Ayano was currently standing on a podium with Tokoyami, arms crossed, eyes shut, and eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
Annoyance at Bakugou's muffled screams.
Strapped to a block, chained up, and forced to wear a muzzle like a dog. His current actions were far from exemplary and entirely unbecoming of a victor, much less a hero.
Ayano's attention soon turned towards All Might with a medal in his hand. After placing a third-place medal around Tokoyami's neck and congratulating him, he turned to her with another third-place medal.
"Congratulations, Young Sasaki! You fought valiantly and on equal footing as your peers in the hero course! It is most definitely an impressive feat in this world dominated by quirks!"
The girl bowed slightly, allowing him to slip the medal over her head. "Your compliments are much appreciated, although I have to disagree with you." "Eh?" All Might voiced his confusion, his hands stopping in mid-air after he let go of the medal.
"I would have to disagree that this was 'an impressive feat.' Taking time to say that I fought on 'equal footing' as my peers and noting the prevalence of quirks suggests that it was not expected of me to perform so well in this Sports Festival solely because of my lack of a quirk. This implies that people without quirks are inferior to those with, and I wholly disagree with that sentiment. Of course, the use of quirks certainly helps in this aspect but I believe that, more than anything, an individual's own skill and hard work leads to results. It is not due to a mere genetic mutation."
"I assure you that I do not think any less of you for saying such things, and I am certain that you had no such ill intentions or meanings when congratulating me. I just stated my feelings on the matter to ensure that you understand how your words can be interpreted. I would like to reiterate that I do, in fact, appreciate your compliments and congratulations. Thank you."
All Might, Midnight, and Tokoyami all looked at the girl with wide, apprehensive eyes. She showed no indication of acknowledging their uneasiness, as her face remained the same poker face that it usually was.
"…A-ah! O-Of course! That was absolutely not my intention! Having a quirk is one thing, but being able to hone that quirk is up to a person's own inner strength. That inner strength can be found in anybody, quirk or no quirk! You are correct!" All Might quickly retorted, hoping to placate the girl although she was in no need of placating. He still felt bad about his words even though she indicated that he shouldn't feel guilty.
"She's a strong one for sure." The number one hero thought to himself. He continued onto congratulating Todoroki and eventually Bakugou.
"ALL MIGHT! THIS WIN, IT DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT! DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS! IF I DON'T RECOGNIZE IT, THEN THAT MEDAL'S JUST GARBAGE!" All Might hesitantly approached Bakugou, the boy's ferocious face making him a bit nervous.
"There aren't many who can continuously be on top. So, accept this! As a wound, even! So you don't forget!" "I TOLD YOU I DON'T NEED THAT JUNK! THIS WIN AND THAT MEDAL DON'T MEAN ANYTH—" His voice was abruptly stopped by a hard fist. Ayano had punched him square in the jaw, his head flying to the side and shock evident on his face.
Once again, Ayano had single-handedly silenced the entire stadium. "This win doesn't mean anything? Get over yourself. Do you understand just how much people would do to be in your position? I can see that you would feel that your last fight was not fair, but it was and you won. Did you half-ass things? No, you did not. Did you give it your all? Yes, you did. If anything, the fault lies with your opponent." Bakugou growled at her, fully intent on lashing out when she interrupted him.
"You said it yourself, did you not? 'The best hero always wins.' If you are so unsatisfied with this victory, then that shows just how much you need to improve." The girl grabbed at his gym uniform's collar to pull him forward, their faces inches apart.
"Become so strong that others would be so sure of your victory even if your opponent did not give their all. Become so strong that your opponents will have no choice but to match your fervor if they even want a chance to survive. Become so strong that your victory becomes a given."
They glared at one another for a moment before Bakugou seemingly relented, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Although he was the first to look away, the scowl on of his face was still very much present.
Ayano released her grip on his collar, backing away from him and turning to All Might. Without another word, she gestured towards Bakugou. Her arm was outstretched, palm facing upwards as she swept it through the air along the width of her body and towards the blond as if to say, "Here you go."
She walked back to the third-place podium, standing next to Tokoyami as if nothing happened.
Mentally thanking the girl, All Might proceeded to struggle a bit with Bakugou before finally placing the medal between the boy's teeth. He went on to his closing remarks as everyone cheered.
In light of the Sports Festival, all U.A. students had the next two days off. Both the Bakugou and the Sasaki families took this opportunity to celebrate together at their children's success in the Sports Festival. The celebration dinner was held at the Bakugou household.
The dinner table was quite lively, although that was mostly due to the two mothers as the fathers watched on in endearment. Ayano silently ate her food, thinking about other things as usual. Meanwhile, Katsuki was grumpily chomping on his food as always.
After the dinner, the kids were left to their own devices. Still having some concerns for Katsuki since she last saw him, she followed him to his room. "Why the fuck are you following me?" He asked, but it didn't really sound like a question nor did it have his normal increased volume.
"I request to have a discussion." The boy seemingly ignored her but he didn't slam the door behind him, allowing Ayano to follow in after him.
She made calculated glances around his room, taking in everything. It hadn't changed too much since they were children, just some minor adjustments to show that he wasn't as childish. Though, her eye did catch onto the several slightly hidden All Might paraphernalia which brought a small smile to her face.
The next thing that caught her eye was a shiny glint. It was the gold medal he had received for his victory at the Sports Festival. It looked like it had been thrown haphazardly into the corner of his room, probably in anger and frustration.
"That metal doesn't mean squat…" He mumbled when he noticed that Ayano found it. "It doesn't mean anything. That half-and-half bastard is gonna get it next year. Next year, I'm winning it all."
He was sitting on his bed and his elbows rested on his knees. He was looking down, glaring at the ground with strong conviction. Ayano gently smiled at him. "I do not doubt it." She responded as she picked up the medal from the floor.
"However, do not think that I will let you get there so easily next time." She smirked but Bakugou felt as though her words didn't have their usual bite to them. "…The fuck is the matter with you?" He debated on whether or not to address it but ultimately chose to because of his curiosity and, quite possibly, his concern.
Ayano's eyes widened slightly, surprised that he was so perceptive, but it was gone just as soon as it came. She avoided his piercing gaze by studying the medal in her hands. She spoke, nonchalantly flipping it over to examine the other side.
"I say that…but I have quite a way to go before I can reach you." Bakugou's hands tightened, the frustration from the tournament settling in. It was the same frustration he held when he heard all those comments about her quirkless nature after her fight with Todoroki.
"Stop fucking moping. Just beat 'em all to the ground."
Not the way he wanted that to come out but sometimes, his mouth moves faster than his mind.
Her head jerked up, the surprise returning. Was this his way of comforting her? Was he actually doing that?
"I never said I was sad about it, nor am I actually that upset at the outcome. I was just merely stating an observation and opinion but…thank you." The blond blushed slightly at that, turning his head away to hide the color in his cheeks. "I wasn't saying that to comfort you, idiot! I'm telling you to take revenge!"
Ayano chuckled. She really wasn't sad about the loss but if she was, she certainly would have felt better with this. "Of course. I intend to pay him back tenfold, so it seems we'll be in competition for revenge."
She chose to change the topic, having felt a slight awkwardness at his attempt to comfort her. "You shouted some rather interesting things in your fight against him though." Bakugou raised an eyebrow, not understanding what she was getting at.
"What was that final move you used against him again? Howitzer Impact? I wonder where you got that from?" She phrased each one like a question, but the tone of her voice clearly indicated her true intentions. She tilted her head upwards, placing an index finger on her chin and tapping against it.
The boy's eyes widened significantly, mouth falling open. He knew full well what she was implying.
"Why are you reading a book at the playground? Are you some kind of nerd?" A small Ayano looked up at the ash blond boy and immediately looked back to her book. The boy's eye twitched, having been irked from being ignored.
He snatched the book from her hands as she shouted in protest. "What the heck?! What are you even reading? Ho…Howi…Howitzer?" The girl snatched the book back. "I'm reading about the history of howitzers!"
"What the heck are those?" From the little pictures he briefly saw on the pages, they seemed to be some type of weapon and that mildly interested him. "A howitzer is a kind of weapon used for siege warfare. That's when you surround a place, trying to capture and take over it! Armies use howitzers to fire missiles and stuff at really fast speeds!"
Bakugou thought it was stupid that she would come to a park just to read, but he couldn't deny that he liked seeing that excited smile on her face whenever she found something like this.
"They're really explosive!" Ayano blinked, having an epiphany. "Hey! Kacchan! Maybe you can name one of your super moves after the howitzer! Your quirk also deals with explosions, it's perfect!"
"What?! No way! I wouldn't name my super move something dumb like that! And it's also hard to say!" Ayano frowned. "Ehh!? But you just said it earlier! Come on! It could be the perfect name!"
"Forget it!"
Ayano still had her head tilted up, as if in thought. Her eyes slid over to him, looking through her periphery at Bakugou. A deep blush was slowly creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks.
"AH…UH…I…I-I JUST CAME UP WITH IT, OKAY?!" When she gave him a knowing smirk, he growled and quickly stood up. "I'M GOING TO THE BATHROOM!" He shouted, stomping away.
Ayano's eyes followed after him, a bright mirth shining in them. She chuckled as she sat down on his bed.
Still holding onto the first-place medal, she stared at it again. She slipped it over head, wearing it around her neck. The circular object fit snugly in her hand.
She tightened her grip, a small smile adorning her face.