Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All characters and locations are owned by Kohei Horikoshi.


Chapter 2: Useless Deku

"You guys are all third-years now. You've all worked hard to reach this point and I'm sure you all have dreams that you want to accomplish. Having reached this point, I'm sure you all have a goal in mind. It's time to start thinking seriously about your futures!" Sensei Kobayashi commanded as his face scanned the face of every student that sat before him under his guise.

He grabbed the stacked sheets of paper that he was going to hand out and smiled.

"And with all of that said and done, let's not kid ourselves; I assume you all want to be heroes!" concluded Sensei Kobayashi, throwing the sheets of paper in the air, completely disregarding its worth and the point in having those sheets of paper, to begin with.

With those words, the entire class erupted in ecstasy and cheered on Sensei Kobayashi, activating their Quirks simultaneously. Contrary to this, only two students didn't make any noise or bother to do so: Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugou.

Izuku Midoriya lowered himself to the noise as in an attempt to hide from the rest of the class. Opposite to this show of unconfidence and meekness, Bakugou had both of his legs on his desk and both hands in his pockets, remaining calm.

"Yes, you all have wonderful Quirks, but know that it's against the rules to use them in school!" warned Sensei Kobayashi, smiling calmly at his students, clearly showing patience and an understanding for the excitement and rush he gave to all of those before him.

Then a confident and powerful voice that demanded attention erupted, causing silence among the entire classroom instantly.

"Sensei, don't lump me in with these weaklings! These insects should be even lucky to breathe the same air that I do. Like hell, their crappy Quirks would even measure up to me! The best they can all do is prove useful for once in their lives and be a good stepping stone in my path to greatness."

It was Katsuki Bakugou that had spoken. He raised his head, looking up toward Sensei Kobayashi with a confident smirk plastered on his face with a look of mockery to all of the students that surrounded him. To him, all were equally pathetic and worthless, no matter what power they had. He was confident. Izuku, having known Kacchan throughout most of his childhood, knew that this was completely normal and it was natural that his brash nature would rub the others in a wrong way.

Izuku slumped even further, cradling his head as he ruffled his green hair. His anxiety increased slowly, but it wasn't dramatic enough to terrify him. He was merely getting worried, is all.

Mere moments after, the entire class aside from Izuku erupted side in anger toward Bakugou's comment, but this merely pleased Bakugou, fueling his ego.

"Get a hold of yourself, Bakugou!"

"Piss off! You're all expendable!"

Sensei Kobayashi grew a small frown over this volatile behavior, but it wasn't enough to truly summon his wrath; however, he knew that there were ways to do so that were psychological and it was done by extreme awe and fear, so he spoke up.

"Ah, Bakugou, I remember that you declared you were aiming for U.A. Highschool."

This had an immediate effect; the entire class became as silent as the grave, but this made Izuku whimper and cringe.

"That national, prestigious school?! I hear they barely accept anyone!"

"Of course! That is why I am the only one who can do it!" declared Bakugou, making a somersault off his seat, standing proudly and victoriously on his desk, as he stood in the centre of attention and raised his head above all of the other students.

"As someone who has always excelled from a young age and was born with this insurmountable talent, it is merely right that I should aim for the best because I am the best! I aced the mock exam! Eventually, I'll surpass All Might and become the greatest hero that the world has ever seen! And with that, I'll come across a vast amount of wealth!"

The entire class fell silent as they listened to the overly confident male's speech. Anger and annoyance lingered in their hearts, but they also felt an immense amount of respect and admiration for the unparalleled confidence that he had. Soon, that anger and annoyance faded away and all that was left was admiration.

Then, something else struck Sensei Kobayashi's mind and he finally remembered another important detail, calling to the only student that had been overly quiet; Izuku Midoriya.

"Midoriya, I also recollect that you've desired to go to U.A. as well, yes?"

This was the only information that successfully froze Bakugou in place, silencing him. The class had fallen uncomfortably silent and Izuku felt all eyes on him, causing him to squirm in his place and sulk even lower than that of an insect. He felt extremely awkward as every student in the stared him down with gnawing silence. They didn't have to say anything for Izuku to understand that they didn't want him here and that his presence was an eyesore. That was how beneath them he was. After all, he was nothing, so he kept silent.

Of the ones that stared at him, Bakugou's eyes were particularly annoyed and clearly angered. What scared him the most was his initial lack of reaction. As expected, every student in the class laughed and sneered at him, mocking him for his efforts and vain attempts in trying to be a hero. Contrary to his brash nature, Bakugou's shoulders slumped downward and his face stared down at the table, falling nothing short of silent. This only increased Izuku's uneasiness.

"Midoriya? Seriously?!"

"Him? What a joke!"

"Stop dreaming! Good grades alone can't get you into the hero program! You're in denial! Face reality!"

The insults continued to bash away at Midoriya, chipping away at his low self-esteem, and he couldn't help himself but respond, in order to protect him, to an extent and appeal to reasoning.

"That's not necessarily true! Sure, I may not have a Quirk, but nothing is impossible! And, even without a Quirk, if someone works hard enough, they'll achieve their goal, no matter what!" Midoriya argued, as he stood up, attempting to defend himself, even though to the rest of his fellow classmates, it was nothing more than altruistic wishful thinking that was bordering extreme denial and ignorance.

This angered Bakugou even further and he sighed, taking a breather.

"Grow up, Deku!"

Bakugou ordered as he slammed his fist on Midoriya's table, causing an explosion loud and powerful enough to knock him out of his seat and backed to the wall. Smoke erupted from the table, encapsulating Bakugou ominously, as he stared down manically down at Midoriya with extreme anger and malice. He raised his palm upward over Izuku, supplanting dominance over him as his vindictive smirk widened ear-to-ear, gleefully toying away at Midoriya for his illogical fantasies.

To this, the rest of the class began to laugh and sneer over at Izuku and his cowardly state as Bakugou stood imposed over his prey. Izuku could do nothing but have his back to the wall as he shook violently in fear.

"Seriously? Without a Quirk, and you believe you can measure up to someone like me with hard work alone? Don't make me laugh! Are you trying to fucking mock me, you cripple?! You're fucking talentless! Forget all of these other losers with their worthless Quirks; you're beneath them! And you're trying to compete against me?!" asked an angry Bakugou as furious, explosive sparks began to culminate around his palms, threatening Midoriya as he waited for an answer.

Depending on whether or not the answer satisfied him, Bakugou would thrash Midoriya; however, due to his volatile nature and angered state of mind, honesty and enmity was equally nothing to him.

Midoriya instinctually understood this and struggled to formulate an appropriate response that he felt was honest, true to his own creed, and one that was satisfying to Bakugou, whether or not that the task itself was unfeasible. He glanced downward, eyeing the ground and he managed to smile a little in order to calm Bakugou down, even if just a little. Then, he spoke.

"It's not that I was trying to compete with you! That thought never crossed my mind. it's just that I really want to be a hero and it's always been my dream, so there's no harm in trying to accomplish something I believe in..."

Midoriya's voice trailed off as he continued to observe the physical changes in Bakugou's expression and he realized that his response to the earlier question only succeeded in angering him further.

"Try, you say? Try, was it? You will try the entrance exam? Without a Quirk?" Bakugou spoke, his voice eerily calm but unnerving. "You're taking the exam to 'try'? Are you trying to fucking die, you goddamn weakling?! What can you even fucking do when you are nothing?! Answer me!"

Bakugou's calm and eery nature that brought a terrifying omen had gradually turned into anger that was directed solely toward Midoriya. This petrified him to his core and he was frozen in fear as the other students began to all join and laugh at him. Izuku could not help but stare in fear at Bakugou, who continued to emit a multitude of explosions. One look at Bakugou and he realized that he was going to be beaten up. There was no way out of this.

No matter what he could do, he was weak, and no matter how much conviction and resolve he had to show, it was nothing. Before the other students, he was nothing but a punching bag. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable strike.

"DIE!" screamed Bakugou as he readied himself to strike down at the defenseless student, but a voice stopped him and silenced every other student consequently.

"That's enough! I will not tolerate the use of Quirks used in class anymore, nor do I tolerate violence! This is only the first day. Get back to your seats, all of you!" ordered Sensei Kobayashi, anger and annoyance blazed in his eyes as he caressed the bridge of his nose to calm himself down.

Bakugou ceased his explosions and continued to stare down at Midoriya, staring at him dispassionately. But he adhered to Sensei Kobayashi's demands, turning away silently to his own seat. Soon, the rest of the students did the same and Midoriya picked up his chair, wiped his desk and sat back down.

Midoriya stared down at his desk and fell silent. He was scared. If it weren't for Sensei Kobayashi, he would have been beaten up and humiliated in front of the class. He was grateful and lucky, but as the hands on the clock ticked, he felt that with each passing second, minute, and hour, he was ever closer to his execution. That's what Bakugou's final glance toward him ensured. It was a silent message, one that only he would understand.


The chimes of the classroom rang and pulsed throughout the school, signifying that class had concluded for the day. Thus, students began to gather their bookbags and walk out in order to go to a destination in mind. Each of them had friends, but Midoriya didn't; he was fine with that because he wanted to leave immediately in order to avoid trouble.

"Let's go to karaoke!" suggested a random student up ahead, who was heading for the door.

"I can't today; I need to study everything that we went over in class," replied a student, who gave them a quick yet earnest reply.

I'd better get back home quickly and study while reorganising everything I learned today.

As Midoriya was about to leave, he put on his backpack and went to grab his notebook, but he was several seconds too late and slow, for someone had snatched it away from him off his desk.

"We're not done yet, Deku," commanded the ash-blonde-haired male, who looked down at him calmly but dispassionately.

It was Katsuki Bakugou. This was the score that he was going to "settle". Izuku stared up at Bakugou, frowning up at him but he pleaded, hoping that he would show some mercy.

"Please, Kacchan, give it back to me!"

Izuku attempted to reach for it, but Bakugou simply raised it higher than his own reach, making it impossible for him to ever seize it back. The title of the notebook was dubbed "Hero Analysis For My Future, No 13." It was a series of notebooks that he had made as a hobby full of information and excessive details about heroes and their Quirks. Now, he was being denied his own notebook that was full of his own dreams; he was being denied the ability to dream.

Bakugou smiled down at Izuku mockingly as his two lackeys flanked his sides. Their names were Matsu and Yujiro. He didn't know Matsu well enough, but he had known Yujiro ever since childhood along with Kacchan. Matsu had messy black hair and Yujiro sported parted, blonde hair. They were an inseparable couple for as long as Midoriya knew, so they were never once away from one another and hung out with one another. Due to his knowledge of being around Kacchan in childhood, he had known Yujiro's Quirk, but he possessed no knowledge of Matsu.

Nonetheless, considering Kacchan's strength, Yujiro and Matsu were mere guppies and Kacchan was the real and only threat.

Bakugou then looked up at the notebook, reading the title on the cover. He scoffed.

"Hey, Bakugou, show us!" asked Yujiro eagerly as Matsu smiled alongside him.

Bakugou flashed the notebook at them and the pair laughed while Bakugou turned his attention back to Midoriya.

"For the future, eh, Deku?" asked Bakugou, staring down at him. "What rubbish!"

In one fell swoop, Bakugou unleashed his explosions, incinerating the Midoriya's notebook right in front of him with annoyance. Izuku's eyes widened in shock at this and he fell silent. His eyes wavered and he shook in place as he observed Bakugou, who was now covered in smoke. due to the explosion; however, Bakugou persisted and he continued to obliterate the notebook right before him.

"S-Stop! Please stop, Kacchan!" pleaded Izuku, hoping that Bakugou would find it in his heart to stop and show mercy.

Bakugou finally stopped, giving Midoriya a cheerful smile as he tossed the notebook out the window, into the water tank that was full of small fish much to Izuku's further dismay.

Immediately, he ran to the window in order to investigate the current condition of his notebook, but Bakugou called for him.

"Yo, Deku, I said I'm not done with you yet," repeated Bakugou, grabbing Midoriya's shoulder and forcing him to turn around, so they were face to face. Bakugou gave Midoriya a calm smile, reflecting Izuku's visibly shaken and terrified state.

Yujiro and Matsu watched on in amusement. They were the only students left in the classroom, which was convenient for Bakugou and his lackeys. The timing couldn't have been better.

Bakugou's faced inched closer to Midoriya's and he began to grip his shoulder tightly, emitting smoke from his palm, burning Izuku enough to burn him but not enough to be seen as significant damage. It was a psychological attack that Bakugou was aiming at, but in order to bring out the complete, maximum output of such a tactic, he needed to make it clear just how far the physical gap was between them.

"Deku, earlier today you were attempting to appeal to logic and reasoning, in order to explain why you foolishly attempted at something that wasn't meant for you, so I will do the same and maybe you will cease your vain attempts at playing hero, okay, little Deku?" he began to speak, but he waited for no response and continued.

"The heroes of this world, the best of the best, all had one thing in common from a young age: talent. All Might, Endeavor, and including the likes of someone like Best Jeanist. All of them showed signs of greatness even in their youth. Therefore, I am among those of exceedingly, infinite talent, thus I shall and will be the only one from this crappy school to show prominence and enter U.A.! I will win that honor because I am a perfectionist born with that talent. You never did. It's as simple as that. Why is it so hard for you to accept this simple fact?"

Bakugou asked Izuku, clearly mocking the timid boy. Izuku clenched his fists and they shook violently, but Bakugou ignored this, knowing full well that Izuku would never strike at him. Izuku shook not from fear, but anger, which was directed at Bakugou as well as himself for his own weakness.

"In other words, don't you dare get into U.A., you goddamn cripple, okay?" Bakugou threatened him with a smile, patting Izuku on the head repeatedly like a dog that he had grown fond of over time.

Then, Bakugou backed off and began to head to the door with a self-satisfied smile. Yujiro and Matsu followed him.

Izuku turned around, his bangs covering his eyes as he bit his own lip in anger, attempting to contain his anger.

"What a damn loser! Even after all of these years, he doesn't even have the guts to try and defend himself!" Yujiro said, laughing at Izuku's expense.

"C'mon, Deku, just say something," pleaded Matsu, giving Izuku a look of worry. Bakugou and Yujiro had both come to ignore this level of sensitivity, finding it endearing. Matsu was the kindest of them both.

"Don't expect anything from him because he can't expect anything from himself. Deku, people work hard for their dreams, but it's not meant for everybody. With each passing year, the number of those like you dwindles into obscurity, becoming rare by extension. Us, those who are born with talent, continue to increase in population. That means that you have nothing to offer. You're not needed and nobody wants you, either. You're useless to the current world. You're a cripple. Nobody wants you. Thus, you're a burden to society and your mother as well. No wonder your father left you!"

Bakugou had begun to laugh, mocking the timid boy even further than he already had.

Nobody wants me. Society doesn't want me. Thus, I am useless and I am a burden.

These thoughts lingered in Izuku's mind and remained perpetual, hindering his normal thought process as he questioned his own existence; however, a residing emotion lingered and remained dominant: anger and hatred. Izuku shook violently and he could no longer contain his own anger that was perniciously aimed at Bakugou.

He felt anger toward Bakugou and toward himself as well, for having taken all of these insults and not defending himself, not because they were insulting him and his existence, but his family, which set him off. In that instantaneous moment, Izuku quickly turned around and screamed.

"You... You call yourself a hero?! That's bullshit! You're the ones who are cancer to society! You don't deserve to be heroes, especially if you use your power to subjugate others!"

Izuku could no longer contain himself as he charged straight toward Bakugou, wanting nothing more than to harm the other youth. However, the moment he stared at Bakugou's face; he realized the graveness of the situation. Bakugou's face was no longer calm or genial; instead, it was distorted by anger and hatred.

Throughout childhood, Bakugou had developed a habit of mocking and belittling the timid boy before him over the years, to the point that it became a habit that he enjoyed. Thus, when the boy had finally fought back, it went against Bakugou's preconceived notion and it angered him beyond anything that he could explain, to the point where not even knocking out the weaker boy would satisfy him.

They had both launched themselves at one another, but Bakugou was quicker on the draw, due to using his explosion as propulsion, thus giving him more speed and power than Izuku had from his initial position. In doing so, Bakugou grabbed a fistful of Izuku's hair and forcefully smashed his face on a nearby desk, causing him to falter to the ground from the pain that he had unleashed.

"You thought that you could lay a hand on me?! You piece of fucking shit! You're a goddamn cripple!" screamed Bakugou as he looked down at the defeated boy, repeatedly kicking him and stomping on him for several more seconds until his anger finally quelled.

Thud.

Thud!

THUD!

Izuku laid on the ground, blood protruded from his forehead due to the slamming on the desk done by Bakugou. He was beaten and he laid crumpled on the ground, like a marionette. He never stood a chance. He was teetering on the edge of consciousness and unconsciousness, going between both like a dancing flame that flickered to both relative sides.

"Hey, Bakugou, c'mon, let's just go," urged Matsu, tugging at Bakugou's sleeve, desiring that they simply just leave the classroom and head elsewhere.

Yujiro fell silent as he watched the scene that occurred before him, breath catching in his throat.

Bakugou continued to look down at the crumped Izuku with dispassionate anger, catching his breath and retaining his calm from earlier.

The room fell silent for several agonizing seconds.

"Yeah, I'm okay, now. Let's go," replied Bakugou as he spat on Izuku's face, then he headed for the door and left.

Yujiro was the next to leave, not giving much of a second thought to the state that they left Izuku. Matsu was left alone in the room as he stared solemnly at the bloodied and broken Izuku. He didn't say anything.

The air in the room was stagnant and as silent as the grave; Izuku was left alone and no one came to help him.


"Bakugou, are you sure that leaving Deku behind like that on the ground was the right thing to do?" asked Matsu, his voice strained with concern and worry as Yujiro walked beside him, who stared silently at Matsu, and then at Bakugou, who walked ahead in the front, absorbing the situation.

It was the afternoon and the three of them had already left the school facility, to get away from it all.

Not a word was said by Bakugou as he ignored the boy's question, soon stopping in his own tracks. Bakugou then stopped in his tracks and fell silent. This worried Matsu, who began to fall silent and bite his thumb. Yujiro took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out as well, in an effort to calm himself as well.

"Bakugou, please answer! Even if he did make you mad, you went too far anyway! Besides, it's just... not right to use a Quirk against someone who's Quirkless!" continued Matsu, probing Bakugou for any sort of response, no matter how minuscule.

Yujiro was so focused on the ongoing scene that was playing before him that he had no time to consider lightning the cigarette.

Matsu, who spoke continued to wait for a response, but Bakugou only returned his words with cold silence. Bakugou lifted his can of grape juice and drank it, then a loud, explosive noise was heard from Bakugou and smoke erupted from his hands, like the angry mouth of a volcano. The can of grape juice was crushed and covered in ashes; smoke brewed from it.

Impassionately, Bakugou tossed it on the ground and took a calm breath. Matsu began to bite down harder on his thumb, chewing on it, filling him with massive anxiety from what Bakugou's silence entailed.

Yujiro glanced at Matsu's ever-growing worry and lit his cigarette, and then he took a breath. He then broke the ice, in hopes of calming down Matsu. He placed a gentle hand on Matsu's shoulder and smiled at him.

"Do you want one, Matsu?"

Matsu shook his head.

"No, thank you, Yujiro," declined Matsu respectfully, then he continued, "but I don't think you should smoke at your age; it could develop into a bad habit. I'm just... worried about your health is all."

Matsu's thumb left his mouth and his eyes averted to the other direction, looking away sheepishly in worry.

"Your loss," Yujiro replied, taking another breath from his cigarette.

"It's his fault for messing with me anyway, Matsu," replied Bakugou, who finally spoke and broke his long, cold silence towards Matsu.

"It's as simple as that; he fucked with me and I put him in his place. Have you ever heard of this analogy? If you mess with the bull, you'll get the horns," explained Bakugou as he calmly rationalized his reasoning.

Matsu and Yujiro listened intently and silently.

"You still went too far today! Furthermore, weren't you both childhood friends?" probed Matsu, hoping to get more of an answer.

"Who gives a shit?" spat Bakugou, his anger spiking sporadically from the constant questions. "Are you fucking stupid? The hell were you expecting to happen? That Quirkless wannabe tried to fight me and I put him in his place! He should have realised the outcome the moment he charged at me!"

Matsu stepped back and his eyes widened; his fear and anxiety steadily increasing as Bakugou raised his voice at him.

"I'm sorry... please, calm down, Bakugou," pleaded Matsu, giving him a wry smile, hoping that Bakugou would calm down.

"Bakugou is right," intervened Yujiro, speaking his mind. "He let his emotions overcome him and he paid the price for it. That's all there was to it in the end."

"He pisses me off," spoke Bakugou contemptuously; his eyes were dark and filled with spite. "Ever since we were little, that dipshit has always been clouded with foolish dreams that defied all reason and logic. Think about it. If a Quirkless person were to enter into the U.A. entrance exam, what do you believe would happen? They would endanger themselves needlessly and get hurt. Nonetheless, after that beating, he should have learned his place."

Matsu fell silent and so did Yujiro, contemplating Bakugou's reasoning. Yujiro, who never bothered overthinking too much, knowing that it would overcomplicate things and make him have thoughts that he may or may not desire fell silent and didn't ponder any further.

He looked down and took another puff of his cigarette, then looked at the blazing sky that streaked with crimson as the sun was slowly bowing its head at them.

Matsu's eyes remained fixated on Bakugou's back, and he then stared at Yujiro right beside him. He was conflicted when he began to think about what Yujiro and Bakugou both said and what was done and what could have also been done. He agreed with their reasoning nonetheless; this all happened because of Deku, but Bakugou had instigated Deku and pushed him to the edge because of his own complacent anger, he believed. It was both of their faults.

He remained silent and continued to ponder Bakugou's words.

They would endanger themselves needlessly and get hurt?

Matsu's eyes widened and he shook with joy, finally understanding the subtext of what Bakugou meant, believing that he did care for him. He smiled and desired to relay his thoughts at Bakugou, in order to politely disagree with his hatred for his old childhood friend, but Yujiro placed a hand on his shoulder.

Matsu stopped abruptly and turned to face Yujiro, who shook his head.

Don't do it. Think before you speak.

Matsu immediately understood the silent message that Yujiro gave him, who began to look worried.

"Bakugou, then why didn't you just ignore Deku? If he wanted to take the entrance exam, just let him. The chances of him succeeding were slim, considering U.A.'s prestige and low acceptance rate, whether he had a Quirk. That means he would never have succeeded, even if he tried it, so long as he has no Quirk! Why deny him the opportunity? Humans learn more from their failures than successes anyway, so this failure would have taught him that he's not meant to be a hero, right?"

Matsu had finally spoken what was on his mind, but he immediately came to regret that decision as he took one glance at Bakugou, who looked at him with cold eyes, filled with murderous intent; a cold chill ran down his spine and he shivered.

"Do you think I'm fucking stupid, huh?! Do you want to fuckin die, too, scumbag?!" questioned Bakugou, who quickly became enraged.

"Calm down, Bakugou! He didn't mean it. Let's just go somewhere," pleaded Yujiro, giving Bakugou a small smile, hoping to quell his anger.

Matsu's eyes widened and he shivered in place, falling completely silent.

Yujiro stared at Matsu compassionately, then his eyes averted back to Bakugou, waiting for his response.

"Yeah. I had enough of this. I'm going home," concluded Bakugou, his voice calm and robotic as he steadily turned around, his back facing the two of them.

"Quit smoking."

This was Bakugou's final order. He didn't bother saying anymore. Yujiro understood the ramifications of what would happen if he were caught smoking around him. He would be punished severely for it.

Yujiro fell silent and Matsu looked to the ground. Bakugou remained standing in his position. A cold, uncomfortable silence encapsulated the three of them and none spoke a word, nor did any of them let out any noise. Then, Bakugou slowly began to walk forward silently, leaving both Yujiro and Matsu alone.

Yujiro stared at Matsu, slowly wrapping an arm around the male as he tossed his cigarette on the ground, stepping on it, to extinguish the flame.

Damn... he's always like this. He goes from calm and collected to excessive anger, then finally, to a cold disposition. He's erratic. Lately, this has been happening more frequently, and if I don't watch out or at least try and moderate his behavior, something bad might happen and we could get into the crossfire of his rage. I'm surprised we were let off easily despite Matsu almost pushing him off the edge. You idiot... this was a warning. If we don't be careful, then we're going to suffer and pay dearly.

Yujiro stared at Matsu, breathing a sigh of relief as he gave him a pat on the back, hoping to at least ease his worries and calm him down.

Matsu, who had finally calmed down enough focused and smiled at Yujiro, finding comfort in the embrace that he was being given, but he couldn't shake off the thought of Bakugou, even if he tried to force thoughts him back into the crevices of his mind.

Why had they both gotten close to him if they feared Bakugou's sporadic and unpredictable bursts of anger? It was simple. Yujiro only did so because it was the wisest thing to do; he was strong, after all. If he stood around him, then he would be protected and share in the power that Bakugou had gathered.

Matsu knew nothing of this, knowing Bakugou the least while Yujiro was acquainted with him in childhood. He only got closer to Bakugou through Yujiro because he wanted to be closer to Yujiro. That was all there was to it.

Though both never acknowledged it, or they may have denied it, they only joined Bakugou when they had something to gain; power and companionship. None of them truly cared for Bakugou; Bakugou understood this undeniable fact but kept this possibility locked deep in his heart and mind.

Both Yujiro and Matsu had fallen silent as they were both in deep thought.

"I want to go home," spoke Matsu, his voice was visibly tired.

"I'll walk you home, then," replied Yujiro, holding his hand as they both walked through the empty alleyway, going to a shared path as their fingers intertwined.

However, a cold smile cracked through on Yujiro's face as his thoughts raced back to Deku.

Though Izuku would not expect it, his fate was going to take a turn for the absolute worst...