The next morning at school, Iida approached me before class began. Although I thought his eagerness to please and justice-centered personality was pretty pathetic, at least he was genuine. I liked that he actually cared about people rather than just pretending to like everyone else did. "Bakugo-san," He greeted.

I looked up at him tiredly from my desk. "Hm?" I grunted.

"Could you collect the fieldtrip dues as people start coming in?" He held out a manila envelope to me. I accepted it with a bored face.

"Don't I even get paid for these duties?" I asked. Iida didn't know how to answer. "Kidding, I'm kidding." I said. He sighed and smiled.

"Thanks, Bakugo-san." He said.

"Sure." I replied. I got up from my seat and began collecting from the students who were already in class. Most of them simply pulled out their wallets and extracted big number bills without a second thought. I counted the money, put it in the envelope, and checked off their names. When I got to Uraraka, she gave me the embarrassed smile that I was already expecting.

"I don't have it all together yet." She explained, handing me a bill that accounted for only a third of the cost. I took it and marked down what she had paid. I was going to move on to the next student but I couldn't just let her sit there and feel bad.

"I'm not paying all of mine today either." I explained. "I talked to Mr. Mori, he said it's okay so long as it comes in by tomorrow so I'm sure he won't mind if you need to pay a little later too." I told her. She smiled, feeling more relaxed.

"I didn't know there were students like you two here." A voice behind me said. I turned around and saw Monoma smiling at me from his desk. I bared my teeth at him. He just kept smiling calmly. "I bet it's kind of tiring to have to pretend to fit in all the time. Probably not as tiring as working three jobs to send your kid to school, though. I'm assuming that's the circumstance. Am I right? Hm… by the looks on your faces, I guess I am."

"There's nothing shameful about hard work." Uraraka replied resentfully.

"Huh? Did I say it was shameful? Don't put works in my mouth, Ochaco-chan. At least now we can see how you really feel."

"Hey!" I barked. I wanted to use every curse in the book on him but I had my own reputation to uphold too. "Yeah, my parents work hard but they were never too busy to teach me manners, unlike yours."

Monoma laughed. "You're a witty guy, aren't you, Kacchan? Too bad smarts don't go far for people without money. After all, you can't fight hunger. You get desperate, you make bad choices, you hurt people. It's only nature, Kacchan."

"Don't act like you know me!" I barked. "And I never said you could call me that!"

"Oh, that's right. That name is special for Izuku, right?" He asked with a suspicious smile. "I'm curious, just what kind of a relationship do you have with Izuku?"

I took a deep breath. Instead of blowing up like I usually would, I turned his own tactics back on him, imitating his calm aggression. "Could it be that… you don't know what a friendship looks like, Monoma-kun? That's kind of sad… Have you never had friends before? I wonder what you're doing wrong. Maybe it's that scary face of yours or that rancid personality."

I succeeded in breaking Monoma's cool façade for a moment. It was like his glass barrier suddenly formed a crack and his craziness showed through for a brief second before he fixed his face, his smile returning. He reached his wallet. "I'll pay the whole sum now. Should I pay your fee while I'm at it too? Here. There's no shame in depending on charity from your peers."

I took the money, counted out his fee, then dropped the extra bills he gave me on the floor before marking his name as paid. I walked over the bills on my way to the next cluster of students. Lastly, I went to Midoriya's desk where he sat with his head down in his arms, resting. I nudged him, causing him to raise his head. "Hey, how's your hand?" I asked.

"Good." He smiled brightly as he showed me the mummy limb. "My mom took me to the doctor after you left. He told me to thank you for taking care of it so well so, thank you, Kacchan."

I nodded in acknowledgment. "Be more careful. Next time, I'll be really angry."

He nodded back. "Okay, I will. What's the envelope for? Oh, are you collecting the fieldtrip dues? I have the money, one sec." He dug around in his bag then held up a card. "Can I pay with this?"

I sneered. "Does this look like the Ritz hotel to you? Cash only, Fancy Boy."

"I don't have any today." He admitted.

"Just bring it to me tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Kacchan."

I nodded again, sitting at my seat and slipping the folder into my backpack. I still had to collect from 2B. Each grade had about 70 students so the classes were split in half. After lunch, both classes came together into a larger classroom for the last few classes of the day.

Mr. Mori started class. Deku was having a hard time taking notes so Iida was asked to share his. The day was relatively normal. I ate lunch with Midoriya on the rooftop and collected dues from everyone in the class before returning the envelope to my backpack. All that was left to do was bring the folder into the administrative office. After the last class, Iida approached me with his notebook. "Bakugo-san, I have an unofficial favor to ask you." He said, his voice low and secretive. "It seems Uraraka had an argument with a classmate this morning and she's a little upset about it. I need to take her home. Can you scan the notes from today in the resource room so Midoriya-san has a copy?"

I looked down at the notebook. Was I the class errand boy now? I would have refused except that it was for Deku. I had to help him do well on that Friday test, I said I would. I nodded and took the notebook. "Don't get used to all these favors, okay?" I warned.

He offered me a deep bow. "I appreciate it very much, Bakugo-san." He said before leaving. I sighed and took the notebook to the resource room, leaving my backpack in the classroom with Midoriya. The school had an onsite electronics lab on par with NASA. When I returned, Midoriya was focusing hard on his textbook, tuned out completely to the outside world.

"Yo, Deku, let's go." I said, picking up my backpack. He didn't hear me. I stepped closer and pulled the highlighter out of his hand, finally getting his attention. He looked up.

"Oh, Kacchan, you're back. Okay, I'm ready." He said, putting away the textbook and dawning his own backpack.

We stopped by the office on our way out. I unzipped my bag and felt for the envelope but I couldn't feel it. I looked in, flipping through all the contents of my bag once then again and again. I felt my blood go cold. "Kacchan? What's wrong?" Izuku asked.

I squatted down and dumped my bag onto the ground, looking through everything as my horror grew. Midoriya squatted down and looked through it all with me. We packed my backpack back up and returned to the classroom to search for it. "I'm fucked." I said, frantically checking every surface. "I'm so totally fucked! Shit! It was in my backpack, I'm sure of it!"

"Calm down, Kacchan. We'll find it." Deku said, searching with me. "Where's the last place you had it?" He asked.

"In my goddamn bag! I only took it out to collect money and I never left-" I realized something. "Deku, did anyone open my backpack while I was getting copies?" I asked.

"No! Well… actually, I don't know… I had my eyes somewhere else…"

"Dammit! That shifty-eyed little fucker!" I yelled at the wall, my fists clenched tight.

Deku looked scared. "I-I'm sorry."

I glanced at him and realized I needed to calm down. I took a few deep breaths. "It's not you, Deku, It's that Monoma guy. I'd bet my life that he took it." I said. "We exchanged some words this morning. How could I be so dumb? Of course he would do something like this, I made it so easy for him."

"You think he did this?"

"I know he did. Shit…" I did the math in my head. "Everyone but you, Uraraka, and I paid in full so that means… I lost about 450,000 yen…" The color drained from my face. What if I couldn't get back? Would I be expelled? Sued? Would my parents have to pay it? We would have to take out a loan.

I didn't realize I was trembling until I felt Deku grip my arms. "Calm down." He demanded sternly, snapping me out of it. "I-I'll find Monoma and convince him to give it back."

"You're not going within five feet of that psycho." I replied.

"But I wanna help!" He complained.

"I'm your hero, right? I don't want you associated with this at all. As it is, if I get in trouble for this, they'll drag down Iida too. I wouldn't be able to handle it if you also got in trouble. I'm your hero, it would be the opposite of what I promised."

"Kacchan, you need as much help as you can get. If you don't get it back, you won't be able to be my hero anyways because you'd be expelled. Look… Katsuki, let me pay it."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged his grip off. "You don't have that kind of money either. I know you're rich but nobody pulls 450,000 yen out of their back pocket except, I guess, Monoma."

"I'll ask my dad to help me out. I can do it. You can't get expelled, Kacchan."

"Deku… I'm being serious… Don't pay it."

"Why not?" He asked desperately.

"I don't want to be the poor kid. I don't want you to see me as someone who needs your pity. I never try to exploit you for your money so don't make me feel weak because of my poverty."

"I wasn't trying to make you feel weak."

"I know you weren't but if you pay for my mistake, then that's how I'll feel. I want to take care of this myself. You put your faith in me before so do it again this time."

He bit his bottom lip. I could read his eyes. He wanted to help, he wanted to do something. Eventually, he gave up and nodded. "Okay… I trust you. Promise you won't leave school, okay?"

I nodded. "I won't."

I walked him home but denied his invitation inside. I wanted some time alone to think about what to do. I had promised that this wouldn't end with my expulsion but I didn't have one plan yet that avoided that reality. There was no way Monoma would just hand me the money unless I beat him bloody but that was the old me. I didn't want Deku to think I was that kind of person. He thought I was a hero.

I tried to think of what I could say to Mr. Mori as I walked in silence. "Kacchan~" A voice called. I turned around. Speak of the devil. I hadn't even realized that he had been following me. "Do you walk Izuku home every day? How cute~"

I scowled. "I suppose you're not here to give me back the money."

"Hm? Well… how much would you give to get it back?"

"Are you trying to blackmail me? I'm not that easily frightened."

"Everyone has their price. What would you give to stay in the school your parents are working so hard to send you to?"

I snarled, closing my fists tight. "And what if I just started smashing your head into the pavement? Then I would have the upper hand in this negotiation, right?"

"You think that brutally attacking a classmate would help you avoid expulsion? Besides, I see how you transform from a wolf to a lap dog in front of Izuku. He's never going to love you back if you break that charade." He said. Every fiber of my being wanted to pummel him. I wanted to throw my fists into him and break his bones. I trembled from the strain of holding back. "You're not attacking me right now because you know I'm right, right? You want to keep him by your side. That secret is just between us."

He wasn't right… but I didn't know if he was wrong either. "What the fuck do you want?" I spat in a venomous voice.

"Just the same thing I've wanted since coming to your class, to be number one. It's that simple."

"How the fuck am I supposed to make you smarter?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I know I'm not the smartest person in the class. I'm not even smarter than Izuku but that's not what the game is about. It's about getting to the top by any means necessary, even if you have to pull down your competition. That's all I'm asking you to do. Help Izuku flunk the test on Friday. Easy, right?"

I couldn't believe this guy. I had never met someone so destructively determined and impervious to others. Even I cared about people, I new the limits, I knew when to stop. Monoma seemed to have no concept of that. He used whatever tools were at his disposal and hurt who ever he needed to in his tunnel-vision race towards his goals. "I can't make Izuku flunk. He's too smart. He's going to ace it, no matter what."

"It's easier than you think. There's a hundred things you could do. You could tell him you don't want to be his friend anymore that morning, you could get him to ingest a low dose of hallucinogenics, you could-"

"Stop! I'm not doing anything like that. He's going to ace that test and I'm not letting anything get in the way of that."

"So you want to play hero, then? Okay… just so you know, this'll be the last chance you have to protect him. Once you're expelled, I'll just get other pawns and I'll pull him down all the same. It's fine. Getting rid of you was also something on my list, I'll just switch around the plan a little."

Just being near him made my soul recoil in disgust. "Something is really wrong with you…" I said, thinking out loud.

"I know. All those feelings people have that hold them back like love, guilt, righteousness, empathy… they don't mean anything to me. I don't get caught in all that pathetic human mess because I can see above it all. But enough about me, Kacchan. All I'm here for is your decision. Are you going to help me or pathetically cling to your warped sense of justice?"

I stared him dead in the eyes and annunciated my response perfectly. "See you in hell."

Monoma just shrugged. "My phone number is in your backpack. Call if you want to change your mind." With that, he turned around and walked back in the direction of the school. I continued home, checking over my shoulder multiple times. I wasn't often scared but Monoma truly frightened me. He really would destroy everything in his wake by any means possible to get what he wanted. I had no idea how to protect Deku. Maybe the best thing for him was just to give up and get out of Monoma's way. If I made him flunk that test, at least he wouldn't be a target anymore. And I would be able to stay by his side to protect him. No… that was too optimistic. Monoma would probably continue to target me because of our colliding personalities.

'He's been studying so hard… I couldn't take this away from him. This is his battle against Monoma. But my parents… For the first time, I'm doing well at a school. If I throw this away, I'll just disappoint them again. And I promised Deku that I'd stay at school. What if I can't see him anymore? Why does that thought hurt more than the others?' I wondered. I slept fitfully that night and arrived at school the next morning just as helpless and vulnerable as before.

Deku was already at his desk, fidgeting nervously. I didn't make eye contact with him as I walked straight up to Mr. Mori's desk and bowed ninety degrees. "Mr. Mori, I lost the fieldtrip money." I confessed with a clear and solid voice. I heard Deku gasp. My heart sank. 'I'm sorry… I wanted to stay but more than that… I want to protect you.' I thought as Mr. Mori scolded me harshly in front of the class. The words weren't really sinking in, I just continued to bow over and over.

I never wanted things to be like this. Just last week, I was cool and popular. Now here I was, doing something so degrading. "Apologize to your classmates too." Mr. Mori commanded in a hard voice.

I turned to face the classroom. "I sincerely apologize for my thoughtlessness. I've made a horrible mistake that has costed you all greatly. Although I was given the task by Iida-san, his judgement is not at all to be blamed. Previous to this incident, I had always performed the tasks he asked of me well. Please do not reflect any of your anger on him, this was my mistake and mine alone. I apologize sincerely, please forgive me." I announced in a monotone voice. I had prepared this apology last night. I bowed over and over again as my classmates muttered.

"Really? How annoying!" Someone said. "What about the fieldtrip? I was really looking forward to it!" Another added. "Nice going." Someone sneered. "Shouldn't Bakugo-san have to pay back what he lost?" A classmate asked. "Are you crazy? He can't afford that. He's dirt poor." Another replied. Standing there and receiving their words with complacency felt like being stoned. I didn't dare look up to the crowd, fearing that I would see Deku's expression. I could only imagine how upset he must be.

Mr. Mori ordered me to take my backpack and go immediately to the principal's office. I bowed once more in acknowledgment before rushing out of the room. The office was a small room with the principal's desk and a couch where I sat with my head down as he called my parents. They both had to come in from work.

"What's going on?" Mom asked, arriving first.

"Mrs. Bakugo, your son Katsuki was tasked with collecting class 2's fieldtrip dues but he confessed this morning that he lost all the money." The principal informed her.

She looked at me, confused and shocked. "You… you just lost an envelope?" She asked. I nodded. She looked to the principal. "Sir, kids lose things all the time. Can't he just say he's sorry? W-we can replace some of the money."

"Mrs. Bakugo, your son lost about 450,000 yen." He said.

She went pale. "Th-that much? There must be a mistake…"

"There's no mistake. As you can understand, this is a grave offense against the school that cannot simply be forgiven. We are asking that full reparations to be made for Katsuki to continue studying here."

My Dad entered the office. He was quickly informed of the situation. The horror befell his face as well when he heard the amount. "I don't know how we would find that much money…" He looked to me. "Does it really have to be this school? I mean, I know you like it better than the other schools but we still haven't tried that place your cousin goes to in Akihabara."

I felt like absolute garbage. All I could do as a son was cause my parents anxiety and pain. I shook my head. My eyes were stinging but I held back the tears with all my might. "We've tried so many places already. I think now… it's time I set my sights on finding a good job and supporting the family."

"But Katsuki…" My mom said.

"It's okay, really." I replied. "I gave it my best shot but I can't do it. I want to find a job-"

The principal's door burst open with a wham, drawing all of our eyes to the panting, teary-eyed, green-haired boy. "Sir, please don't make him leave!" He yelled, bowing deeply. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Midoriya Izuku, what is this about!? Why aren't you in class!?" The principal asked, outraged.

"Katsuki Bakugo is an invaluable asset to class 2, sir! The only reason I'm third place in class 2 is because Bakugo diligently tutors me every day. He always does little chores to help out in class and he stands up for students when they're being bullied. Without him, you're sure to see more hostility between the students and I know that my grades will also suffer. So please, don't expel him!"

I wanted to be angry at Deku for so blatantly disregarding my instructions but instead, I was just happy. I didn't think I needed saving until he showed up. I didn't think I needed approval until he gave me his. I didn't think I needed to be loved until I was loved by him.

The principal looked to me. "Do you really tutor Midoriya-san?" He asked me.

I gave a little nod. "We tutor each other." I replied quietly.

"Well… you may be an academic asset to your class but a debt like this can't simply be dissolved. My judgement remains the same. The debt must be repaid first. "

I knew that, even if I sold everything I owned, I wouldn't be able to pay it. My mom put her hand on my shoulder. "Katsuki… are you really okay with leaving this school?" She looked to Izuku who stared at me with begging eyes. Those eyes pulled my heart from my chest.

"No… I don't want to go…" I answered finally. Every molecule of me wanted to stay. I wanted to see that green-haired boy everyday and read that stupid monster book with him and listen to him go on and on about Captain America. I wanted to stay.

My mom sighed deeply. "We can find a way to pay it… But we'll need some time." She said.

"The fieldtrip is scheduled for Friday through Saturday this week. The dues need to be paid today by the end of the day to reserve the lodging."

My family and I fell silent. There was no way to do that. We had only about a tenth of the full amount at our disposal and there was no time to get a loan. "Kacchan…" Midoriya's little voice called out. "Let me…"

"No." I replied sternly.

"Put your pride aside for a moment and just let me help you." He countered.

"Deku, no." I repeated, staying firm.

My mom nudged me. "Katsuki, what does he mean?"

"I-I can pay back the dues, ." Izuku explained.

"Oh… you would do that for Katsuki?" She asked, shocked.

"Mom, no!" I protested.

"Well… Katsuki, I know you don't like the idea but don't see any other way around it. Still, it's your decision."

I shook my head. "No. I don't want that."

Deku's eyes watered and his brows pinched together angrily. "You promised you would stay! Is it really that bad to accept help? Kacchan… you know me. You know I won't judge you or make you feel bad about it so just keep your promise and stay, okay?"

I met his eyes. Again, my heart was pulled out of me. I didn't want to go but to accept such a huge favor from him… things would never be the same. I wanted things to stay how they were, I wanted to feel like his equal. But there was no other option… If I didn't accept, I wouldn't be his classmate anymore… my heart hurt so horribly.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, there was a knock on the door. It opened easily and there stood Monona, smiling innocently. I saw my mom get the chills. "Oh, everyone's here?" He said, letting himself in. "What good timing. I'd just like to say that I've found the envelope, Sir."

I clenched my teeth. I was both incredibly relieved but also extremely suspicious. Not even a brick would be dumb enough to believe that Monoma had a change of heart. I knew he was planning something, I just didn't know what and that's what scared me the most. "Th-th-the envelope with the money in it?" My dad stuttered in utter surprise. "That's amazing! What a blessing."

My mom was a little more intuitive than my dad and knew not to trust Monoma so easily. She smiled politely. "Thank you so much." She said.

He smiled back. "It's nothing. I just thought Bakugo-san must have forgotten it in the resource room when he went to make copies so I checked and surely enough, I was able to find it."

"Well, this is great." The principal replied. "Bakugo is lucky to have a classmate like you. You seem to already be fitting in to your class really well, Monoma-san." The principal looked to me. I was scowling. "Wouldn't you like to thank Monoma-san?" He asked.

Monoma smiled at me expectantly. We stared each other down for a solid minute before I grumbled "Thanks".

The principal was clearly not impressed by my insincerity. "What's with that attitude?" He asked. "Aren't you thankful at all that Monoma-san cleaned up your mess after you had been so irresponsible and thoughtless?"

I just nodded. I was starting to understand his goal. It was never about the money, he didn't need it. This whole thing was about besting me, it was all revenge for our little scuffle yesterday Monday morning. I couldn't believe anyone would go so far over something so insignificant. I wished it were just Monoma and myself in the room so I could grab his head and smash it against the wall.

"I won't tolerate such an arrogant attitude at my school, Young Man. The students at this school are known for their proper moral upbringing and responsible attitudes. You've shown that you have neither." The principal scolded.

My dad nudged me a little forcefully, prompting me to quickly apologize and beg forgiveness just like Monoma wanted. "I'm sorry, Sir, He's still a little shaken up over all of this." My dad said. "Our Katsuki really does have proper manners, I swear. Please try to understand. Katsuki has been through a lot today, he's not himself."

I hated that my dad was apologizing for me. Even worse, he was apologizing in front of that psycho. I hated him… I hated his guts. What I hated most was that, no matter how hard I tried, he always had the upper hand.

"I understand that Bakugo-san must be under some emotional stress but that doesn't change my expectation of my students," The principal said. "I expect nothing less than proper manners and a sense of responsibility. For that reason, I expect him to explain everything to his class, apologize formally, and sincerely thank Monoma-san."

I cringed. In front of the class? It was practically Monoma's wet dream. It was humiliating and infuriating. 'No, I refuse!' I thought. 'He doesn't get that. He doesn't deserve my gratitude at all, I'd rather accept Deku's money.' I pondered that a moment. 'No… No, I'd rather be humiliated in front of someone I hate than someone I care about. I don't care what he thinks of me. I don't care if I lose to him if it means things can stay the same between Deku and I.' I finally nodded. "Okay. I'm ready. Let's go." I said.

The principal thanked my parents for coming in and dismissed them. He and Monoma walked ahead of Izuku and I as we all headed back to the classroom together. "Deku…" I whispered lowly as we walked, causing him to look to me curiously. "Go to the bathroom." I ordered, my voice too quiet to be heard by the others.

"Huh? Why?" He asked.

"Just do it, okay? Just five minutes…" I bit my bottom lip, the next word hard to speak. "Please."

He didn't understand but he agreed. He informed the principal with a small bow before leaving in the direction of the restroom. I didn't want him to see this. I didn't want to be humiliated in front of him, I wanted to keep being his hero.

The principal stood in the back of the classroom as I took center stage. I took a deep breath. 'I don't care what he thinks of me… I can do this. It's just acting.' I reminded myself as I began to speak.

"I am sincerely sorry to all of you for my thoughtlessness and irresponsibility. I'm glad to inform you all that the money has been found and no changes have been made to the fieldtrip plans." I looked to the back of the class. The principal was gesturing to Monoma who watched me with a big smile. I bowed low. "I am sincerely grateful to Monoma-san for finding the money and returning it to me." When I looked up, the principal made a rolling gesture with his finger to signal that I should keep going with my apology. Monoma was making the same gesture in front of his chest where the principal couldn't see it. His other hand held his phone. I had no doubt that he was recording this. I put my head back down to hide my scowl. "If it weren't for Monoma-san's diligence, we would all still be suffering from my mistakes. His thoughtfulness is what makes this fieldtrip possible. I am really, truly, grateful to Monoma-san." I looked up and the principal nodded approvingly to my speech. I sighed in relief. Each word I spoke carried a bitter, rotten, taste that covered my tongue completely and made my nauseous.

I slipped into my seat, thankful to be done with it. I had never been so embarrassed before… I had never let someone humiliate me like that. One thing had changed. I had something more important to me than my pride and he walked in just a minute after my speech was over. My pained heart lifted when he sat down next to me and my pride slowly began to bandage itself. I didn't care about what Monoma did because in the end, I was the winner. Deku was going to ace his test on Friday and I was going to be at his side while he did it. Those other things didn't matter. I had won.

When lunch time came, Deku and I went up to the roof. For the first time that day, I could breath. Nobody was staring at me and that psycho was nowhere to be seen. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt my muscles loosen. I looked to Deku and realized that his eyes were watery again. I was surprised. "Huh? Deku, what's up?"

"T-turn around." He requested in a small voice. My first thought was that, somehow, Monoma had followed us up here and was standing behind me. I quickly obliged, looking for him when I felt arms wrap around me and a little, warm weight against my back. Was this… a hug? Was Deku hugging me? Why? I didn't know what to think. "I'm glad you stayed…" Was all he said.

As odd as the situation was, I didn't feel like throwing him off or scolding him. It actually felt really nice. After feeling so vulnerable and weak and humiliated… I realized that I really, really, needed this. I needed to know that someone understood my hurting and that someone, just one person, empathized with me. I bit my bottom lip to hold back by emotions. I didn't feel alone. Someone understood… Some one cared.

Right then, I really was able to let go of the humiliation and hatred because I had kept the one thing I wanted more than anything else: Deku.