemusement.

"Why are you fams looking at me like that? Wait, is there something on my clothes? I just washed these!"

"No, Ragdoll and The Shaman's odd friendship reminds me of yours and Midoriya's." Kendo had to explain to Camie. It was too similar to not notice. "I once saw Juzo make an essay on how you two could get along."

"Deadass? An entire ass essay on our friendship? Not even a mention of Miko-baby?"

"Miko-baby?"

"Himiko Toga. One of the… invaders back at camp. We were a trio in the past. All's forgiven though. I don't know what you guys think about her."

"Well, since she's not really after any of us, I have no issue with Toga." Ojiro shrugged as the three of them got out of the building. The two heroes inside were still bickering. Kendo could not be bothered and pulled the two out. "Where did you learn all those moves earlier?"

"The most nightmarish Muay Thai teacher. Well, he only taught me Muay Thai, but I'm sure as hell he knew a lot more than Muay Thai. I didn't bother asking him since he scares me. Once I was done, he kinda just left." Camie said it like it was nothing. She still remembers the times she had to eat while her knuckles were bleeding from punching wood, rock, and steel. "Until he came back and kicked my ass again just to show me the power of teamwork. He's just so weird, fam."

"Damn, I didn't expect that. Must have been one hell of a guy. I learned from the local dojo back in my town. I just started getting creative and added my tail into the mix."

"My family runs a karate dojo of our own. My dad was really strict with me on just using our family's style of karate. Ever since the dorms came along, I've never been so free in trying out new techniques before."

"Hey, even with what you just know, you kept up pretty good with everyone else." Ojiro was not lying when he said he was impressed by Kendo's techniques. It was swift and vicious, never wasting time on fancy things.

"So I got myself some Muay Thai and a little bit of boxing. Kendo has that Kendo style karate, and Ojiro has…"

"Karate, Kickboxing, and my own style that I don't have a name for." Ojiro answered her incoming question.

"Well, this has been fun, seeing you fight a little more up close. Ojiro and I are gonna have to depart here and get back to UA. Careful on your way back!" Kendo and Ojiro waved their goodbyes to Camie. She did the same. Camie pondered if she finally found a new sparring partner. She needs to brush up on her techniques if she wants to keep up with the rest of the class.

"Oi! You! Yeah! It's me, bitch!" Trish called out to her while walking beside a very annoyed Katsuki. Camie noticed he wasn't as annoyed as she expected him to be, considering who he was walking with. He waved a greeting.

"Hey. Uh… sorry for beating you up one time…" Katsuki avoided her gaze. Camie rolled her eyes and pointed to her back where the two can still see Ojiro and Kendo walking away.

"Juuust go, Bakubitch." Camie told him. Katsuki said nothing else and walked past her. "As for you, bitch, let's go."

"How's your day, bitch?"

"I got beat up."

"Yeah? Well, we ran into the Creature Rejection Clan. We goin' after those shitbags after the cultural festival. About a week after UA does theirs? I don't remember. Don't ya have a date with the wankstain at the UA one?"

"Yes. We do. I guess…?"

"You guess? Who the fuck guesses on a date, ya stupid bimbo! Ya probably don't even know what clothes to wear!" Trish was repeatedly poking Camie, which is constantly annoying the former. She has a talent for annoying people, after all.

"Oi! I'll have you know my parents are fashion designers! They're off-country a lot, trying to fit the right clothes on spoiled brats in Milan. Eugh. Skeletal bitches, if you ask me." Camie remembered the last time her parents took her to their workplace. The models were not as good looking as they thought they were. This was mostly the reason Camie has a relatively healthy diet. That and Izuku and Himiko wouldn't stop bothering her if they think she's eating too much junk food. "I know the right clothes for me."

"Yeah yeah. Say, since ya know that blood-sucking bitch-"

"Do not call Miko-baby that."

"Right. Whatever. Since ya know yer friend more than I do, how do I stop that bitch from flirtin' with me?" Trish looked away, a little embarrassed.

"Really? She has a crush on you, of all people?" Camie was surprised Himiko would be interested in someone like Trish. "How does that happen?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Trish was still flustered from talking about Himiko, which Camie noticed. "She just… she's too nice. For me."

"She's nice to everyone. It seems like her flirting is working with you, tho." Camie smiled slyly while nudging Trish with her elbow. Trish smacked it away while they were entering the train, ready to go back to Shiketsu.

"Shut up! It's noooot."

"Ay, you get whiny when you get flustered. Or at least, whinier than usual." Camie chuckled while Trish smacked her again. She thought about it for a moment, and maybe it would benefit her if Himiko got with Trish. As far as she knew, Himiko was the only person who Trish rarely insulted or smacked. "Just go on the offensive. Ask her out, Trish. She'll get nervous and back off."

"Really? Ya better not be lyin' to me." Trish blushed at the thought of it and kept with her thoughts for the rest of the train ride. It was a quiet that Camie could enjoy while browsing Chirper. It took them a while, but they eventually got back to the entrance of their dorms. "All right. This better work."

The moment they opened the door, they both saw a woman with red hair having a screaming match with Seiji, Kenshi, and Izuku. The woman was speaking in English, and the three screaming at her were the best at English in their class aside from Trish and Camie. Murry was busy consoling a crying kid that was probably his sister. Camie might ask him about it later. She was surprised when Trish gripped her arm tightly. The girl was on the verge of exploding into rage. "Ay. Ay! Calm down."

It did not work. Camie almost forgot how much body strength it took to even be good with a bow. Trish was stronger than she expected. She still sucks at fighting without a weapon, though. That being said, Trish exploded into a rage. "WHEN THE FUCK WILL YA LEAVE ME N POPS ALONE, YA WHORE?!"

"LEAVE YA?! YA UNGRATEFUL WEE SHIT! YE'R AS PATHETIC AS YER FATHER!"

"DON'T YA DARE CALL ME POPS PATHETIC! YA CHEATED ON HIM! YE'R THE SHITHEAD BETWEEN THE TWO OF US!" Trish was stopped when her mother slapped her hard in the face. It was hard enough to knock her down. Himiko, Kenshi, and Izuku were the first by her side.

"I will not ask again, human. You will leave this building." Kenshi growled at his classmate's supposed mother. Although he realised she was only a mother by blood.

"I will not listen to the words of an animal, much less a dog. I will do with my daughter as I wish." The two were face to face. Neither was backing down.

"The hell is with that bitch, Trish? You told me it was bad. I didn't expect it to be this bad." Izuku was busy turning off the pain receptors on Trish's cheek. That slap left a mark.

"I can handle her, wankstain. Sucker punching is just her go-to if she got nothin' else." Trish gently removed Himiko's hand off her cheeks and stood back up. Having calmed down, she took a deep breath and glared at her mother. "Leave. Me. Alone."

"I…" Her mother looked away from her. A typical thing for her to do. "I want to try again. As a family."

"Ye'r broke again, aren't ya?"

"..."

"Leave. Me. The fuck. Alone." The glaring match would have continued had it not been Mirko barging inside again without permission.

"Hey, Trish! You forgot your quiver back at the apartment. Take care of your stuff more, sheesh. What am I supposed to do with you?" Mirko handed the quiver to Camie and walked beside Trish, patting her gently on the head. "Nice job narrowing the culprits down to the CRC for us earlier. Wait, is that your ma?"

"Mirko, this isn't the time to-"

"Ha! You shoulda seen your daughter! Sure, her fighting could use some work, but I ain't ever seen someone with her aim. Well, there's Snipe, but he needs his quirk for it." Mirko chuckled while patting Trish on the back. "I bet you're proud, right? Uh… wait. Something was going on here."

Mirko took a better look at Trish now that she wasn't distracted. "I don't remember your sparring partner hitting you hard enough to leave a mark. We didn't get to fight any CRC members either. Who… did that… to you?" Mirko slowly looked at Trish's mother.

"... Did you do this?" Mirko asked in a hushed tone.

"Why? Never disciplined a child before?"

"I do. With Trish and Katsuki. But never enough to make it really hurt. Just enough to make them snap out of their usual gig. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Okay, everyone stop." Gran Torino had finally entered the building. He walked up to the woman and then grabbed her by the shirt. "I don't care if you're her mother. Nobody hurts my students off-training. Get out before I make you get out."

With nothing more to say, Trish's mother glared at all of them one more time and left. Trish sighed in relief and faced Himiko. "Go out with me."

"Huh?! Uh… okay?"

"SHIT!" Trish knocked off Seiji's hand when he tried to heal her bruise and stomped over to Camie. She then aggressively pointed at her. "YA SAID IT WOULD WORK!"

"Uh, yeah. It did. Wait, shouldn't you be… I don't know… feeling something else after your mom-"

"Yeah yeah. I got over her quickly. It was years ago. That whore just kept coming back." Trish continued to smack Camie's arm.

"She's not returning to this school." Gran Torino reassured her.

"Yeah. Well, I'm going back. Take care, Trish." Mirko said while jumping away, leaving a hole in the roof. Everyone looked at Izuku.

"The hell do you want me to do? I can't just magically patch up tha- oh, for fuck's sake." He stretched out his hand, activating his telekinetic quirk, and grabbed some planks and nails in the basement. He jammed the thing on the hole in the roof. "You guys know how hard it was to grab those planks by segments? Seriou-"

"I'M BACK WITH MY LICENSE! I HAVE REDEEMED MYSELF!" Inasa has burst through the door, knocking Izuku into a wall. It knocked him out.

"Welp. I'm draggin' him up. Miko-baby, you mind helping?"

"Yeah, sure. And umm… Trish…?"

"Once. Just once." Trish held up a finger, still flustered from successfully asking Himiko out. "Ay, where is everyone?"

"The others are kinda just staying over at the agency they're interning for." Murry was busy handing Eri another apple after she had finally calmed down. "Although Chifu did message us, she'll probably be borrowing a bunk at UA, since that's where Vlad King stays."


UA 1B Dorms…


"Finally. That train delay was a hassle." Ojiro stretched his limbs as the three finally got back to UA. Katsuki was way over his sleep schedule, so he went ahead in a hurry. He stopped by the 1B dorms, though. Kendo caught up with him.

"Visiting your girlfriend?" Kendo teased him. He clicked his tongue.

"Not my girlfriend. Not yet." Katsuki knocked on the door and came face to face with the most annoying person he had met in his life.

"WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT?! FIRST THAT FREAK OF NATURE AND NOW YOU?!" Monoma yelled at his face. Katsuki still remembers Monoma screwing him over during the final exams. "YOU'RE NOT-"

"Shut up, Monoma. Seriously." Kendo gave Katsuki an embarrassed look while chopping Monoma's neck, knocking him out. "I wonder what he meant by freak of- Oh. He's talking about her."

Kendo pointed at Chifu, handing out some apple pies to everyone. "Sorry about what Monoma said!"

"Nah, I got used to being called that. Motherfucker needs some time to shut the motherfuck up."

"Oi. Chifu, is Ibara…?"

"She's up in her room, motherfucker. Use protection or some shit." Chifu told him. Katsuki was taken aback by what she said, much to his embarrassment as the rest of 1B chuckled at his misfortune.

"Shut up. She told me we needed to talk about something." Katsuki walked over to the elevator and pressed the button. He wasn't sure what Ibara wanted to talk about, but he had a feeling that he couldn't miss this one. He stood just before her room and knocked on the door. She opened up while yawning. Clearly, she was already asleep. "Ah shit. I didn't know you were asleep."

"No. I was simply bored while waiting. You look like a mess, Katsuki." She pointed out, much to his annoyance.

"My shower can wait. You want something to-"

"Kendo commissioned us to have our own shower in our dorms. You can use mine. I have shampoo in case a visitor may use it. Had I not known you better, I wouldn't have known that you always bring casual clothing alongside your hero uniform." Ibara pointed to the shower door in her room. Katsuki was a little hesitant, but Ibara was simply too insistent. He didn't take too long in the shower. He quickly dressed up and sat on the chair she provided him.

"We need to have a deadline for our bet, Katsuki." Ibara started their apparent negotiation.

"I don't mind a time limit. When?"

"Cultural Festival. So, within next week."

"Deal."

"Deal." It went as fast as their previous bets and agreements. Although, going too fast left them in an awkward state of just sitting there and staring at each other. Not that they minded just doing that. "So… how was the work study?"

"Found a part of the Creature Rejection Clan. Once we find their main base, we'd be taking them on. The heroes put us on a break until then. Chifu will stay over at the dorms, courtesy of being Vlad King's intern."

"The Creature Rejection Clan. Those are unpleasant individuals." Ibara is technically a mutant as well, with her plant hair. She grew up in the city, so she never truly knew what Shoji or Chifu went through. It's still nauseating to hear about these people, regardless. "Currently you are thinking, why am I here and not down with my friends?"

"Goddammit. How do you always know?" Katsuki was annoyed that she read him like a book again.

"I've known you long enough to guess correctly. It was an important matter that we speak of this privately, as you will confess to me." Ibara's smiling face got a little too close to Katsuki. Both were a little more red than usual, but they got used to it. The two were unsure what the other was going to do next with their faces so close to each other's. The sudden banging on the door, however, snapped them out of it.

"Oi! You two coming down or what? You better not be having sex in there! I'm in charge of washing the bedsheets tomorrow!" Awase had the best timing from all four of them for the more intimate moments.

"WE ARE NOT-" Ibara and Katsuki slammed the door open while yelling at the same time. "HAVING SEX IN HERE."

"Okay good. Chifu made some apple pies. Get down there, you disgusting lovebirds." Awase was already on his way back to the elevator.

"Oh yeah? How's your thing with Yaoyorozu?"

"Ah shut up, Bakugou!" Awase stopped for a moment. "We haven't really decided what we are for the moment, but shut up!"

They both chuckled and followed their friend downstairs. The room smelled good with apple pie in the air. The vibe was decent since Monoma is tied up on a chair and is attempting to yell things at Katsuki and Chifu.

"He doesn't really hate mutants." Kendo told Chifu. "He just really enjoys insulting anyone that isn't in our class. Or, for that matter, he insults anyone in our class who gets along with other classes."

"Ah, those types of guys. We don't really have those motherfuckers in Shiketsu. Well, there was light rivalry with the motherfuckin' Police Course, but we're all good. I guess our police squad has a beef with the Investigation Course. Dunno how bad it is. Don't care much for it."

Katsuki and Ibara finally sat down with each other on a separate couch and grabbed a slice of apple pie. They began using the spoon to feed each other.

"How's my favourite couple?" Setsuna was the first to ask, followed by Kinoko.

"We are not a couple." Ibara answered them. The two were dumbfounded by the direct answer of their friend, who was clearly being all lovey-dovey.

"Yeah, I can confirm. They're not. These two dumbasses ain't dating until one of them confesses." Awase ate some of the pie while also drinking some tea that Momo gave him.

"Oi! Look who's talking." Katsuki snapped back, much to Awase's annoyance, earning a chuckle from everyone.

"Yeah. Look who's talking. What's with you and Yaoyorozu, anyway?" Kinoko was now on Awase's case. This earned Katsuki a glare from his friend.

"Absolutely nothing between us other than friends. Can't a guy and a girl just be friends? I mean, look at Ojiro and Kendo! They're just friends! Ojiro already has Hagakure."

"Now, now, Yosetsu. I understand, but you yourself told Yaoyorozu to her face that you do like her and would like to get to know her first, before the two of you decide." Ibara was not helping his case.

"It's our business, and we plan to settle that business in the future. Otherwise, I don't want any of you playing wingman. We have this covered."

"Well, if you end up needing help after all, I can help you with that, man." Tetsutetsu placed his arm around Awase's shoulder. "Okay, well, who else is in a relationship here?"

"Well, there is Midoribro and my good bitch Camie, although everyone saw it coming. They're not really in that relationship yet, but I'm sure they're close. At least it ain't no bets like those two motherfuckers." Chifu pointed at Katsuki and Ibara. Neither could get offended, since Chifu was mostly right. "Before that, years ago, apparently it was Midoribro and my other good bitch, Toga. Whatever happened, it's not really my business to tell you, but they were an item. I've heard that you motherfucker thought she was his imaginary girlfriend."

"How the fuck am I supposed to know that asshole actually had a girlfriend?"

"Good point, since both of you motherfuckers were all up and tryna kill each other for whatever reason." Chifu said before her eyes widening and continuing off her sentence. "As a matter of fact, both of y'all suddenly just stopped. The motherfuck happened? Not that I'm against you motherfuckers stopping."

"I am not telling you shit. It's between the two of us. It's mostly settled."

"That's fine by me. That girl really straightened you out, didn't she?"

"Compliments aside, Katsuki's attempts were through his own efforts. Him settling things with Midoriya was through his own will and not mine." Ibara intervened. She knew she wasn't the cause of Katsuki's change, just the one who made sure he didn't get off the path he chose for himself.

"Oh, and another thing, I saw Murry hanging out with that quiet girl Yui one time while I was out buying groceries." Chifu mentioned offhandedly. She assumed they were just friends.

"Oh, yeah, that. Murry was just feeling guilty about the both of us getting shot during the summer camp. Blames himself entirely for it, so he had a feeling of making it up to us. Nothing special there." Juzo jumped in to make sure Setsuna and Kinoko didn't crowd Yui.

"Oh boo. There was nothing between them?" Setsuna sounded disappointed. Kinoko was too busy pouting, not getting enough relationship gossip. Yui, however, was blushing a little.

"Wait. There's nothing between the two of you, right?" Juzo raised his eyebrow when Yui silently looked away. Air came out of Juzo's mouth as he started chuckling at the revelation.

"There is nothing." Yui looked out the window sadly. "He told me I shouldn't say it."

"He did what? That bas-" Tetsutetsu was immediately cut off by Yui.

"He feels that I only said it because he thought I thought I owed him. I simply like him. He still believes he hasn't made up for what happened to us." Yui finished what she had to say.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Wait, the motherfuck up! When did this happen?" Chifu asked, not really hearing Murry talk about this in class. She knows he hangs out with Yui, but this whole sort of drama is entirely unknown to anyone. "You really liked him?"

"He… did not treat me as some goddess, as my previous school had." Yui smiled gently while still not making eye contact with anyone. "He does not hold the same obsessive admiration they had. I could have a normal conversation with him, although he mostly brags about his little sister. He never shuts up. I like that. About him."

"Ah yeah, he does that from time to time. The motherfucker is a little too protective, but considering where he came from? I can see why."

"Well, did you know Eri was learning fractions at such a young age?" Yui asked Chifu. She shook her head. That was the longest anyone has heard Yui speak. She must have liked the guy a lot.

"Yeah yeah. You bozos and your relationships. See why I'm undecided? Too much drama! Lemme tell you!" Awase shoved another piece of apple pie in his mouth. He had to give Chifu credit. She was an excellent baker. "Wait a minute, I can make money out of this! Hey Kendo, can I make like an apple pi-"

"You will not, Yosetsu. We still have our own club to worry about alongside our class play. Please do not watch it, Katsuki." Ibara shot her not-boyfriend with a warning glare that told him everything involved in that play is embarrassing to Ibara. He is going to watch it. "Seriously!" She playfully nudged his head.

"Oh, sure. I totally won't."

"I'm serious!" The nudges turned into aggressive poking of his sides, much to his amusement.

"Uh. Earth to dumbasses, are you seriously flirting in front of us?" Awase once again interrupted their banter. "Come on, not in front of our class, Shio. Hey, Kendo. Are the others going back to the dorms?"

"Nah. Same situation as me. Probably gonna go to sleep at some agency or something." Chifu yawned while washing the dishes. "I'm just gonna finish up these motherfuckin' dishes and I'm sleepin' in the guest room."

"Yeah, it's night already. I'm gonna go get some beauty sleep. Someone gonna tie Monoma to his bed or what? It's not my job today." Setsuna was already going up the stairs as she said it. Kinoko and Yui followed her. Awase stayed for a while before heading up to his room as well. Tetsutetsu and Kendo eventually bunked in as well, with Tetsu dragging Monoma upstairs. The only ones left in the living room were Katsuki and Ibara, who were still busy cuddling.

"Katsuki, what time is it?"

"1am. Good thing it's Saturday tomorrow. Wait. Shit, I missed the curfew." Katsuki stood up and stretched his arms. This was way beyond his sleep schedule. He was about to get back to his building, but Ibara tugged at his shirt.

"It's late."

"I know that."

"You can stay."

"Here? Wait, in your room?!"

Ibara nodded without looking at him. She was clearly a little embarrassed to tell him that. Katsuki looked away for a moment, considering his options. He could walk back, or he could stay here until the next day. "There can't be too much harm sleeping in her room…"

"Fine. Let's go." He helped Ibara stand up, and the two walked up to the elevator. After reaching her room, Ibara plopped down to her bed. "Where's the futon?"

"I… do not have one. We will have to share."

"Oh." Katsuki has been hesitating a lot today regarding anything involving Ibara. This is definitely one of those moments. He awkwardly sat down at the edge of the bed, jolting in shock when Ibara touched his back. She was warm. When he turned around, she was already facing the wall. Katsuki stood back up and turned the lights off before lying down next to her.

"You are rough, but you are also a scheming individual, Katsuki. I know for a fact that the moment you return to your dorms, you will start planning on how to make me confess." Ibara was glad she faced the wall to hide her satisfied smirk. "This will provide an enough distraction for me to use my own-"

He was hugging her. She was cut off from her own thoughts and scheming when his arm wrapped around her. Ibara admits it was rather comfortable, and her conversations with Camie have been proven accurate with how good it felt to be hugged by someone you like. She forgot everything she was doing right now in favour of trying not to freak out over this.

"I knew you knew I was a scheming bastard." Katsuki was hiding his own smirk. "This will definitely distract your ass while I-"

She turned around and hugged him back. This was not what he expected. Everything was warmer in a good way. He couldn't really plan anything anymore for now. Only that he wants to stay like this for a while. "Is this what that asshole feels all the time with Utsushimi?"

The two continued to outplay the other, although this may have been too much to bear for the both of them. Eventually, sleep took them as they drifted away.


Morning...


Ibara was the first to wake up, having noticed that she was still cuddling with Katsuki. She looked at the clock, seeing that it was still 7am. Luckily for them, it was a Saturday, so there wasn't any need to hurry. She continued to rest her head on his chest, closing her eyes again. That was until a flash fully woke her and Katsuki up.

"What the fuck?!"

Setsuna and Mina were currently taking pictures of them cuddling. Surprising everyone, including herself, Ibara was the first to act. She used her vines to grab the phone and crush it effortlessly. "Oh, shit!"

"What have I-?! Sorry. I apologise. I was shocked that you entered my room." Ibara and Katsuki finally sat up. She has lost her temper again for the first time in years. "I will buy you a new phone, Setsuna."

"Nah. We kinda snuck into your room after Kendo found you like this. Told us not to 'fuck around and find out'. Sadly, we fucked around and found out." Setsuna shrugged while Mina smiled apologetically. This time, she pulled out her phone, which Katsuki promptly grabbed and destroyed with his quirk.

"Yeah, I'll buy you another one."

"Jerk!" And that was that. They left the room. There was a bit of silence after.

"I'm sorry you had to see that side of me, Katsuki." Ibara broke the silence.

"Ibara, if that was you losing your temper, you're still a goddamn angel compared to me." Katsuki reassured her it won't change a thing. Not that he minds. "And, I… uh… found it… cute."

"Oh." Ibara frowned and then smiled in amusement. "Why am I not surprised that you're into that?"

"Oh, shut up. I gotta get back before Aizawa-sensei really gets on my case." Katsuki stood up and got in front of Shiozaki's mini balcony filled with plants. "You mind if I go this way?"

"No. Just be careful of my plants."

"You know I always am." Katsuki said before jumping off. Ibara heard a crash and a curse.

"STUPID BRANCH!" She heard Katsuki scream.

"That's what you get for taking shortcuts, blasty!" She heard Awase yell back. Ibara chuckled before getting up from bed herself and getting ready for the day. She looked at her phone again and groaned when she was reminded of what she'll be doing today.

"Curse this practice for that cursed play." Ibara sighed in embarrassment. Monoma had stolen Awase's collection of old literature and has come up with the most convoluted plot possible and then tricked the entire class into agreeing with him for the play.


Shiketsu Preparation…


"Why are we all agreeing to this? This is clearly the harlot being perverted." Seiji complained, not wanting to take part in Camie's idea of having a Butlers Cafe for their class's Cultural Festival gig. Scratch that, this is Camie's and Himiko's idea. He knew Trish would agree, if only to embarrass Izuku. Chifu and Murry just go with the flow. Everyone else had at least the same amount of common sense as he does. "Again, why can't we have something more-"

He was interrupted by an uncharacteristically aggressive Riku grabbing his collar and pulling him close to her face. Her nose was bleeding for some reason and she had a desperate look on her face. "Let. Me. Have. This."

"W-What?!"

"I want to see this. Don't try to stop me." Riku gave him a little shock using her quirk. Seiji knew Riku knew he knew she could easily disintegrate him at her full power. "I need to see this."

"Holy smoke, homes. You better let Riku have her way." Murry had refused to swear ever since Eri started living in the dorms alongside him. There was no way in hell that he's letting her live in an orphanage with that type of quirk. Eraserhead offered to help her, and he had to accept it, seeing as how he's the only one who can safely stop her quirk. "Eat your veggies, Eri."

"But they don't taste so good."

"Here's some soy sauce, kid. It usually works with Fubuki." Izuku handed Eri some of the sauce to let her pour it in herself. She dropped a few on the vegetable and then tasted it. Her eyes widened a bit before adding soy sauce to the rest of her dish. "Just don't add too many."

"Thanks for the help, man." Murry nodded at Izuku.

"No prob. I had practice taking care of my little sister and all."

"So we're all agreeing on Butler Cafe?"

"NO!" Seiji yelled. Everybody else nodded. Izuku had minor issues with it. Murry and Trish were gonna get money for it. Himiko, Camie, and Riku get to see the guys in Butler outfits. Nagamasa, Inasa, and Kenshi were fine with everything. Chifu herself was excited to do most of the cooking.

"Ayy, while we're at it, why don't we put Trish in a Butler outfit as well?" Camie suggested, instantly gaining a glare from the deranged Scotswoman.

"...What are ya suggestin'?" Trish slowly asked her. Camie simply pointed at her own chest and did a motion as if she was running her hands over a smooth surface and then pointing at Trish's chest while chuckling. "ARE YA SAYIN' I'M LACKIN'? I'LL HAVE YA KNOW I TURN ON YER BEST FRIEND OVER THERE!"

Trish pointed at Himiko, who was a little embarrassed by what Trish said. Not that it was false. Camie, however, was busy laughing at the entire thing while Eri was watching the entire thing with a confused look. She'll have to ask her big brother what 'Turn On' means later.

"Trish, your knowledge of how much Himiko likes you is just surface level."

"Izu-kun!" Himiko immediately jumped over to him and covered his mouth. "Let's not… What the-? Hey! Stop licking my palm. Ew."

"Anyway, nothing can go wrong, right? Who else is visiting UA's Cultural Festival?"

"I'm gonna bring Eri over. She has a few lessons and training from Eraserhead and the fact that I want to let her have her fun." Murry and Eri just got out of Overhaul's reach for the first time in their lives. Nothing bad with wanting to take a break for a moment, considering the deal he had to make.

"Kenshi and I will stay along with a few others. We'll be preparing a few bits of our own Cultural Festival. Perhaps you can invite your UA friends over to enjoy ours as well." Nagamasa said, already having plans in mind for their so-called Butlers Cafe. This is his method of enjoyment. Not to mention he has to knit together their outfits, which itself is an already enjoyable activity.

"I'll help Nagamasa." Inasa whispered, now a little self-conscious of his own voice, to not irritate Eri's ears. "Shoto Todoroki is still a jerkass. We almost didn't pass when he tried to freeze a kid."

"He almost did what now?!" Izuku was shocked at this sudden development. He never thought Todoroki would be the type to do this before. Things probably changed since his supposed expulsion from UA. "Ah, nevermind. That's his problem."

"His father isn't that much of a jerk anymore, though! Even gave me an autograph." Inasa showed them his shirt with Endeavour's sign on it. Everyone was astounded by how plain Inasa's fashion sense was.


UA Class 1B Dorms Breakfast Time…


"And this, motherfuckers, is a fan favourite." Chifu presented the dish to everyone. "Bacon and eggs, along with some garlic bread. Uh, no one's allergic to anything on the food, right?"

"Don't worry about it, Chifu. Pres and I noted everyone's medical history." Awase, the ever reliable class treasurer reassured Chifu that no one in the class was allergic to any of Chifu's breakfast. "Seriously, though. You're our guest. One of us should cook for you instead."

"Which is exactly why I woke the motherfuck up real early in the morning. I am the one bunking in for my work study. Might as well contribute a bit. Oh," Chifu took away the Faygo that Kamakiri was about to drink. "Don't drink that one."

"Hey! What's the big deal!? That's cherry flavour!"

"Nah, my grand priest filled that thing with blood." Chifu said carefully while everyone stopped eating.

"Oh, of course! Your quirk involves the usage of your blood, if I remember correctly?" Ibara swooped in to prevent any awkward looks from continuing.

"... Yeah. Only found out it was blood after my good bitch Toga told me. We share now. I need it to fuel my quirk. You can have the blue one I got in the fridge, though. That one tastes better." Chifu was still feeling mortified that the Grand Priest had never told her about it. Then again, he never told her for a good reason. "Anyway, eat up motherfuckers. I got more on the way."

The new person entering the scene was not having any of it. Monoma first grabbed the plate of the bacon and eggs and threw it away. He then grabbed the Faygo and spilled it on Chifu, who was surprised that he had done that.

"What the fuck?! Monoma!" Tetsutetsu was the first to speak, angry that his breakfast was ruined and their guest disrespected.

"I've done you all a favour." Monoma argued back, avoiding Kendo's chops for once. "You're all… infected. By 1A and the lesser class. You're fraternising with the enemy and this… FREAK."

"That's not a nice thing to say!" Komori spoke, not having any of it. Chifu had been nothing but nice to the entire class ever since they met back at the Summer camp. Monoma spilled Chifu's Faygo on her to shut her up.

"Man, what the hell?!" Kuroiro stood up, not really caring until Monoma did what he did to Komori. Kendo was not having any of it, trying to make the madman stop. Awase was busy glaring at the perpetrator and Ibara was looking at her now ruined breakfast before glancing at a sad-looking Chifu.

"Maybe I should… leave you motherfuckers to settle things. He really doesn't want me here." Chifu tried to calm everyone down, not wanting to be the reason the class fell apart.

"Nobody will ever want you, FREAK. Mutants like you are turning my entire class against me. Eugh. A blight to these very dorms." Monoma continued to goad Chifu into doing something harmful. To her credit, Chifu wasn't really that affected by his words. She heard worse.

"The actual fuck did you just say about mutants, asshole?" Kamakiri was now pissed by what Monoma was saying. Kuroiro, Manga, Pony, Juzo, and Shishida weren't feeling any better.

"Oh please. I did not mean you. You're one of the good ones."

"One of the good ones?" Manga asked Monoma.

"You know what I mean! Do not fraternise with the enemy! These three," Monoma pointed at Tetsutetsu, Ibara, and Awase. "Are far too gone. They're not 1B in my eyes anymore."

"Who are you to decide who we want to be friends with? Monoma, you need to hear yourself talk right now." Kendo can tolerate Monoma's bullshit, but enough is enough. She isn't having any of it with him acting like this.

"THEY. ARE. THE. ENEMY. KENDO. DO YOU NOT SEE?! CLASS 1B IS THE SUPERIOR CLASS! WE ARE THE SUPERIOR CLASS! WHY DO THEY GET THE SPOTLI-"

"Oh, so this is what it's all about? Attention whore." Setsuna was pissed hearing Monoma's weak reasoning. "You want the spotlight? Well, you got it now. Dick."

"Why are you all against me? You're just like those people who bullied me!"

"Are you serious?" Awase could believe no one was this much of an asshole. He thought Bakugou was at the peak, but it was always his classmate, which he had the misfortune of knowing. He was slowly approaching, ready to weld Monoma's lips together to stop him from making anything worse. Komori was still upset, Kamakiri and the others were angry, Tetsutetsu was incredibly pissed, and Kendo was tired. He'll be doing everyone a favour if he could just…

"I have… HAD… ENOUGH." Ibara had finally exploded. Everyone in her proximity immediately backed away. Yui, who rarely shows emotion on her face, now looks nervous. Tetsutetsu's anger quickly subsided as he took cover behind Reiko. Chifu herself was taking cover behind Komori on the mistaken belief that Ibara might come after her. Monoma himself was momentarily shut up. "I have had enough. Of you. In this week alone, Mirko had destroyed the greenhouse and the plants my club and I WORKED so hard to take care of. Katsuki was HARMED. Those annoying harlots taking pictures of me in my sleep. And then HERE YOU ARE…"

Ibara stood up from her chair. The force itself threw the chair back, almost hitting Shoda if it weren't for Kendo catching the chair. Her hair grew as she stomped over until she was face-to-face with Monoma, the shame of Class 1B. "You disrespected our guest. You dare call people like me a freak. You caused unnecessary conflict. You believed you could decide who we can be friends DARE call yourself a hero and a victim. You want to be a victim so badly?"

Ibara was panting, not thinking anymore. There has been a lot of pent-up anger from the last week and she failed to notice her old temperament getting the better of her. Awase was the first to act, not wanting his friend to go too far.

"Shiozaki, calm down. You're good. Just breathe in and-" He was gently knocked back by her vines as she held Monoma by one leg in the air. "Don't do something you'll regret! Seriously! You're the calmest member of our club! Act like it!"

"Shiozaki!" Kendo tried to stop her, but she was also knocked away. Everyone could not get close as the currently seething Ibara has officially made Monoma shit his pants. He was not smiling anymore. He was face-to-face with the past that Ibara hoped she left behind.

"Tell me, Monoma. Do you want to meet God?" Ibara asked him as the vines slowly wrapped around his face. What scared Monoma the most was the blank face she had on her. Everyone around Ibara was trying to calm her down, to no avail. She didn't even notice the door opening.

"Yo! Awase! Bakugou and I caught the tanuki you- WHAT THE FUCK?!" Mineta did not expect to walk into this type of situation. He didn't expect Ibara to be the one causing a situation. The vines accidentally hit him off the stairs. Awase was quick to tend to his friend. "Dude, what the hell is happening?!"

"Oh, you know. Something you don't see every day. Well, you see Monoma being a prick every day, but he actually made Shiozaki lose her shit." Awase looked back, a little worried that Ibara might do something she'll regret. After making sure Mineta wasn't injured at all, he went off to get the teachers.

"Hey, Bakugou, you think you can-" Mineta looked around to see Bakugou gone. "Well, at least I know he's on the case."


"MMPH! MMMMMPH!" Monoma tried to plead, but the vines were already covering his mouth.

"Take your pleas to-" Ibara was stopped when someone hugged her from behind. "You will not-"

She turned around and immediately snapped back to reality, seeing who was trying to stop her. His body was dripping blood from going through the thorns of her vines, but he held on to her. Ibara covered her mouth in shock as she retracted all of her vines, which she only noticed were slowly covering the entire living room. She glanced at everyone, who looked back with a hint of worry for her.

"Katsuki-" She had already ripped a piece of her shirt off to stop the blood. She was thankful all of them were only light cuts. "What have I-?"

"Shh. Just… just stay quiet." Katsuki said while sitting down on the floor. He smiled at her. "Good morning."

"Man, you seem way too calm for someone with like a hundred cuts on him." Mineta slowly approached them, not really sure if Ibara was finally calm or will be back to her holy rage or something in another second. Either way, he needs to check up on his friends. "You're calm now, right? Pres?"

"Motherfucker, you're bleeding all over the place." Chifu knelt down next to them, already having the first aid kid she grabbed from 1B's emergency cabinet. She quickly got to work cleaning Katsuki's wounds, which are relatively nothing grave. No need for Recovery Girl on this one, but it will leave nasty scars all over his body. "Sheesh, girl. Thanks for shutting Monoma up and all that, but don't go medieval on me, okay?"

"Ibara, are you okay now?" Katsuki would be lying if he said he wasn't concerned about what happened. He had never seen Ibara like that before. Then again, no one would willingly show a side they're ashamed of. He understood more than anyone what it's like to be that angry.

"I- uh… I-" Ibara stood up and ran upstairs, ashamed of what she had done. She hasn't done this in a long time, and for him to see her like this. "It doesn't matter why. I harmed him. How could I? And I almost…"

She locked the door behind her and immediately sat down on the floor. She was breathing heavily and was covering her ears. Ibara didn't want to hear anything. Not her friends' calls or the knocking on her door. She hurt him. And all of them saw her lose control. Ibara had thought she had already moved past that part of her, but it stayed. She hurt him. It didn't even take a minute for Katsuki to enter through her balcony. She looked at him with panicked breath.

"Katsuki… stay back. I might…"

"You won't." He reassured her. Katsuki sat down in front of her and simply looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Want to talk about it now or some other time? And for the record, I don't blame you. Monoma finally had been shut up."

"It doesn't matter. I almost…"

"But you didn't. You haven't gone too far like I did."

"I… have." She stopped him from speaking any further. Ibara avoided his gaze. "Long ago… I have." She kept avoiding his gaze and hugged her knees.

"What was it that Hound Dog said? Talk about it when you want to or something. I'm not gonna force it outta you." Katsuki kept his distance, not really sure if Ibara needed some space. He'd rather not make her uncomfortable.

"I… appreciate what you're doing, but…" Ibara tapped the floor right next to her. Katsuki nodded and sat next to her. She rested her head on his shoulders while he wrapped his arm around her back. "Thank you. I… don't think I can face them."

"They're worried about you, not scared of you. Like I said, Monoma was being a dick and everybody had lost their shit." Katsuki would rub her head in comfort, but that's enough thorns for the day. "If… it's about you getting angry…"

"It doesn't matter why."

"You got angry for someone else's sake. That should count for something."

"It might, but I've almost…" Ibara waited for Katsuki to say something. She could tell he was listening. She could also tell that he couldn't say much. His listening was appreciated. "I could have… killed him. I hurt you."

"I know. Even if you were responsible for what you almost did, would you just stay down? It happened, but will you let it happen again?"

"...No. No, I will not." Ibara realised he was repeating the same words she said to him a long time ago. "You're using my words against me?"

"Well, it is good advice. When you can't make things right, at the very least you can make it a little better than what it is now."

"I… could not thank you enough." She was surprised by his other good advice. Katsuki was better than he was back then.

"By the way, Mineta and I caught the tanuki."

"Truly?" Ibara was surprised they caught the quirked animal. The two continued to talk about nothing in particular until Ibara was ready again. They only noticed that an hour had already passed once they were done. That being said, they both spent 5 more minutes together, enjoying feeling each other's warmth.

"You can do this." Katsuki was the first to stand up. He held his hand out, and Ibara took it. "If I can do this, you can."

"I shall." She held his hand as they stepped out of the room, only to see Vlad King and Eraserhead waiting for them outside. "Oh."

"Are you okay now?" Vlad King asked her. He had heard from Awase what Monoma had done and said to his intern, and he was not having it. Eraserhead came along in case someone else freaked out.

"As much as I can be, sir." Ibara bowed in apology. "I'm sorry for-"

"Not to us." Vlad King held his hand up, stopping her from apologising. "Monoma instigated this entire situation and went specifically against my orders to treat our guest well."

"He's only suspended for two weeks, even when I specifically asked the principal to expel that load." Eraserhead said, a little annoyed that the annoyance wasn't completely gone. He had a feeling not getting rid of the problem, who clearly doesn't want to change his act after many warnings would cause much more problems later on. "As for you."

Eraserhead then grabbed Katsuki by the ear. "You went over curfew, and according to my witnesses, spent the night in her room. You trust you have done nothing? Or at the very least, haven't done everything?"

"What the hell? No!" They both yelled, blushing badly by what the teacher was implying.

"Okay. Good. After the Cultural Festival, you'll be my personal assistant for a week. I would give you detention, but Mirko was adamant that you be ready for deployment. You can thank her for that." Eraserhead finally let go of Katsuki's ear. "I want that attitude toned down when we do. The kid has a delicate situation surrounding her. Also, Jiro has been looking for you. You skipped out on last night's band practice."

"Shit! I'll be there after we-"

"Go." Ibara cut him off. She squeezed his hand to reassure him she can handle this alone. He stared at her a bit and then nodded. He took off with Eraserhead, leaving her with Vlad King. "I still have to apologise, sensei. I went against your orders as well, leaving a terrible impression with-"

"Chifu appreciated that you got mad for her sake. As hard to apologise as it is, you still almost hurt Monoma badly. You don't have to do it now, but you will eventually have to. Now go ahead, kid. Your classmates were worried." He patted her back as she walked into the elevator. Ibara would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. It was their first time seeing her… act like that. Those outbursts were more common in the past that she moved on from. She took a deep breath as the elevator opened. Ibara stepped out of it, with everyone looking at her.

"I-"

"Just in time, motherfucker!" Chifu presented a tray to her. "I baked everyone some motherfuckin' cookies."

{- To Be Continued...


Yeah. It was long.

Bakugou: You dumped a lot of prelude scenes in one chapter, didn't you?

Pretty much.