"Alright, that's it for class today." Mr. Aizawa tapped a stack of papers even on his desk. "There's only one week left before your final exams begin. I'm sure you're all studying constantly, right? Don't forget to keep training. The written exam is only one element. There's also the practical portion to worry about. Good luck." Their teacher drawled, and shut the classroom door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, all hell broke loose.
"I've barely even taken notes this semester!" Mina and Kaminari both yelled. Though Mina had a happy-go-lucky smile, while Kaminari looked horrified.
Rightfully so, as he came in twentieth place in midterms. While Mina at least was one above that.
"And with the sports festival and internships, I didn't have time to read the textbook!" Kaminari held his head as if in pain.
"It's true that we haven't had very much free time lately." Tokoyami sighed, clearly ashamed of his rank of fourteenth place.
Hitomi sunk into her seat, wishing she could vanish. Along with her place as fifteenth.
"We'd barely learned anything when we took our midterms, so they didn't seem all that hard. But I'm kinda worried about these." Sato confided in a nodding Koda, their ranks being twelfth and eleventh respectively. "We've been through a lot, and they probably won't pull any punches when it comes to testing us."
Hitomi let her face fall flat on her desk, letting out a muffled whine.
"As someone who ranked in the top ten, I'm not concerned." Mineta cackled, showing off his score.
"What?! You were ninth in the midterms!?" Mina and Kaminari gaped, scandalized.
"Oh man, and here I thought you were one of us!"
"Don't you know weirdo little creeps like you are only likeable if they're kind of stupid?! Who's going to love you now?!"
"Everyone. Trust me."
"Ashido, Kaminari! We've still got time to study!" Midoriya assured them, being an absolute sweetheart to them, despite landing fourth place. He was such a nice, humble guy. "That way, we'll all get to go to the training camp together! Right?"
"Yes!" Iida, ranked second, chopped a hand. "As class rep, I have high hopes that we'll make UA proud!"
"It's pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class, isn't it?" Todoroki deadpanned, secure with his rank of fifth.
Hitomi shot to her feet, whirling around to glower at the boy. "It's not that simple! The longer you sit there, and the more you try to focus, the harder it gets! First you notice something like a smudge of chalk still on the board, then you think about how much you like the smell of chalk, then you notice you can smell the person next to you, and you notice that they actually smell really good! So then you're thinking about that, and soon you're trying to distinguish everyone's scents to see if anyone else smells nice, and while you're doing that, you get sidetracked wondering how they got to smelling that way! Is it their soap? Perfume? Deodorant? Or did they lay in freshly cut grass, and that's why it's so strong on them! And… and…" Hitomi cocked her head, brows furrowed with a fist put to her mouth. "Where was I going with this?"
Momo sighed. "Getting sidetracked?"
Hitomi waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, I know, but I can't remember what point I was trying to make."
After a beat of silence, one general consensus was reached between everyone, sans the pinkette.
(She can't be serious?)
The ravenette sighed again, then smiled ruefully. "Don't worry about it, Mina, Kaminari. I can catch you up to speed on the important topics, if you want." As the one holding first place, she was the perfect one to tutor them.
"You're the best, Yaomomo!"
But in a flash, she was shadowed by a cloud of shame. "I'm afraid I won't be any help when it comes to the practical, though."
Over their internships, Hitomi hadn't managed to get smarter, while Momo didn't get any closer to becoming stronger. It was clearly eating at her.
"I've been studying but… could you help me out, too?" Jirou, placed seventh, held up a notebook. "I'm having some trouble understanding quadratic functions."
Momo perked up. "Really?"
Sero, ranked seventeenth, barreled over, clapping his hands together pleadingly. "Tutor me, please! Classical Japanese is killing me!"
Ojirou sheepishly shuffled over, toting the reasonable score of eighth place. "Is there room for one more? I'm afraid I'm falling behind a little."
"Pretty please!" They chorused desperately.
Momo's eyes shimmered, her cheeks flushing. "Ah! This is wonderful!" She stood suddenly, knocking her chair back. "Yes, let's do it!
"All right!"
"Okay then, we can hold a study session at my residence over the weekend!"
Mina bounded over. "Seriously! I can't wait to see your fancy digs!"
"Oh, I must call Mother and have her prepare the great hall for us to set up! It'll be the perfect spot!" Momo practically vibrated in excitement. "What kind of tea does everyone like? I'll have her make sure we're stocked! In my family, we always drink Harrods or Wedgwood, and we have strawberry tea for when Hitomi comes by, so if you have any other preferences, let me know! When we're finished, you'll all be model students! I'll make it my personal duty to push you forward!"
Hitomi was scribbling doodles with her pink glitter pen when she felt a harsh tug on her collar. When she peered back, she was met with a judgemental scowl from Bakugou, who was ranked third.
"How the fuck are you failing when you've got her—" he jabbed his thumb in Momo's direction, "—in your corner?"
Hitomi slumped, letting her weight go, forcing Bakugou to hold her up. "We've tried studying together. But it somehow always ends with her grade dropping! I've just resigned myself to my big brother's method."
"Sounds like I should be studying with Yaoyorozu." Kirishima, placed sixteenth, came over, smirking teasingly at Bakugou.
Hitomi yelped as she was dropped, leading to her falling off of her chair.
"You think I don't know enough? Maybe I should beat the lessons into your skull!"
"I'm counting on it."
"Wait," Hitomi brushed herself off, sliding back into her seat, "you two are studying together?" A smile spread across her face. "Does that mean you two are friends!?"
"Yep!"
"Hell no!"
While everyone else was finalizing their study plans as they filed out of the class for lunch, Hitomi knelt down by her desk, searching for her glitter pen that fell when Bakugou dropped her.
By the time she located it, she was the only one left in the room— wait, no she wasn't.
Hitomi stood, curiously twirling her pen in her hands.
"Koda?"
The tall boy jumped, trembling noiselessly.
Cautiously walking over, Hitomi looked around for whatever could be making him react the way he was. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she smiled gently.
"Koda, is there something bothering you in here?"
He tensed, fidgeting with his hands, wringing them until they started turning red. Finally, he pointed wordlessly at his desk, his scent riddled with humiliation.
Hitomi looked down, not spotting the issue at first, until a small dot of red slowly traversed the front of one of his textbooks.
With a soft gasp, Hitomi lightly reached down and let it crawl into her hand.
"Aw, a ladybug! Koda, make a wish—"
When she lifted her head, she saw Koda had scurried to the other side of the room, shaking even worse than before.
She stood, cradling the ladybug gently, and it hit her.
"Hey, are you afraid of bugs, Koda?"
He jolted as if struck, and shrunk into himself shamefully.
Oh, Koda…
"Here, let me take care of it." Hitomi quickly assured, heading over to the windows. Opening the one by her desk, she carefully deposited it on the other side of the pane before closing it. Twirling on her heel to face him, she swiped her hands clean theatrically. "There, problem solved! Do you need a minute to calm down before we head to the cafeteria?"
Koda's face flushed red, his mouth pursed so tightly his lips quivered.
"Y-you must th-think I'm pathetic." His voice cracked, his hands shaking as they raised to cover his face.
Hitomi flinched, frowning worriedly. You don't come to that kind of assumption for no reason. He must have been teased for his fear in the past for that to be his expectation of her.
Knowing that, she understood that her denials and reassurances wouldn't amount to much. But maybe there was something she could do…
Taking a deep breath, Hitomi flicked her ears, checking to see if anyone was around to hear what she was about to tell him.
"Koda, for starters, you don't have to be ashamed of being scared of bugs. And secondly, you're not alone."
Koda slowly risked looking up at her, still shaking.
Hitomi smiled softly. "This'll sound silly, but… ever since I was a kid, I've been deathly afraid of sharks."
Koda stilled, surprised enough for his trembling to stop. "R-really?"
Her smile widened. "Yep! I can only do the doggy-paddle 'cause I'm always freaking out too much to spend time learning different techniques. Even in pools and stuff. I've only ever swam in the ocean once, and I almost passed out." She leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "And sharks weren't even common on that beach. So, do you think I'm pathetic?"
Koda stared at her, the humiliation leaking away and being replaced by understanding and gratitude. He shook his head soundly.
Thank goodness.
"So," she straightened, hands clasping behind her back, pen held between them, "you wanna join me for lunch?"
Koda's head dipped, and his hands went back to fidgeting.
Hitomi had a hunch on what his problem may be.
"Hey, don't worry, you don't have to keep conversation. I can talk enough for the both of us!"
Koda opened his mouth— not to say anything, but instead to match his wide eyes.
Hitomi beamed as he gave a hesitant nod.
…
"All right!"
"This'll be super easy if it's just robots!" Kaminari smiled serenely.
"Such awesome news!" Mina matched his expression.
Upon returning to class, Midoriya quickly informed everyone of the tip Kendou shared with them. That their practical exam would be against the same robots used in the entrance exam.
Hitomi really hoped she wasn't talking about those big ones used in the sports festival obstacle race.
"Why do you sound so happy?" Shoji asked through his hand. "You both have a hard time controlling your Quirks."
"Yeah, but I can let loose with robots!" Kaminari threw his arms up joyfully.
Mina did the same. "And melting them'll be a cinch for me!"
"Now you just need Yaoyorozu to help you study and you'll be all set for the finals!" Sero gave the two fingerguns.
"We'll definitely be able to go to the training camp now!"
"It shouldn't matter if it's robots or actual people. Why are you morons so excited?" Bakugou scoffed.
"Hey, who are you calling a moron?!" Kaminari called in offense.
Bakugou glared at them furiously. "Shut up! You need to learn how to control your damn Quirk! Ya got it?!"
Hitomi winced, tugging on her hair. She knew that what he said was aimed at Kaminari, but it could very well be applied to her as well.
"Hey, Deku!" Bakugou leveled Midoriya with a cold scowl. "I don't know what's going on with your power, but I saw the way you're using it now, and I want you to know, it's seriously pissing me off."
His words, while sounding in line with his usual threats and insults, were heavier. He sounded so… serious.
"I won't have another half-assed win like the festival. We'll be getting individual scores in the upcoming finals. New rankings." Bakugou lifted a hand, pointing intimidatingly at Midoriya. "So we'll all know exactly where we're standing! I'll show you how much better I am." Then, he rounded on Todoroki. "And Todoroki, I'll kill you, too."
With that, Bakugou stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
But it was thrown open a second later, a head of pink hair hastily bouncing after him.
"Wait, Bakugou!"
The blonde stopped in the middle of the hallway, slowly turning his head. His eyes blazed over his shoulder at her, wrathful.
"What?"
Hitomi ignored how the word was hissed with such venom, knowing he must've still been steaming from his declarations of war. "Well… I-I just wanted to…"
"If you don't spit it out in the next three seconds, I am going to kill you."
She bowed slightly, hands clasping at her front. "I'm sorry for getting you in trouble with Best Jeanist!"
At that, he paused, confusion replacing a small portion of the fire in his eyes. "Hah?"
Hitomi's ears drooped as she straightened. "You used your Quirk in front of him, in the jewelry store. And, well, we weren't authorized to use them. So, because of my reckless actions, you had to step in and get punished. I just wanted to apologize for that."
After getting no response, she tentatively looked up, and was met with a glower that was half annoyed, and half something else.
"You're a fucking idiot." Bakugou grumbled, giving her a look that had nothing on the one he gave Midoriya. "He told me it was fine when we came onto the scene. So no, I wasn't punished for using my Quirk."
A weight faded from her shoulders. "Really? That's great! I'm so glad!"
He rolled his eyes, turning back ahead and continuing on down the hall, all the while muttering something she couldn't quite hear, only managing to catch "fuckin' Cherry" in the middle.
But she didn't care. She was just happy he wasn't reprimanded for helping her.
…
"Hana." Hitomi started gravely, setting the tone. "I know this is selfish of me to ask, and that every day you will crave a loving embrace that I can't give you. But will you wait for me?"
Hana nodded, her expression just as serious. "Yes."
Hitomi hugged her close, blinking away tears. "I would write to you every day. But Nori stole my stationary—"
"Oh for the love of—" Nori lifted Hitomi by her shirt collar, and threw her into the room, shutting and locking the door. "You're not off to war, you're studying for a test!"
"Well it feels like war!" Hitomi whined, breaking the intense aura she held while talking to Hana.
Said girl sat herself down by the door, crossing her arms. "I'll wait! Starting now!"
"Oh Hana, my dear, thank—"
"Hey Hana. I'll give you some ice cream if you come downstairs with me." Nori held his hand out.
Hana gasped, hopping to her feet. "Okay!"
"Nori, you monster! You merciless warden of my condemned soul! How could you—"
"Hito's real upset…" Hana looked over Nori's shoulder as he carried her, watching Hitomi's door.
"Nah, she's just not kennel trained."
I signed up for this. I signed up for this… Hitomi looked around her scarce room, now missing everything from her flatscreen to her manga collection. There was nothing left for her to do, but study.
...darn, he even took her batons and flute with him. Proving he knew she would inevitably grow bored enough to even resort to messing around with those. The key to this study method was to get to that breaking point, where she would stoop to anything to pass the time, and use it to cram with the only things she had left.
Her textbooks.
But first, her spirit was yet to be broken, so she sat by her door, whining to anyone who could hear.
"I'm so bored! I'm gonna die! I promise to study if I can at least have my phone!"
Bargaining. The first stage of grief.
Nori groaned, standing in the kitchen as he listened to his sister's cries. Hana sat at the table, eating away at her large bowl of ice cream.
When he and Hitomi made the arrangements, she warned him that she would end up caving in, and that he would have to ignore whatever pleas or deals she would try to make to get out, no matter what. But he had expected her to last at least five minutes.
Goes to show, he was right in taking away even her batons and flute.
From within his pocket, her phone chimed, and he fished it out with a sigh. On the screen was an invite to a group chat.
On a whim, he clicked "accept".
(You have been added to the The Kool Kidz group chat)
(Charge-Bolt): heyyyy wassup guys
(Sticky): for the love of god someone change the chat name
(Charge-Bolt changed group chat name to: Bad Lemon)
(Alien Queen ;3): someone take his phone away from him
—
What the fuck? These were the people his sister associated with? Did he even want to know why someone named themself "Sticky"?
—
(Hitomi Saito): Hitomi can't come to the phone right now. I've locked her in her room with only the bare essentials for survival. You'll see her again. But only if she makes it out alive.
—
Nori turned off the phone, several more frantic chimes making it through before the screen went black.
"Nori I will literally rob a bank for you, please!"
He sighed. This was going to be a long week.
(Omake: A Lesson in Tsunderes)
(1) The serotonin is stored in the Bakadere.