"Remind me why you're not going again?" Bakugo glared as he sat on Naoko's bed, legs outstretched and leaning back on his palms.
"Like I said, I still have some things I need to do here," Naoko briefly smiled up at him before returning her attention to the phone in her hands. "Besides, I'm not really interested in the expo anyways."
"Neither am I, but I have to go," he huffed under his breath.
"You won the sports festival: they want you there! Plus, you could make some useful connections in a place like that. It'll be good for you."
"So why aren't you going?"
"I think I just explained that part, Bakugo."
"Shut up! Thanks to you I had to invite Shitty Hair instead."
"You didn't 'have to' invite him. You're friends, remember?"
"Whatever."
"Don't worry- I'm sure it'll be fun," she smiled encouragingly, placing her phone face down in her lap. "Some of the others are going too: I know Ochako, Kyoka, and Momo will be there. They've been talking about it ever since they got their tickets. Oh, and Todoroki too."
"Hah?" Bakugo frowned, expression instantly souring, "That half n' half bastard?! How do you know that?"
"He told me?" she smiled, tilting her head. "He's going for Endeavor, but I don't think he's too happy about it."
"Now I want to go even less," he sneered, throwing his head back.
"Oh, come on- even if you don't like it, it's only for a few days," she smiled reassuringly, leaning forward in her seat. "You'll be fine!"
"Yea, whatever."
"Hey, are you sure you don't want to pack any nice clothes? The others said the reception is supposed to be a formal event."
"I'm not going to that thing. Just being there is already a pain."
"Well, ok. Let me know how it goes, alright?"
"Why should I, loser?"
"Because I asked nicely?"
"Whatever," he huffed, slumping back onto the bed with his arms crossed.
The day after she went to see Bakugo and Kirishima off at the airport, Naoko woke up a bit later than usual. The sun was already shining high overhead by the time she dragged herself out of bed. Summer vacation had just begun, and it seemed she was already as unproductive as ever.
After a few numb hours of lazing around, she threw on some presentable clothes and padded downstairs. She stuck a note onto the kitchen counter, letting Mitsuki and Masaru know she would be gone for a while, before slipping on her shoes and grabbing an umbrella, stepping out of the empty house and into the blazing heat of the summer sun.
The weather outside was about as hot and dry as it could be, the scorching glare of the sun above leaving a warm sting where it met her skin. Even breathing was nearing uncomfortable with how the hot air filled her lungs like a heavy weight. Around her, however, plenty of people still bustled through the city streets despite the afternoon heatwave, shielded at least partially by hats and sunglasses. As she passed a large electronics store, she noticed the television in the window broadcasting a live news report on the preparation for this year's I-Expo. Colorful aerial shots of the island and its crowded streets flashed across the screen as she brushed by.
Braving the heat of the scorching sun, Naoko slowly made her way to the nearby bus stop and came to rest under the mild shade of the bench shelter. She glanced down the street, rocking back on her heels as she waited patiently for the next bus to arrive. There were a few others waiting as well, some standing next to her while others took refuge under the shade of the big tree next to the sign displaying bus routes. She wiped her forehead with the side of her hand as she felt her clothes begin to stick to her.
The white and green bus soon rolled to a stop in front of her and opened its doors. Naoko stepped on, taking one of the two still-open seats, and turned her gaze out the window, fingers drumming idly against the handle of her umbrella as they zipped through the lively city. Her body swayed and shifted along with each bump and turn in the road, the soft chatter of her fellow commuters forming a pleasant white noise as she gazed absentmindedly at the passing cityscape.
As they arrived at the next stop, a little old man carrying groceries in both hands stepped on. Naoko glanced over as he ambled up the stairs. She stood and waved him over, gesturing to her seat. She smiled cheerfully when he thanked her, moving to let him sit before shuffling closer to the doors and taking hold of the handrail.
A few more stops and about a thirty minute walk later, she arrived at a large public park in a not-so-populated area of the city. By the time she stopped to rest under the shade of a group of trees, she was breathing heavy and sweating all over, her skin damp and hot to the touch. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and sighed tiredly. The sun had begun to wane in its intensity, much to her relief, as a few grey clouds gathered overhead. She glanced down at her phone, opening her umbrella just as the first few raindrops hit the ground.
The light summer shower quickly turned into a vicious thunderstorm as lightning boomed intensely and rain poured down in sheets. The few other patrons nearby ran for shelter, ducking into the scattered shops and parked vehicles in hopes of escaping the storm and waiting it out. In just a few minutes, there was no longer anyone left in sight.
Naoko stood under the tree quietly, listening to the crackling thunder that didn't sound too far away. Heavy raindrops knocked at the top of her umbrella before sliding to the ground in streams, some of it splashing onto her shoes as it fell and disappeared into the grass. She glanced up, head tilted back as she quietly observed the ever-shifting pattern of raindrops through the clear plastic just above her head.
The corner of another umbrella came into view.
"Report," a male voice commanded plainly.
"What, not even a hello?"
"Don't waste my time. Get on with it."
"Harsh as ever, I see," she hummed, breathing a shallow sigh. "A few weeks ago, a small group of villains came after me and attacked the school. They knew my name and which class I was in, but not my face."
"What? And you're just telling us about this now?"
"They were common criminals- there was no doubt about that. They happened to have a useful quirk among them, but beyond that, it was pure luck. They didn't know much more about us than what anyone could gather online."
"What if they tell the police what they know?"
"People have claimed similar things about us before, haven't they? True or not, no one's going to buy into an urban legend just because of a few tall tales from some low-life villains."
"Are you sure there's nothing more to it?"
"Nothing more."
"Fine. Anything else?"
"You couldn't have picked a cooler day to meet?"
"Anything important?"
"That's it."
"Fine. Manager wants to know how you're doing."
"Alright. Besides the recent incidents, everything is going as planned."
"Has the group from a few months ago contacted you again?"
"No."
"Does anyone at the school suspect you?"
"No."
"Have you revealed your quirk to anyone?"
"No."
"Nothing at all? You've been perfect this entire time?"
"You sound surprised, Horus. Were you hoping to find a mistake to report back on?"
"Hoping, yea."
"Oh, what a shame. I don't have anything else for you today, so hurry up and stop this rain already. It's a pain."
"As if I like having to see you so often. Things have been better than ever since you've been gone, you know."
"Really? That's strange. I heard Manager has been tougher on you three without me there. Though I guess you could call that better?"
"I can't stand looking at you. I'm leaving," he sneered, turning around and stepping out from under the tree.
"Stay safe." Still gazing out at the rain, she smiled lazily.
"Get lost," he spat before quickly retreating, disappearing into the stormy afternoon.
Naoko watched the steady downpour for a while longer, the drumming of the rain becoming a sort of rhythmic comfort as it lulled her into a pleasant daze. After a few minutes, the storm began to lighten and the clouds receded slightly overhead. Once the rain finally dwindled into a soft pitter-patter, she left the shade of the dripping tree, her umbrella still resting against her shoulder, and started back towards the entrance of the deserted park.
"Naoko, you're back! I was just about to call you," Mitsuki waved as the girl stepped through the front door, softly closing it behind her. "Look! They're talking about that I-Island expo Katsuki is at! It looks like something bad happened!"
Curiously, Naoko padded over to the couch where the two parents sat, her eyes landing on the bold red letters scrolling across the screen:
I-Expo under attack! First villains to infiltrate the island since its founding!
"An attack? How is that possible?" Naoko frowned worriedly, "The security there is supposed to be the best in the world, isn't it?"
"The news doesn't seem to know how they got in either. Apparently, the convention center is completely locked from the inside; no one knows what's happening, but they say someone hacked into the security system," Masaru explained with a tense grimace, nodding to the live feed where swarms of police robots seemed to be behaving strangely, blocking roads and surrounding civilians. "It looks like the expo is the target."
"But there are so many heroes there- how do they plan on getting away with all this?" Mitsuki frowned, her leg bouncing restlessly as she wrung her hands in front of her chest.
"I'm sure it'll be ok. They say All Might's there as well: I'm sure he'll take care of things," Masaru reassured as convincingly as he could, gently rubbing her shoulder.
"I hope Katsuki isn't in that building. He said he didn't want to go to the reception, but…"
"He'll be ok, dear; you know him. He won't let anything happen to him or his friends."
"I agree," Naoko seconded, smiling hopefully. "He's strong- I'm sure he'll do everything he can to stop the villains! I… think he'll be ok."
"I hope so. Oh, those poor kids, having to deal with something like this again..."
The three watched with bated breath as the news continued broadcasting up-to-the-minute information on the situation on I-Island.
They managed to obtain a live feed from inside the building, showing a room full of captured guests, bound with what must have been some quirk-restraining material. Due to the angle and poor quality of the video, however, it was difficult to glean any useful information from it.
Reports began coming in of damage to upper parts of the building, though the cause was yet unknown. A portion of the wall had been blasted open from the inside, and what seemed to be sparks were faintly visible from the streets below. Perhaps some heroes had avoided capture and were trying to defeat the villains?
All cameras were drawn to the top of the building as what seemed to be a commotion on the roof began, filled with flashes of lights and ground-shaking explosions. The helicopters were only able to capture small bits of footage before the force from the blasts knocked them away, leaving the camera crews on the ground unable to see much of what was happening.
Eventually, however, the commotion faded, and after what felt like hours of tense silence and heavy anxiety, authorities were finally able to make contact with some guests inside the reception building. Apparently, they had all suddenly been freed from their restraints. Not long after, the security system seemed to reboot as the robots stopped their erratic behavior and the building lifted itself from lockdown.
"They're saying the kids are ok! Thank goodness!" Mitsuki let out a loud, relieved sigh as she wiped at her watery eyes, "Quick, honey, call Katsuki! He might be able to pick up now!"
Masaru nodded and quickly hurried over to the house phone, dialing the boy's number and nervously pressing it to his ear.
"I'm never letting you talk me into anything ever again." Bakugo frowned sourly as he stomped into the house and up the stairs, his suitcase clanging around carelessly behind him.
"Sorry!" Naoko smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "So... you're ok, right?"
He huffed and brushed past her, kicking open his door. "Yea, obviously. Just some crazy ass villain trying to take over the world again, I guess."
"Trouble seems to follow you guys everywhere, huh?" she smiled, trailing behind him in and taking a seat at the edge of his bed.
"You're part of this mess too, loser. Those extras were asking for you the whole damn time."
"They're not extras, Bakugo, they're our friends."
"They're your friends. I have higher standards," he sneered, falling face down onto his bed as she shifted, cross-legged, to face him. "So how was your 'thing you had to take care of?'" he asked patronizingly, his voice coming out a bit muffled.
"It was fine; just some errands, you know," she smiled. "Oh, by the way, I really liked your vest."
He lifted his head, frowning questioningly, to see her holding up a picture Ochako had sent her. It was of the three girls making faces at the camera, and there in the background, aggressively yelling at an uninterested Todoroki, was him in his floral vest.
He grabbed her phone and rolled over as he quickly searched for the delete button.
"Hey, stop!" she panicked, quickly reaching over him and snatching the device back, "Hands off! I like this picture."
"Gross," he rolled his eyes, locking his hands behind his head as he leaned back flat with a huff.
"So did you do anything fun while you were there? Besides beating the villains, of course," she grinned, phone now tucked safely away as she peered down at him curiously.
"Nah, the whole thing was dumb. It was all a huge waste of time."
"I heard Todoroki beat you at some kind of robot fighting game?"
"He did not! I would have beaten his time if those other losers hadn't dragged me away!"
She stifled a laugh, resting her chin on her hands. "How come you don't like him? You two are probably the best in the class- it would be nice if you got along."
"Why would I want to get along with that icyhot bastard?! He pisses me off!"
"You might be working together in the future, right? It wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer, you know."
"It would!"
"Sometimes I wonder where you get all that anger from..."
"Sometimes I wonder where you get all that ugly from!"