I'm a pessimist.

But for some unknown reason, I'm optimistic right now.

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I don't think I want to find out.

Todoroki-kun and I managed to keep things strictly professional, though I didn't miss the subtle barbs he made. When Lunch time started, I left for the gazebo. He didn't follow me, but my thoughts followed him. The situation could have been a lot worse. But where is eating right now? By the koi fish pools seems unlikely. Perhaps in the classroom. Or perhaps in the cafeteria hall for a change.

But worrying about Todoroki-kun isn't going to make me finish my lunch any faster. I fold up the hems of my trousers and remove my socks and shoes. I lie down on the pond deck, set my cane beside me, dip my feet in the pond water, and stare up at the clouds drifting by. Mechanically, my hand shifts between the food tray and my mouth. Perhaps this isn't the best position to be eating, but I can't bring myself to care. I feel some much-needed tranquility doing so.

I busy myself with reciting everything I learned from two nights of binge-watching previous U.A. Sports Festivals with Kurogiri and Shigaraki. We had sat on Shigaraki's bed - surprisingly, he only muttered inaudible words when Kurogiri suggested the idea - with Shigaraki in the middle and Kurogiri and I at the ends, eating popcorn and ranting at the matches. Specifically, Shigaraki was the one who ranted and grumbled. Kurogiri was the one to calm him down, and I, well, tried my best to ignore it all. However, I failed when Shigaraki pushed me off the bed in his frustration. At that point, I flung Shigaraki's legs to the side with my cane and sat between him and Kurogiri. I even took the popcorn bucket from him. Finally, he stopped being so energetic.

I get up and dry myself just a few minutes before Lunch ends. When I return to class, Todoroki-kun is already there. And true to his word, he doesn't talk. Neither do I. I take out my book and try to read. But I can't. It would have been so much easier had I never talked to him at the entrance exam all those months ago. Had I just ignored him then, none of this would have happened. We would still be strangers, but this tension would not be between us.

But the past can't be changed. I'm sure even those with time-travel quirks would agree. Not that I've heard of someone having a time-travel quirk. Even so, better now than never, I broke our friendship.

Our friendship was poison. I concocted its bitter antidote. He is suffering right now. So am I. But with time, we will have drank enough of this antidote to have overcome the poison. With time, we will forget about each other entirely.

I reassure myself of that as the remainder of classes pass. Then, it is time for Hero studies. Today's practice will be done wearing the U.A. training uniforms and in partners. The last detail makes me flinch. Todoroki-kun is already my partner for one task. I don't want him for another.

My wish is granted, but not in the way I was expecting. Todoroki-kun is paired with Tokoyami-san. I am paired with Bakugou-san. Considering Bakugou-san's temperament and one and only conversation - if it could even be called that - I'm not sure our pairing is a good idea. And if Bakugou-san's sneer is any indication, he feels the same.

The purpose of today's practice is to mock one of the events in the Sports Festival that remains consistent year to year: the one-on-one fighting tournament. For this practice, there are numerous chalk-drawn circles on the training grounds, each one about three meters in diameter. Each pair is to suppose combat for as many times as possible in one hour. The moment one partner is out of bounds, immobilized, or surrenders, the other partner wins and marks the end of one match. The teachers plan on making the students face off in close quarters to progressively larger quarters until the day of the Sports Festival.

"Oi, Three Legs! Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you need a cane," he taunts as we take our positions opposite each other.

Three Legs? I suppose it's more creative than 'Cane Cripple,' but it is still redundant.

"Good. I didn't expect you to," I taunt in return.

He bares his teeth.

We're standing two meters apart in the circle, but Bakugou-san's explosion increases that distance immediately. He releases a blast so powerful, it covers my glasses in dust and nearly burns the skin on my face. I stumble back a few steps, but he runs to make up for it. I'm not prepared because he releases explosion after explosion, temporarily blinding me and rendering me defenseless. I try to distance myself from him, only to cross the boundary of the circle. He wins the first match. A match that lasted less than a minute.

Feeling my ego bruising, I wipe the ash off my spectacles and walk back into the circle, ready for another match.

Bakugou-san laughs sardonically. "After losing so pathetically, you still wanna get your ass kicked? Be my guest."

My only response is to tighten my hold on my cane and brace for his attack. I expect him to cause another blast in my face, but he doesn't. This time, the blast is aimed at my abdomen. It grazes me as I move to the side to avoid the full impact. I pay much closer attention to Bakugou-san's hands now. Just as I see a spark ignite, I summon a short but thick wall of obsidian in front of me. The shiny surface of the obsidian reflects the flames of the explosion, which die soon enough. Bakugou-san grits his teeth. He releases a much more powerful explosion, shattering the obsidian into pieces. But the effort drains him. It's subtle, but his breath quickens and movements slow. Just as another spark ignites, I summon another wall and push it toward him until he stumbles back. He steps out of bounds. I win the second match. This match lasted longer than a minute.

His ego is bruising now. We spar like this for the remainder of the one hour. I observe how Bakugou-san's modus operandi is to attack and wear out the opponent. He is all offense. But he never utilizes the same trick; sometimes he aims for the face, other times the head, abdomen, legs, back, neck, my cane. He looks for his opponent's weakness and exploits it, much like I do. Predictable but unpredictable. I admire that, though I'll never admit it to him.

He wins some matches; I win some others. I lose count of the exact number.

I think that we're done with each other for the day when training ends. But I'm wrong. He holds me back just as I'm about to leave for the locker rooms.

"Three Legs, wait a minute! We need to talk," he says.

I stop walking and turn to look back at him. I'm genuinely shocked. What could he possibly have to say to me? Midoriya-san and Todoroki-kun overhear him. I think everyone does, but only those two stop in their tracks as well and look between me and Bakugou-san. The gesture confuses me. Do they think that Bakugou-san is going to hurt me? What does it matter if he will? The pain he will inflict will be minuscule compared to the pain I've felt since I was a child and the one I will feel in my joints in a matter of minutes.

I ignore them and address Bakugou-san. "Yes? What is it?"

He doesn't speak immediately. He glares at Midoriya-san and Todoroki-kun to leave. They look at me as if they're waiting for me to tell them it's alright. That confuses me even more, especially since Todoroki-kun wants nothing to do with me, and I've only ever conversed with Midoriya-san once. Regardless, I nod, indicating that I will be fine.

Bakugou-san watches their figures leave. Once they're out of sight, he turns to me. "What's going on between you and Icy Hot?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you deaf? I said, what's going on between you and Icy Hot? Both of you have been so chummy with one another, some outsider would have thought you guys were dating. But today, neither of you looked at each other until Ectoplasm-sensei paired you up for that dumb project."

"Why are you so invested in mine and his relationship?" I take care not to say, "Todoroki-kun." But Bakugou-san notices it.

"His. That's exactly what I'm talking about. The only reason I'm asking is that it's creeping me out. Each of you went up to Sensei, asking about switching partners. You don't think it's weird that two kids who only ever talk to each other ask to work with someone else out of nowhere?"

When he puts it like that, it does seem strange. But I can't very well tell him why. So, I decide to give him a twisted truth. After all, the best lies spoken are those closest to the truth. "He and I decided to end our friendship. Some personal things happened, and it got out of hand. We thought we should end whatever camaraderie we had, then and there."

"Does this have to do with Icy Hot smashing the school doors?"

The question takes me aback. "What?"

"Everyone knows about it. You had some seizure just outside the school building. Icy Hot blasted through the doors, looking for help. And that was some expensive, imported glass he broke."

I had heard about that, but I hadn't paid much attention to it because of my roiling emotions at the time. "That was partially the reason why."

Bakugou-san looks at me like I deserve the title of "World's Biggest Idiot" in the Guinness Book of World Records. "He saved your life and paid God knows how many yen, so you ended your cheesy friendship with him. I knew you were dumb, but I didn't know you were this dumb. You were tolerable when you were being chummy with him. But now you're just like the rest of the extras in class. Stupid. Annoying. A waste of space and time."

The insult hurts, but defending myself would be pointless. "Think of me whatever you want. But just know that I had my reasons for doing what I did, and I don't feel the need to explain my reasons to anyone, least of all you."

With that, I turn around and leave.

I don't hear his footsteps behind me.

But Bakugou-san's words echo in my head.

Our friendship was poison.

Ending it was the antidote.

Or perhaps it was just another poison.

A poison to combat another poison.

But which poison will come out stronger, I do not know.

Maybe I don't want to know.