Once picking up the book, I had tucked it securely into my book bag. Today's events transpired way too fast for me to process, too many things are happening at once. It made a jittery feeling go throughout my body. I clung onto my bag and began to sprint the rest of the way home.
I didn't even mind the other civilians giving me dirty looks as I ran down the street like the stressed-out teenager I am. The judging looks...I've seen them my whole life. People who are too quick to judge someone they haven't even spoken to. It's just how some people are, I assume. A terrible trait most people nowadays have developed into their daily lives.
I arrived at my house just as the street lights began to flicker on. Swinging the front door with more force than necessary, I shoved it shut just as quickly as I opened it. Not even bothering to shrug off my shoes, I walked briskly into the kitchen and took out a packet of instant ramen without a concern for my diet. A girl gotta do what she gotta do.
After putting my meal to an easy cooking cycle of waiting for the water to soak into the noodles, I opened my bag. Without patience, I spilled out all the contents in it until the leather book fell out. Ignoring about all my school responsibilities, such as the math homework due to the first thing in the morning, I walked around the counter to grab my chopsticks and meal before making my way into the living room. Paying no mind to the mess I made in there this morning, I flipped on the light switch and plopped myself on the couch.
I set my ramen noodles onto the thin glass coffee table as I turned the first page of the book. The first couple pages had nothing written on them. But as I kept going, around the fifth page there was writing I had no idea of what was written. The language was different...I believe it was Korean, a native tongue I couldn't translate.
I grumbled under my breath, wondering just the reason why the stranger left this book behind to me. This is Japan, for crying out loud. If you're going to leave a Japanese schoolgirl a book at least have it written in their language. I tried to flip through the thousand and one pages to see if there was something I missed but only came across the foreign writing. With a frustrated groan, I slammed the book down onto the sofa and threw my head back.
"What a nuisance," I growled before sitting up straight and grabbing my cup of noodles. Without missing a beat, I began to slurp down my meal while giving the heavy book a dirty look.
Why would this person leave behind such a useless idem? It makes no sense...as I tried to wrap my head around it, I could feel my brain start to have a meltdown. There was no possible explanation to as why this book was left to me. Maybe a mistake? Perhaps the person who gave me this got his target mixed up?
As I tried to convince myself that this was most likely the case, it didn't sit right. The black-clad person seemed to know exactly who I was and I'm sure this really was meant for me.
But...for what?
By the time I finished my noodles, I still have no answer. Grumbling to myself, I picked up the cup and left the book behind in the living room. I guess that's just another problem added onto the list.
I threw the garbage out and picked up my school supplies. It was probably late by now since I could no longer see the setting sun but only the dazzling and bright moon in its full glory. Shutting off the lights in both rooms, I cast the book one small glance before I made my way upstairs to continue the nightmare from school.
The next morning I tried not to think about the stupid book sitting on my couch. As I adjusted my skirt I cast it one long look before completely giving it the most disgusted face I could muster. That thing looks like a piece of crap just by existing.
I walked right out the front door of my home, leaving behind the stupid book. I can let it haunt me later. The walk was boring like every other day. Passing by the same crowd and ignoring all the city noises with the aid of my headphones. A lovely piece of the twenty-first century, must I say.
When I got to school grounds, it was nearly almost eight which meant I was about thirty minutes early. Something that I'm not normally accustomed to but still made a smile light up my face. Maybe I can finish up that history homework I never bothered to do at twelve o'clock at night.
I mean you can't really blame me, can you?
So when I got into the empty classroom, I sat down right at my desk and did what I needed to do. With my headphones in place and my work in front of me, there were no distractions. I didn't even notice when students began to flood into the room and talk amongst themselves.
The only reason I looked up was that I saw aspect of blond hair in my field of vision. I looked up to see Katsuki sitting down with the same old sneer across his face. As I lifted my hand to tap his shoulder was the same instant it froze in mid-air.
After Izuku-kun was elected class president the other day, he ended up trading his position with Iida. Not that I blame him but I still felt like Izuku-kun should have kept the job. It would of looked great for him in the future due to where he's coming from.
It also seemed as Katsuki seemed to be in a bad mood. Well...a worse mood than normal. I lightly sighed as I set my hand down on to the desk and down-casting my eyes to my finish homework. I'll just let him blow off steam, that's what he always needs.
As the day went on, I couldn't help but notice the little things around me. The slight difference in breathing patterns of the individuals around me. One slower than the other, deeper than the most, and some quicker. The background noises had brought themselves forth like a wanted criminal. Sometimes I'll notice things like this every once and a while. I guess having a Wind Quirk is prone to making one notice somethings others will not.
Just like how when I was walking down the hallways during lunchtime when I passed by All Might that he seemed to be sweating and slightly out of breath. Two droplets of sweat rolled down his temples and he was breathing heavy.
I paused my music and my walking pace, making a couple of students let out irritating looks towards my direction. It didn't seem like the older individual noticed my glaze which is exactly why I complicated if I should ask All Might if he was fine.
But as the crowd thinned out and soon enough All Might was down the hallway, I turned and tried to catch up on lost time. Sometimes I feel my sharp eyes are a gift...and a curse.
The cafeteria was busy as ever. Loud noises where circling throughout the air and although I found the whole atmosphere suffocating, I made my way through the bursting crowds at my same table. However, Todoroki was now replaced by the green haired boy known as Izuku.
He looked up from his phone, how he heard me I will never figure out, and offered me a smile. "Sit, " was all he said before slipping his phone into his pocket.
I took a nervous gulp and slid into the seat opposite of him. I took out the earbud and paused my music once again. Now I fully emerged into the yells and screams from various people. I never heard anything like this since the one time I actually turned off my music during lunch. When the reporters broke in.
"Okay, Katsumi, I know somethings up, " he started once he noticed I began to become anxious. I looked up at him and sucked in as much air as I could. "I want to know what's going on. Please, we're friends after all."
Once hearing his last phrase I felt something...snap. Friends? Friends? Where we anything like that anymore? I've known Izuku-kun for the longest time. Probably more than I'll ever meet someone. But what he's been hiding from me, I felt betrayed. And him saying that felt like a slap to the face.
For some reason, I couldn't help but crave the touch of the boy who protected me during my anxiety attack. One touch felt like a relief to me when he told me that he would get me out of the place I despised the most. I wish he would do that again right now.
But as much as I wanted to spit out what I've been thinking, I bit down onto my to tongue and held it there tight. Even though there was so much noise around us, so many distractions, there was an undeniable silence. A silence so thick, if someone broke it we both knew that something will break.
"Katsumi-chan, " he finally spoke. "Please."
That was the final straw. I felt that last little string that held me up finally give away. "I can't eat down my thoughts about what happened Izuku!" I finally yelled. My dark eyes looked up to his jade ones. They looked calm but he was stiff. He knew it was going to go down like this, he always does.
"We have been friends for what? Ten years?! And now, out of the damn fucking blue, you finally develop a quirk?!" I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry Izuku but I hope you don't think I'm empty minded to believe that."
"Katsumi-"
"I don't want to hear it Izuku." I sighed and rubbed my temples. It felt good to finally let free if everything I've been holding back. But there were some things I had left to release as well. "I don't know how you did it, maybe you hid it from me-"
"N-no!" he spluttered out. His defenses had finally fallen down as he could see the same thing I saw. Something I envisioned the moment I saw his quirk.
Our friendship was fading away.
"It's nothing like that! I swear! I don't know what Kacchan said to you, but-"
"You think Katsuki put this into my head?!" Now I really felt it sink in. The anger. The sadness. The betrayal. I stood up from my seat, my pale knuckles turning bright red as I clutched onto the innocent lunch table. "Let's get something straight, " I paused to take a shaky breath. If I don't calm myself, I will begin to attract attention. I rather not have the whole school staring deep into my shattering soul.
"Katsuki had nothing to do with this. The only reason why this is happening...is because..." I was staring at him. His big green eyes looked up at me. Not with anger. But with sympathy. He knew how much this has been killing me. I know he wanted to set things right. But...I can't do this any longer. Not until I've cleared my head.
I looked around the cafeteria. Our conversation has fallen upon deaths ears. No one in the area had even glanced our way and a thought occurred to me. Has this whole thing been meaningless? My efforts to try to explain exactly how I feel to Izuku? Was there any true point?
My eyes filtered back down to my knuckles. They began to spot in various red and blue because of the lack of circulation. I let go of the table and let my shoulders slump. The adrenaline has gone down and I could feel just how tired I've felt. Emotionally and physically. My eyes dipped down low as I felt something slid down my right cheek.
"Please..." my voice came out uneven as I spoke. I gathered my belongings up in one swoop without looking at the boy whose eyes I could feel on me. Boring into my head despite the lack of eye contact. "Please, " I repeated. "L...leave me alone."
That was all that needed to be said. I spun around and began to make my way back to class. I wasn't hungry at all to even bother with the lunch line. More wetness rolled down my cheeks, uncontrollably.
But as I passed by the people of the cafeteria nothing seemed to register to them. The noises had faded into the background until there was one thing I could hear now.
The sound of shattered hope.