The sun beamed down unforgivingly, but despite the coming summer heat, the sky looked beautiful nonetheless. Bulla walked outside and held her free hand over her face, blocking out the sun and casting a dark shadow over her red Capsule Corps jacket and white undershirt, while leaving her black skirt untouched. "Alright, I'm off!" She said as she began to walk down the sidewalk, remaining careful not to swing her basket of cookies around too much while allowing her Potara Earring to bounce around harmlessly.
"You be safe out there today, Brief! And as always, don't talk to any strangers!" Iwase called out as Bulla walked away. "Don't spend all your money at one store! Manage it well! And leave your cellphone volume on!"
"Yes, Ma'am! Thank you, again!" Bulla called back, waving her arm above her. Following the directions that Ms. Iwase had gotten from the school for her to follow, she arrived at a small and humble home. The plate outside read 'Anakuro', indicating that she was at the right place. She reached out and pressed the buzzer, and waited for several minutes before the door opened. A young woman with a beautiful face and short, lightly-colored hair emerged from the home, a look of surprise washed over her face. She wore a midnight blue sundress that reached her knees, and flat black shoes.
"Brief? What a surprise to see you here." She said as she walked up to the gate.
"Thir- I mean, Ms. Anakuro? Is that really you?" She asked in disbelief, still shocked by how young and beautiful her teacher was outside of her costume.
"Yeah, I'm sure it's surprising. When you wear that tinted glass for so long, nobody really knows what to expect when it comes off. What can I do for you?" She asked, walking through the gate and stepping of the premises.
"O-Oh!" Bulla snapped back to reality and raised the basket that she had carefully tended to over her journey. "I'm sorry about hurting you the other day, Ma'am! Please accept these cookies, baked fresh this morning, as an apology!"
"Brief, I already told you that it was fine." Anakuro told her with a warm smile. "But I appreciate the gesture. I will be sure to enjoy these."
"Thank you! I didn't know what you would like so I had a mix of oatmeal, chocolate chip, macadamia, and peanut butter! Please feel free to throw away whatever you don't like, 'kay?" Bulla told her, somehow only just now relieved to hear that her teacher was fine.
"I don't think there will be any need for that. Weren't your classmates supposed to meet at the mall today?" She asked as she closed the gate behind her.
"Oh, yes, Ma'am. I was just about to head over to Kiyashi Ward." Bulla explained.
"Would you like some company?" Anakuro asked her. "It's not too far from here, and I can make a grocery run on my way back."
"Yes, Ma'am! That'd be great!" Bulla told her. She hurried to her front door and walked inside, coming out only a few moments later with a topaz blue handbag strapped by her shoulder, as well as the basket of cookies.
"Let's get along, then." Anakuro told her as the two made their way to the train station.
Bulla spent the trip eating cookies and listening to Anakuro's stories of heroism, and of the times she faced impossible odds with her comrades. "So, if you don't mind me asking, Ma'am," Bulla said as she stood up and held onto the pole in front of her, allowing an elder woman to sit in her place. "During my final exam with Ochaco, why did you dodge? Surely you must have seen the two-sided assault. You must have known that she was going to get hurt."
After a moment of silence, Anakuro let out a long sigh and ran her fingers through her hair, meeting her nape. "Brief, I deserve that nasty blow you dealt to me. It was wrong of me to have allowed that to happen, but do you mind if I answer your question with another question?" She asked, causing Bulla to stare intently, trying to anticipate her response. "Where does your strength come from?"
"Huh?"
"And I'm not talking about your Quirk. What is it that drives you, allows you to break through your limits? Pushes you to go Plus Ultra?" The question caught her off guard at first. It was something similar to what Ms. Kanjo would have said during her sessions. "Brief, as educators, your teachers' jobs are dependent on just that - educating. Where there is a lesson to be learned, it's important you learn it. You are growing at an exponential rate, and it's important that maintain that growth, but it means that the lessons that are left for you to learn are not based on strength, or overcoming limits. They don't quite match what lessons your classmates still need to learn."
"Ms. Anakuro, a long time ago, I lost my father to a villain." Bulla told her, looking down as she leaned against the bar. "He told me to defend the world with my dying breath. I need to continue to grow, and learn, so that I can do just that. Any less would be an insult to the name my parents gave me, and to the life that he created and protected." Tightening her grip on the pole, she looked up to her teacher. "No matter what, I won't let anyone die."
"Brief, I understand your feelings, but it's childish to think that you can save everyone." Anakuro told her.
"What about All Might? The man who saved a hundred people in under ten minutes?" She reminded. "I will rush to people's side, like a flash of light. My father would have been able to, so I will, too!" She assured, her words unwavering.
"Well, if that's your goal, then continue to strive towards it, of course. But will you be prepared to face the family of that first person that you can't save?" Anakuro asked.
"It won't come to that, Ma'am." Her gaze only remained steady on her teacher, looking out of the windows before she was met with a smile.
"Alright, then. Thank you so much for coming out to see me, but I believe this is your stop." She said, looking back to her student. "It's such a beautiful day, and I loved the cookies. Your company meant so much, so again, thank you." Suddenly, Bulla was reminded of where they were.
"R-Right. Thank you for accompanying me, Ms. Anakuro." Bulla said before she made her way out of the open door.
A short walk from the station was the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. Bulla checked her phone, seeing four messages from her classmate's group chat, including a few messages from Bakugo regarding the constant notifications on his phone, followed by Kaminari reminding him that he could mute his messages. Looking up, she took in the scene. The sporadic shifting of the colors in front of her as the crowd changed constantly, the low rumble in her ears from hundreds of conversations taking place at once, how the clear blue sky and unobscured golden Sun made everyone and everything brighter and more peaceful.
A smile spread across her face as a familiar pink hand stretched out ahead, waving her over. "Hey, Brief! We're over here!" Ashido called out. In the ground was Kirishima, Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka, Ashido, Mineta, Tokoyami, Jiro and Yaoyorozu, while Shoji, Kaminari, and Hagakure were inspecting other shops. All of a sudden, Bulla's brisk walk turned into a run, seemingly out of her control, and she was overwhelmed with joy as she ran into the group, wrapping her arms around Yaoyorozu and Uraraka. "Hey, no fair! I could use a hug, too, Class Rep!" Ashido told her, stomping her feet as she tackled the girls.
"Hehe, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." Bulla explained. "I'm just so happy, is all. Having you here, on this beautiful and peaceful day..." That's right, I won't anything happen to you all!
"Hey, come on! You're causing a scene!" Jiro told them as Shoji and Kirishima helped them to their feet.
"Honestly, I'm surprised to see Tokoyami here. I thought you'd rather be looming in the darkness somewhere." Bulla told her friend.
"Harsh words, but fair they are. Even I would enjoy a day out in the Sun with my friends, however." Tokoyami told her as a group of teens began to shout from across the plaza.
"HEY! IT'S THOSE KIDS FROM CLASS 1A!" One boy yelled.
"I saw 'em on TV!" Another followed.
"The Sports Festival was so good!" They called out in unison, causing Uraraka to laugh nervously.
"I can't believe they still remember that." She said as Uraraka felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Bulla gave her a thumbs up, without uttering a word. "You're kinda freaking me out!"
While everyone looked around, discussing what they needed, Kirishima spoke at the center of the group. "Hey, why don't we split up and look around? We can meet here again when we're done!"
Bulla looked at the large clock in the center of the plaza, hands pointing to 1 and 12. "I like it. How about we get back here at 2:30?"
"Eh, I was thinking more like 3. Factor in for walking time, that way." Kirishima suggested.
"I like 3 better!" Ashido chimed in, jumping with glee with a fist extended to the sky.
."Alright, then. Class 1A, we'll meet up at 3!" Bulla announced as she took Yaoyorozu's hand. "Momo, let's go look at some swimsuits! I'll pick something cute for you, but you have to return the favor!"
"Of course!" Yaoyorozu told her with a smile. As her friend turned to face forward, she accidentally rammed straight into an exceptionally large man, maybe three meters tall with an incredibly bulky build.
"Oh, we're so sorry, Sir!" Bulla told him, bowing her head.
In response, the girls heard a hearty chuckle. "Don't even worry about it, girls! You go continue your fun, don't mind me at all! It's hard to get around me after all!" He claimed, waving his hand as he went around them. Bulla didn't allow it to stop her for long, and she retook Yaoyorozu's hand, darting down the plaza with her friend. Before they could get far, Uraraka caught up with them. "Ochaco! I'm glad you could join us!" Although she was happy to see her friend, she also seemed distressed. "Are...you alright?"
"Yeah...I'm fine… I just keep making dumb decisions, is all." She said, refusing to move her hands from her cheeks. "Hey, didn't you have your earring on? Did you take it off?"
As the question hit her ear, it felt like a weight sunk in her gut. As she reached towards her ear, she grabbed at nothing, causing her eyes to widen. In a blur, she seemingly vanished, seeking to trace her path. Was it stolen?! No, impossible! It must have just fallen off, right?! As she returned to the plaza where her class was supposed to meet up again, she halted her search as she saw Midoriya sitting with an adult she couldn't identify. "Izu...ku…?" His hand was around Midoriya's neck, minus a single finger. As he noticed her presence, the adult looked her way and smiled.
"Congratulations on your win. I was just having a little chat with my old friend here." He said with a dried and mischievous smile.
Tomura Shigaraki. Bulla's hands balled into fists, and as she took a step forward, Midoriya nervously waved his hands out in front of him. "B-B-Bulla! This is an old friend of mine, we're just having a discussion. We just seemed to have a bit of an argument, but everything's fine!"
Izuku… You're in danger, I know that much. But, if you don't want me to act, then you have your reasons for it. As much as I hate leaving you like this, it would only put you in danger to act… Bulla grit her teeth and loosened her hands, looking away from the scene in front of her.
Suddenly, Uraraka approached from behind, and her eyes sunk into her skull. "Deku… Who's this…? A friend or… no…" Just as Bulla had, Uraraka took a step closer. "Hey. Let go of him." Before she could get any closer, Bulla took her hand and squeezed it tight.
"Well, I didn't realize you were here with so many friends!" Shigaraki said as he released Midoriya, allowing him to finally breathe and cough as he gasped for air.
The villain slipped his hands into his hoodie pockets before walking towards the girls. While Uraraka joined Midoriya's side, Bulla turned to face the villain. "Shigaraki." Bulla said, causing Uraraka to turn with surprise, She made her best attempts to steel her nerves. "What are you here for? What is your goal?!"
"I already told you. I just wanted to have a little chat with Midoriya."
"Wait a minute!" Midoriya finally managed to say. "What is All For One after?!"
After a moment of silence, Shigaraki answered. "Who knows, really? But here's a word of advice, friend. Be careful. The next time we meet, I'll probably have to kill you."
Once Shigaraki walked away, slipping into the crowd, Uraraka pulled out her phone. "I'll call the police! They'll be able to-" Against her wishes, Bulla held her hand over her friend's phone. "Hey, what's the deal?"
"Don't. It wouldn't be safe. Just think about it, he's surrounded by civilians, but this isn't like the USJ. If he wanted to cause damage, why would he leave us alive? Why wouldn't he have just begun terrorizing from the start?" Bulla explained.
"But-"
"Keep in mind that the police would close the mall, and ruin our day off, as well. We came here to have fun with our class." Before Uraraka could argue, Bulla pulled her phone out of her hand. "Besides, even if the police managed to get here before he slipped away, he'd just go on a rampage. The blood of innocent people drawn into the conflict will be on our hands."
"Even so-!"
Her words were silenced by Bulla's hands resting on her shoulders. She met Uraraka's eyes and reached out to her. "Ochaco, as growing heroes-no, as adults, we are going to need to learn that you have to pick your battles. There will be conflicts that will benefit the most from staying out of it."
Uraraka looked down, taking in Bulla's words, feeling powerless to aid the situation. "He wanted to talk about the Hero Killer, and why the two of them differed so much." Midoriya suddenly said.
"Yeah, even past that smile of his, I could tell he was having some kind of internal conflict. Although, to be entirely honest, that guy must be nothing but internal conflict, so I guess it doesn't matter what I think I see or don't see." Bulla returned Uraraka's phone to its rightful owner. "It's selfish of me to ask, but please keep quiet about this. We'll only worry our classmates. I'm going to find Momo."
With that, Bulla quietly stepped through the mall, her fists remaining clenched. It wasn't long before she found Yaoyorozu, sitting quietly at a fountain while looking at her phone. As she approached, her friend looked up and smiled. "Hey, you ran off in a hurry. Did you find your earring?"
Bulla's eyes widened as she instinctively reached for her ear once again. As realization quickly set in, she gave a nervous smile. "Oh, no, I couldn't find it. I'm sorry that I took off like that, it was just really important to me."
"Right. I'm really sorry to hear. Is there any way I could help? I could make you a new one, perhaps."
"I appreciate it, Momo, but it's irreplaceable. I'll be fine, I promise." She reassured as she took her hand, pulling her to her feet as the two continued to stride through the mall. That's right, I don't need it. It's power almost corrupted me before, so this is for the best. She thought to herself as she turned with a smile, pointing to the first store that the two would get to look at together. Right...?