"You know why you're here," Nezu said in a serious tone which managed to unnerve everyone in the room. "Right, Katsuki Bakugo?"
Katsuki was in the middle of the principal room, wrapped in Shouta's binding cloth. The blonde's gaze was on the floor as he thought about the recent events that took place. He did not answer which made some of the teachers annoyed by his behavior until one spoke up.
"Have you any idea what you did?!" Ryo stood up but Nezu raised his hand which stopped the wolf man and made him sit down. The principal then looked at Katsuki with an unreadable expression. "I don't think you have grasped the gravity of your actions, Katsuki Bakugo."
The blonde would fold his arms if he had the choice which made the teachers aggravated, Sekijiro was about to walk towards the blonde but Shouta stopped him before he glared at Katsuki. "Bakugo. What is the reason for you doing what you did?"
Hearing the question, rage began to consume Katsuki's mind until he remembered the devastating state of Izuku after his attack. He then felt an unknown emotion when he saw the injuries on Izuku's body but his anger overlapped it as he began to mumble. "He tricked me...I thought the bastard had gotten stronger but guess I was wrong."
Ryo stood up again. "Bakugo-"
"Katsuki Bakugo." Nemuri interrupted the guidance counselor as she crossed her arms. "Regardless of what you think, your temper has gotten another student hurt. Killed almost. Izuku Midoriya has taken critical wounds from your attack. His right arm is broken, he has suffered several burns, his right eye is damaged, and he is in a coma."
Katsuki looked away as he heard the list of injuries that he caused to Izuku.
"Katsuki Bakugo." Nezu started, his usual cheery demeanor now changed into a serious one. "UA will not take any more risks with your actions. I understand that with the course you are in, getting injured is not a rare occurrence but the actions that you have taken, even if it is under the guise of a spar, were too far."
Katsuki stayed quiet as his gaze lowered to the ground. One part of him was happy that he was able to beat the crap out of Izuku, it almost felt like old times. He grinned as he remembered the feeling of victory that he felt.
However, another part of him felt weird, he felt a weird feeling in his stomach at what he did to Izuku. Like he was sick. He could not quite understand it but he hated the feeling.
"For your deplorable actions, you will be removed from the Heroics Course effective immediately." Nezu declared which made Katsuki's eyes widen as he looked at the principal. "You will be punished for this."
"What the? Bu-
"End of discussion!" Nezu said as he put his hands behind his back, giving the blonde a glare that felt like it peered through Katsuki's soul. "You put this on yourself."
Katsuki was completely shell-shocked, every sound around him when the words of the principal played through his head.
He trained all his life for this goal. He cemented himself as the best of the best to get here. The school that his idol, All Might, used to go to. The university that gives birth to some of the best heroes in history.
He was now expelled from that school.
He was expelled.
"No…" A word whispered from Katsuki's lips before they started to whimper.
As he was taken up by the teachers around him, the blonde watched in pure shock as he was escorted to the front of the institution. He then saw a police car, one of the officers put a pair of black handcuffs around his arms before they escorted him into the vehicle.
"Such a waste of talent," The officer said as he started up the car.
Taking a final look at the prestigious and beautiful school of UA, Katsuki gritted his teeth and tightened his fists in frustration as he remembered everything: his loss to Izuku, his attack on Izuku, and the meeting that just took place.
One thing began to seep into his head as he got into a police car, the thought making tears well up in his face.
This was the last that he would see of UA.
"Good job, everyone! We will continue after lunch!" Inko's manager said with a smile as he got up from his seat, everyone following him as they left the room.
One of the persons who left the room was Inko who picked up her bento box and went to the cafeteria. As she sat by one of the seats, Inko was about to eat her lunch before she saw a rose land in front of her food which made her roll her eyes and let out a laugh.
"Good day, Mrs. Midoriya!" She heard Kanata sitting in front of her. "How do you do?"
"I'm doing alright," The green-haired woman said with a smile before she glared at him. "Have you finished your work?"
The blonde flinched before he whistled and glanced out the window. "I-it's a wonderful day, is it?"
"If you have any problems, let me know. Try to finish it after lunch."
"Yes, ma'am!" Kanata saluted.
Inko smiled until she heard her phone ringing before she picked up, her eyes widened when she saw the contact being from UA. She had a bad feeling before she answered the call. Listening to the call, she suddenly got up from her seat which surprised Kanata and everyone before she fell back in her seat and put her hand on her mouth.
"Wh...what?" Inko muttered. Grabbing her head, the woman could barely register or hear anything around her as she heard the words from the other side of the phone call.
Her son, Izuku Midoriya, was hurt. Extremely hurt.
It was not because of the attack that happened at the school but it was because of someone she thought she would never hear the name of again.
Katsuki Bakugo.
Inko's hands balled into fists as she gritted her teeth, the small objects around her levitating into the air as her hair moved wildly. A look of pure anger etched on her face as the woman started to sob before she heard everything fully explained through the phone.
"I-Izuku?! What happened to my baby? His eye?!"
"Izuku Midoriya is ok. He is recovering smoothly and although the damage to his eye is drastic, our doctors are doing their best to treat it. As for his other injuries, they will not take long to heal. His arm will take the most a month to be healed from the burns."
Tears then fell out of her eyes as the items around her fell before she clenched her hands into fists. Kanata had a mixture of concern and fear when he saw Inko crying. "My son..."
"Um...Mrs. Midoriya..." Kanata raised his hand in worry before his eyes widened in fear. "...are you...ok?"
What he saw was an angry expression etched on Inko's face, the woman's eyes glowed intensely as she took deep breaths to calm herself.
"I'm...alright..." Inko said before she checked her phone, seeing pictures of her son as she massaged her temples. "I'm..."
She then clasped her hands and prayed as she lost her appetite.
'Please be ok, Izuku.'
Within a dimly lit hallway, a male guard was pushing a cart of food trays as he looked at the prisoners who were yelling at him.
"Get me the hell out of here!"
"Hey! C-come a little closer. I want to tell you a secret."
The guard ignored the voices around him by shutting his ears before he made his way to a specific jail and picked up a tray of food.
"Here's your food, kid." He said as he slid a tray of food through a jail cell window before he closed it and walked away. "You're going to need it before we know what to do with you."
Within that room was Katsuki who had a jaded expression as he stared at the ceiling while he lay on the bed. He looked at his hand, trying to use his quirk which let out a few sparkles.
He then shook in anger until he unleashed a powerful explosion but the blast did nothing to the room as he began to pant.
"I shouldn't be here!" He yelled as he fired another blast at the wall. "Deku! That damn bastard! That fucking scum! He was the reason for all this!"
He let out a stronger explosion.
"Fuck!"
He continued cursing as he launched explosion after explosion, his mouth seething as tears began to come out of his eyes.
"I wanted to be the best! I wanted to be like All Might! I wanted to be number one!"
His explosions got bigger and bigger as the shockwaves began to destroy his food but he did not care. His arms were in pain from the overuse of his quirk but he did not care.
Katsuki was in pain. He was frustrated and he hated this feeling. His heart began to hurt as he continued to shoot blasts.
"Everything was going so damn well! So, where the fuck did it go wrong?! Why does it hurt so damn much?"
Katsuki was perfect. Everyone cherished and praised the ground he stood on. There was nothing he could do, no one he could beat. Anytime he came across a nuisance, he would blow it up. Plain and simple.
But at UA.
Everything changed.
He lost his first match against Ponytail; the Mummy teacher and the Werewolf guidance counselor constantly criticized him.
And worst of all, he lost to Deku.
Recalling all the events in UA, Katsuki punched the cold ground, ignoring the pain coursing through his knuckles as he continuously struck the floor.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
His arms hurt but his heart stung more, his pride hurt more. He yelled, he shouted, he thrashed but the feeling did not go away.
The feeling of failure.
It was a new feeling but it hurt a lot. He had never experienced anything like this before. Never had he failed at something, never had he been punished like this before. Then...
"Why?! Why?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, his throat hurting as he fell to the ground. Panting heavily, he looked at the ground, seeing water droplets on the floor which made him angrier but he could not move anymore as he lay on the ground. He then looked up to the ceiling as he put a hand over his eyes.
"Why did everything change so much?"
After a few minutes of silence and the blonde being in his thoughts, Katsuki heard footsteps from outside of the room before he turned to see three guards dressed in black uniforms.
"Hey! You have some visitors!" One of the guards said as he opened the door. "Come with me to the visiting room!"
Letting out a sigh, Katsuki stood up before the guard opened his cell and grabbed the teen, the man's hand glowing as he put a pair of heavy handcuffs.
'What the hell?' The blonde said as he lost his balance before he was able to balance himself but he was still unable to move. 'These are so damn heavy.'
"That's to prevent you from using your quirk." The man said until his partner came and grabbed which made the blonde able to move. "Now let's go!"
The two guards escorted Katsuki to a huge room that was separated by a huge mirror. They then sat him down, the blonde looking to see his parents at the other side of the glass window before he looked down and saw a microphone.
"This is the visiting room," Katsuki mumbled before he looked at Mitsuki and Masaru.
Mitsuki looked at the teen up and down before she went to the microphone. "You look shitty, Katsuki."
Katsuki sneered as he looked away from his parents. A moment of silence took place in the room as Mitsuki crossed her arms and took a deep breath.
"I was always talking to you about that temper." She said to her son who continued to be quiet.
"I always told you that you need to control yourself."
Katsuki looked down at the ground as his mother continued.
"You kept thinking that you were some god or some bullshit when you're just an overconfident brat!"
Hearing his mother's words, the blonde teenager twitched uncontrollably as he looked away. After a moment of silence, Mitsuki glared at Katsuki as she massaged her temples while Masaru watched the situation with an unreadable expression.
"Why…" Mitsuki said as she balled her hands into fists. "Why did you do that?"
She was met with silence which made her more frustrated as she slammed her hands on the table before she yelled into the microphone again.
"Why did you hurt Izuku like you did?! What did Izuku do to you?!"
Katsuki looked down at his handcuffs with a lifeless expression. Remembering his fight against Izuku, he looked away before he tightened his hands into fists. He recalled every emotion he felt when he was fighting the green-haired teenager.
His confidence, his frustration.
His rage.
Hearing no response, Mitsuki gritted her teeth as she glared at Katsuki.
"So, you have nothing to say now?" She started as she began to seethe. "Now is when you want to be quiet! What happened to that humility when you were at UA? When you were around Izuku? Huh?!"
"..."
"What? Are you not going to answer? You and Izuku were such great friends! He never did anything to you! What the hell happened, Katsuki? Why do you hate him so much?!"
"..."
Getting the silence treatment, Mitsuki slammed her hands on the table as she yelled at him, the woman's breathing becoming ragged. Watching the situation and his son's behavior, Masaru put a hand on his wife's shoulder which surprised her.
"I'll talk to him, Mitsuki. Take a break and drink some water."
Masaru sat on the seat and drank some water while he went to the microphone and looked at Katsuki.
"Katsuki." He said with a serious expression but he received no answer from his son before he repeated his name in the same tone. "Katsuki."
His tone unnerved Katsuki who begrudgingly answered. "Old man..."
"Do you understand why you are in this situation?" Masaru asked calmly to which Katsuki looked away. "A better question: do you feel anyway of what you've done?"
Katsuki gritted his teeth before his shoulders began to shake. "...up..."
"You're in this situation because you don't listen. You act like you own the place and because of your disregard for the rules, you're being punished." Masaru continued with a serious expression.
"Shu...up..."
"This is the reason that we left Kyushu in the first place. You caused Izuku so much pain. It's why he almost-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Katsuki yelled at the top of his lungs before he started to slam his hands on the table.
Mitsuki was surprised by this but Masaru stayed quiet as he looked at his son.
"WHY THE HELL DO YOU FREAKING CARE?! HE'S NOT EVEN THAT GREAT!" Katsuki shouted angrily as he stood up. "WHY ARE YOU ALL SO FIXATED ON HIM?! HE'S NOTHING! JUST A DAMN-"
"Katsuki!"
Katsuki was shocked before he glared at his father, getting closer as he spoke through the mic. "I don't know what happened to that nerd but I know one thing: he is forever worthless! Was it all a lie? Was he lying this entire time? Was he looking down on me? Did you all know he was looking down on me? Did you know he had a quirk?"
Katsuki's shoulders shook as his breathing began to get ragged. Mitsuki stood up and shouted. "That's not the iss-"
"DID YOU?!"
Masaru adjusted his glasses before he spoke calmly. "Yes, we did. It happened recently. Before, his body never showed any signs of a quirk manifesting."
Hearing that, Katsuki was completely shocked as he looked at the ground, the information processing through his head.
'Deku...just recently had a quirk...' He thought as he held his head before he remembered the fight he had with Izuku. 'He predicted my strikes...he canceled my explosions...he managed to break my nose...he beat me.'
As he thought about what happened, Katsuki began to twitch uncontrollably before he clenched his fists in rage. After a while, the guards entered the room and made an announcement.
"Time's up, Bakugo. It's time for your trial." He said which surprised both the parents and the child.
The guards picked up the explosive blonde as they led the Bakugo family into a room that separated Katsuki from his parents. As they all sat down, a judge came into the room with a bunch of documents before he sat down, sorting out the papers and greeting everyone. He was a middle-aged man with white hair slicked back who was dressed in a gown, a scary look in his eyes as he looked at Katsuki.
"So you're Katsuki Bakugo? Good day, I'm Judge Chikai. Nice to meet you," He spoke, getting a sneer from the blonde which did not surprise him. "Hmm. Delinquent attitude, check!"
"What the hell-" Before Katsuki could continue, the judge made a gesture with his finger that closed the blonde's mouth, making him unable to speak.
"I'd prefer you not to speak in the court unless you're spoken to." The judge said as he moved his finger which made the blonde able to speak again. "And no profanities."
'Was that his quirk?' Katsuki thought as he glared at the judge who was reading his file aloud.
"Threatening other students, harsh behavior, foul language...the list goes on." Judge Chikai said as he closed the documents. "So you're one of them kids who thinks he's an elite and can get away with everything, huh? I cannot tell if that's your fault, your environment, or your parents."
Both Mitsuki and Masaru looked down to the ground before the judge continued.
"With the situation and the amount of evidence provided, there is not much that can be said. Right now, we just your verdict ready."
Katsuki sneered as the man slammed his hammer.
"For your criminal behavior and actions along with your circumstances in the UA Hero Course, you will be sentenced to the Correctional Institution for Failed Heroes Programme!" The man announced as he slammed his hammer on his table.
"The hell is that?" Katsuki asked while folding his arms.
"It is a reform program for Hero Course students who have done delinquent or criminal acts. Due to your quirks being trained to be more lethal than a civilian, we cannot just allow you in a normal jail. Think of it as a jail for failed heroes!"
Hearing the judge's words, Katsuki could only look at the floor in rage while he was taken away before he heard the echoes of the last words from the man.
"I hope you will enjoy your new home."
"Kaachan!" shouted a younger, black-haired Izuku as he chased after a younger Katsuki. "Wait for me!"
"Izuku, you're so slow!" The blonde said as he waited for Izuku who was panting on the ground. "This is why you were last in the Sports Day race last week!"
"I know..." Izuku looked down to the ground before he put on a huge smile. "But I'll get better."
"Sure, you will!" Katsuki said sarcastically before he continued down the path, Izuku following him.
The two kids ran around the playground, their parents watching and laughing at their antics.
"I'm going to be a hero!" Katsuki smiled while putting his hands on his hips. "I'll be the best hero! Just like All Might!"
Izuku then noticed his and Katsuki's parents watching them before he heard Katsuki approaching him with an All Might toy. The two children played with each other until the blonde spoke. "All Might is so cool! He always beat the bad guys no matter how strong they are!"
"And he always saves people!" Izuku added. "No matter how things get bad and how injured he is, he always saves everyone!"
As he looked at the sky, Izuku reminisced about the videos he watched with All Might leaping into the air, a look of wonder on his face before he outstretched his arm.
"Wouldn't be great if we both became heroes?" Izuku said with a huge smile on his face. Katsuki smiled sincerely as he held out his fist. "Sure. Once we get our quirks, we'll be the best heroes!"
"Yeah! We'll be just like All Might!" The two boys bumped fists as they made the promise of a lifetime.
Izuku slowly came to consciousness, looking up to see a white ceiling. He groaned in pain while lifting himself from his bed before he felt a sharp pain through the right side of his face. Looking around the place, Izuku noticed that half of his vision was halved, his right side showing to be black.
"What the?" Izuku thought as he put his hands to his face, his eye widened in surprise when he tried to lift his right arm only to realize that his arm was in a cast. "Huh?"
Turning to a mirror, the teen saw his body wrapped in bandages. However, what surprised him the most was that his right eye was bandaged. "My right eye?"
The door opened to show Recovery Girl and a couple of doctors entering the room before they noticed Izuku being awake.
"Midoriya!" Recovery Girl shouted as the doctors inspected his body. "Are you ok, dearie?"
When Izuku nodded, one of the doctor's eyes glowed blue while he was looking at Izuku's body. "I'm not seeing any brain damage. Everything in your body seems functional. Your eye, however, will need time to heal."
"Oh..." Izuku said before he looked at his bandaged hands. "Oh...I understand."
"You're a lucky one!" The doctor said as he patted Izuku who was looking around the place. "Where am I? I'm surprised I got here so quickly after the fight."
"After the fight?" The doctor raised a brow before they looked at each other.
"Dearie." Recovery Girl started as she marched towards him. "It's been days. Now three days since the incident."
This came as a shock to Izuku when he looked at the calendar, seeing that it had been a few days after the fight he had with Katsuki. He scratched his head in confusion as he tried to recall the memories in panic. "What? What happened after the fight? All I remember is seeing a blinding flash of light and then-"
"Midoriya!" Recovery Girl raised her voice, silencing Izuku. "After the supposed match, Katsuki Bakugo shot a powerful explosion at you that knocked you out."
"Oh," Izuku said as he tried to process the information before the doctor cleared his throat and gave Izuku a jar of ointment. "The good news is that your eye has not suffered any bad injuries. A bit of stitches here but apart from that, it's all right. You will need to put ointment on it until it fully heals which will take a while."
"Oh, ok. How long is a while?" Izuku asked hesitantly, the doctor adjusting his glasses at the question.
"It could be weeks. Maybe months until it heals. Just take good care of your eye and clean and put the ointment on it daily."
"Alright." Izuku nodded slowly as he took the ointment with his good hand. "Ok."
Suddenly, the door opened again, Izuku was surprised to see Naomi and Kokoa come inside the room. As soon as they noticed that Izuku was awake, Naomi and Kokoa ran towards him.
"Izmi/Izu! You're awake!"
"Are you ok? You are not going to be paralyzed, right?" Naomi said as she squished Izuku's face.
"Izmi! Jesus, your eye! Does it hurt?" Kokoa asked with a hint of concern.
"I'm alright." He gave them a thumbs-up.
Seeing the forced smile on the green-haired teenager, Naomi wore a worried expression before she took out a bunch of notebooks and a computer and gave them to Izuku. "Just take the chance and recover. I know how much you love writing."
"Thank you! I'm sorry for causing you unnecessary trouble, Aunt Nao and big sis!" Izuku said but Kokoa shuffled his hair. "Stop it! You need to focus on getting well now. Oh! I need to go back to work."
"Izu!" Izuku looked at Naomi. "It's not your fault. Have more respect for yourself!"
"I'll visit you later, Izmi!"
"Ok, thank you." Izuku said shyly as he waved at them as they left, Naomi to work and Kokoa to college. "Bye!"
Izuku was then introduced to solitude and silence as he looked at the ceiling, the teen was not used to half of his vision being completely black as his mind took some time to process what had happened to his body.
"My arms are severely burned, my arm is broken, and my right eye was injured..." Izuku mumbled as he lifted his good arm and tested it. "At least this arm isn't hurt too much..."
After some time, Izuku heard the door open again, this time seeing his friends and classmates entering the room. As they entered, some of the students winced when they saw the wound on Izuku's face.
"How's your eye?" Hitoshi asked in concern, Izuku giving him a thumbs-up. "It hurts a little but I'm alright."
"Are you sure that you're ok?" Mei said as she shook Izuku. "Eye drops hurt! When I rubbed pepper that one time in my eye burns! Stop acting like you're tough, I know that hurts a lot!"
"I'm...really...alright..." Izuku said with a smile as he made a thumbs-up. "Seriously..."
"Help, Eyeshadow! He's broken!" Mei said which got a laugh from everyone, including Izuku which made the pink-haired girl more worried. "Please, I'm serious. I can get a baby that protects your eyes!"
"Mei!" The pink-haired mechanic stopped when Izuku looked at her with a serious expression. "It's going to be ok. My eye's going to recover."
Mei looked at him with an inquisitive look before she folded her arms. "Fine but you need to take care of yourself. I got an idea! Eye shields!"
Everyone laughed as Denki patted Izuku on his shoulder, a grin on his face. "Dude. You look like a pirate. Argh, mi matey! Why don't ye walk the pla-"
He suddenly stopped when Kyoko poked him in his ear with her earphone jack. As they were speaking with each other, Momo went in front of them with a stern look on her face which unnerved Izuku who nervously looked around.
After a moment of silence, she bowed in front of Izuku who was confused as he started to get embarrassed. "Uhh, what's wrong, Ms. Yaoyorozu? D-d-did I do anything wrong?"
"On behalf of class 1A and as the Class President, I want to apologize for Bakugo's behavior and actions," Momo said, the rest of 1A bowing with her to Izuku who was waving his hand nervously.
"I-I-it's alright. Plus, I-I was at fault for-" A hand went on his shoulder which made him turn to see Yosetsu and Monoma. "Just take the apology, dude."
Izuku stayed quiet as he accepted their apology, much to the elation of his friends. The rest of the two classes continued to converse with each other until Setsuna and Mina raised their hands with huge smiles. "Why don't we have a class party?"
"Class party?" Everyone repeated before Hitoshi crossed his arms. "Why?"
"Well, we had one of the worst days happened to us when we got attacked by those villains!" Mina explained before Setsuna continued. "Plus, Midoriya got blasted. I'm pretty sure that right now, we need some time to rewind."
Everyone thought about it for a moment before Momo raised their hand, much to the duo's glee.
"No." She said, making Mina and Setsuna disappointed.
"At least not right now." Hearing that, the two became excited again.
"Mr. Aizawa said that we lost a lot of time from those events so we're going to have to go on overtime," Momo explained, getting groans from her classmates.
"The headache continues, huh?" Kyoka said, getting a nod from Denki as they all let out a collective sigh.
"Well, until then. We will have to endure the harsh, rough training that our teachers will subject us through." Mina said with a clenched fist. "Until then…my fellow comrades…"
Seeing everyone laughing at Mina's terrible impression of a veteran soldier, Izuku could not hide his smile as he turned his head out of the window, enjoying the cool breeze.
"Hey, Midoriya!" He turned to Toru and Ochaco who grabbed his arm and swung it around. "You better get well soon! Mina wants another dance battle with you!"
"Yeah! I'm gonna knock his socks off the next time!" Mina said with a fist raised.
Izuku smiled and nodded before he spoke with the rest of the class until it was closing hours, the classmates saying their goodbyes to him as they left the room. Being reintroduced to silence, Izuku let out a sigh as he looked out of the window to see his classmates before he noticed the change in his vision. This made his smile fall as he touched his eye bandage, his mind recalling the words that Recovery Girl said.
'The consequences, huh?' He thought while looking down at the city of Tokyo before he lifted his hand, seeing the burns on it which made him sigh. 'Is this one of them?'
Izuku heard a text before he opened his phone, his eyes widened when he saw it was from Hitoshi.
"Yo, Zuku! Whenever you get out, let's hit it at the arcades again!"
The text made a smile come across his face before he looked at his notebook, seeing the title 'Hero Notes of the Future'. He then traced his finger against the book before he went to the page titled 'Shockwave'.
'I'm going to have to do a lot from here.'
After a few days of being in the hospital, Izuku was finally freed from the place, much to the teen's elation despite his right arm still having to be in a cast. Returning to the cafe, he decided to go back to work which surprised his coworkers as they suggested for him to rest for a while. However, despite their warnings, Izuku could not sit still so they finally gave up, Naomi only giving him small tasks that do not require any strenuous work.
"It's good to be back!" Izuku said as he was charged with taking the orders of the customers along with Aoi.
"I'm glad that you're ok," The blue-haired woman said before she patted Izuku's head. "Sorry for not visiting. Finals."
"It's no problem!"
"If you have any problems, tell me." She said before they continued working.
Once the number of customers decreased, Izuku, Ochaco, and Aoi took a break; the trio lazed about in the breakroom until they heard the door slammed open.
"It's finally here!" Naomi yelled musically, much to their confusion.
Before they could ask anything, Naomi rushed at them like a bullet and pinned something onto them before she went to the rest of her employees, much to their surprise.
"What...just happened?" Ochaco raised a brow before she noticed a picture of a pink balloon with a smiley face on her apron. "What is this? Why is Kirby on my apron?"
"Why are we wearing these?" Aoi said nonchalantly as her eyes focused on the sloth logo on the hip section of her apron. "I like it."
"Speak for yourself, Aoi!" Kokoa pushed the doors open, steam coming out of her ears. "Why did I get a damn pig?! I'm not even fat! Mom! Where are you?!"
"Oh my~ What is the problem, my dear?" Naomi said with a serene smile as she appeared behind the kitchen, getting several laughs from the customers.
"Cut the crap, you damn hag! What are these?"
"They are to make it easier for the customers to recognize you. You know how they call Izu the 'bunny waiter', right?" Naomi explained with a smile.
"Yeah, but that's Izmi! Who the hell called me a pig?!" Kokoa gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Well, I think they're cute," Ochaco said as she looked at her logo, poking at it with a smile. "Wait! Did I get Kirby because of my cheeks?"
She patted her cheeks and made a pout that made Izuku immediately turn around as he tried to hold in his laughter, Aoi doing the same as they huddled together, much to the brunette's confusion.
"At least you got Kirby! I want a logo change! Why couldn't give me Ankha? She's my fave! You gave Aoka a sloth, Ochur Kirby, and Izmi a rabbit?" Kokoa said as she pointed at Izuku who looked at his work uniform, seeing a logo of a green rabbit on his apron.
"When did that get there?" Izuku said in surprise as he looked at his logo. Kokoa was twitching in anger as she was about to shout. "I-"
"All of these logos are courtesy of Inko. So be grateful to her." Naomi said, giving Kokoa a sly look which made her daughter angry. Aoi patted her on the back, Kokoa looking at her to see her shaking her head. "You lose."
"Darn it. You will rue the day!" Kokoa said with a pose that reminded Izuku of a boss he beat in a video game.
"Wait! Mom made this?!" Izuku realized as he mumbled to himself. "Is that why she's so busy? I could barely get her these past few days apart from when I woke up from the coma. I mean she was working a lot; I hope she and Yu are ok. I need to-"
Naomi put her hand on his shoulder, a smile on her face. "They're ok. She's just...thinking right now. I advise you to call her after work today."
Izuku saw a slight hint of worry on the woman's face which made him worried before he nodded. "Ok."
Looking at the clock, Naomi clapped her hands with a huge smile. "Well, lunchtime is over! Let's go, everyone! Those customers are not going to serve themselves. Uraraka! Izu and Aoi will continue to show you the ropes. Izu, don't overdo it!"
"Don't ignore me!" Kokoa shouted at her mother but to no avail.
As they started their work, Izuku and Ochaco noticed their friends in their usual spot, some of the people in the group laughing at their new uniforms and logos.
"Wow, the meme has now become reality." Hitoshi snickered when he looked at Izuku, Denki nodded while Kyoka took pictures of their green-haired friend. "Zuku, the Rabbit Waiter. Heck, the eyepatch is a nice touch."
"I hate the fact that what you said could work as an RPG character's title," Izuku said with a slightly frustrated face, their teasing getting a giggle from Ochaco. "The usual?"
They all nodded at him before he and Ochaco got their orders. While Izuku was helping Ochaco with the orders, the doors flew open which surprised everyone, all of them turning to Kokoa who had a tray in her hand.
"Izmi, your girlfriend is asking for you!" She shouted nonchalantly before she pointed to the door. "You better not keep her waiting."
"What the? She isn't my girlfriend!" Izuku said with a huge blush on his face.
"Sure~" All of the employees said with a shared teasing smile that made the green-haired teenager groan in an annoyed tone. Leaving the lunchroom, the green-haired teen looked around until he saw the blonde girl waving at him.
"Hey, bunny waiter~" The blonde girl said in a teasing voice while eyeing the logo on his apron. "Aww~ That rabbit logo fits you."
Her gaze then went to his face which made her gasp when she saw the bandages and medical eyepatch on his face. She immediately got up and pointed at his face with a worried expression. "What the hell happened to you?! Did you get into a fight?!"
"Uhhh..." Izuku said as he retreated in embarrassment from the girl who was invading his space. "...yeah...I got into a fight..."
"Oh my God! I hope your eye is ok." She said as she inspected his injuries, the blonde woman unaware of the increase in temperature and embarrassment that the young man was going through. "It doesn't hurt, right?"
"N-no!" Izuku said in embarrassment while looking away.
Seeing the blush on Izuku's face, the blonde girl let out a giggle before she looked at the eyepatch. "Wait! I have an idea! Are you able to write on the eyepatch?"
"Uhh...yeah. Why?" Izuku said with a brow raised.
"Alright, then close your eyes! Uhhh...eye!"
"Umm..." Izuku said confusingly before the girl sat him down and rummaged through her bag. "This is going to be fun! Don't worry, it's not going to be a prank! You're going to look cool!"
Izuku looked over to his friend to see Denki and Hitoshi giving him a thumbs up which made him embarrassed before he closed his eye. while his vision was dark, he patiently waited while the blonde girl scribbled on his eyepatch, everyone in the store watching the girl work.
After a few minutes, she was finished, putting her last marker in her bag before she cleared her throat. "You can open your eye now!"
Izuku opened his eye, seeing his reflection which showed the picture of a green, stylistic, button-like 'X' taped on the eyepatch. The blonde giggled at his reaction before she hummed proudly and put her nose into the air. "You like it?"
"Oh!" Izuku looked at the pattern on the eyepatch before he let out a smile. "It's cool! It could fit with the Halloween vibe."
"Oh yeah! It's almost October." She said while looking at the calendar on her phone. She then looked at Izuku before she had a worried expression. "Are you seriously ok though? You're working with basically an arm and a half?"
"Yeah...uh...I'm ok...and t-thanks." Izuku stuttered nervously as he wiped the tables, the teen feeling a bit embarrassed as he felt the gaze of Ochaco, Kokoa, and Aoi from the counter.
The masked girl gestured for him to sit again with her which he did, sitting down across from her with a slightly nervous expression. "Well, if you ever need help or a design choice. I'll be here."
"Thanks." Izuku smiled before he remembered something. "O-oh! So what's up? Why did you call me?"
The masked girl looked around the cafe to still see only a few customers in the cafe before she whispered. "I need your help with something."
"Hmm?" Izuku blinked in confusion before she started explaining.
"So I have a project coming up. It's about writing a story in the mystery genre. The problem is...for the last few days, I've been unable to get a topic. Do you have anything interesting that happened recently? Something exciting that happened at college?"
Hearing about her project, Izuku tapped his chin as he tried to think about anything out of the ordinary that he has done. "I don't have anything that comes to mind. I might need some time to think about this. Is it something that you need today?"
"Oh no! It's no rush." The blonde smiled as she went through her phone. "I have like a couple of months to get this done so it's no biggie!"
"Alright then. I could ask my friends if you want." Izuku suggested as he took out his phone and made a note.
Hearing that, the girl smiled and grabbed Izuku's hands, much to the green-haired teenager's embarrassment when he noticed that he was face to face with sparkling blue eyes that had a hint of green on them. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much! I have an idea! Here's my phone number!"
When she gave him her phone number, Izuku could barely hide the blush on his face as he cursed the hairstyle Kokoa gave him. "A-are you sure? I-I didn't do anything that made me deserve your phone number."
"What do you mean? I'm going to need your contact to get the story. Also, you're fun to talk to. It's like I'm talking to a therapist." The blonde girl said honestly as she picked up her phone and took his and exchanged their phone numbers. "Oh, I forgot to ask you your name. I was thinking of putting in Bunny Waiter but I'm not sure."
"Oh!" Izuku was surprised by the girl's sincerity before he smiled. "It's alright. Also, my name is Izuku Midoriya. What's yours?"
Izuku could see the smile forming on the girl's mask as she introduced herself.
"My name is Himiko Toga."
Before she could continue, her phone started to ring which made her look at it before she gathered her things and got up.
"Sorry, I have to go right now. Well, thanks again, Izuku. My grandmother is calling me right now so I have to bounce."
She left the place after saying that, leaving Izuku who waved at her.
Once she was out of sight, Izuku let out a sigh as Hitoshi and Denki nudged before Hitoshi nudged him which got a blush from the green-haired teenager.
"Never knew you had it in you, Zuku."
"Nice one, man!"
Izukh could only hide his face in embarrassment as he grumbled. "Just…shut up…"
All of the customers made a round of applause that made the young man walk up to the corner and roll up into a ball.
"Mom! Izuku got a girl's phone number!" Kokoa yelled excitedly as she ran into the kitchen, getting a huge gasp from Naomi as she ran out of the kitchen and took out her phone. "What? I have to report to Inko! She must be informed of the change in recent events!"
As everyone teased him or celebrated his achievement of a girl's phone number, Izuku could only try his best to hide his presence as his face was red like a tomato. 'I don't know if I should be happy, sad or embarrassed. Also, doesn't Ms. Uraraka, Ms. Jiro, or Ms. Hagakure count as girls whom I have contacts for?'
The green-haired teenager let out a groan as he watched from his peripheral vision as the entire cafe was in pure chaos. 'One thing I know is that today will be a long day.'
"It's time to unwind!" Present Mic yelled as he took a chug of a huge glass of wine along with Nemuri who was drinking ginger ale. "Yeah! Unwind!"
"Hizashi, please tone it down, and Nemuri...just don't," Shouta stated as he massaged his temples and ate chicken, his hair this time being tied into a neat ponytail.
The group was in their casual attire as they enjoyed themselves in a bar.
"Even though we're letting out our stress, it doesn't mean we should be loud," Shouta said as he leaned back in his seat.
"Oh c'mon! Let's sing a song!" Hizashi cheerily said while wrapping his arm around Shouta's neck before he started singing, much to his friend's dismay. The trio enjoyed themselves, playing games and chugging drinks as they spoke about their daily lives.
"How's Skittles and Hershey?" Hizashi asked as he ate a bowl of ramen. Shouta simply hummed which made the blonde let out a smile. "You're getting quite attached to them!"
"Wait! Do you still have Skittles?! Show me, show me my daughter!" Nemuri jumped cheerfully as she shook the raven-haired man harshly until he obliged by providing her with photos of a grey-haired cat with white spots on the fur and a cloud-shaped collar which made the woman smile widely while she was watching a video of the cat trying to catch a laser. "She's adorable! Look at her! She grew up so fast!"
While she was checking the photos of the cat, she noticed another brown-haired cat that made her almost let out a high-pitched scream as she looked at the two cats. "Who is this cat? He is so cute!"
"He's another cat I bought at the store," Shouta stated as he took another drink but Hizashi immediately cut him. "Don't listen to him! He found it abandoned near the warehouse of a villain hideout during a mission."
"Still picking up strays?" Nemuri said as she looked at the felines before she turned to him with a smile. "Is that why you were so interested in Shinso, Midoriya, and Hagakure? You do have a soft spot for non-combat-based quirked students."
Shouta stayed silent which was more than an answer to the woman who let out a laugh before she continued eating. Meanwhile, Hizashi started to get drunk as he looked at a specific photo of Hershey sitting down in a chair. "Look at this distinguished gentleman! Look at the way he is sitting! Yes, very distinguished! I see!"
After spending some time in the pub and drinking their stress away, Shouta heard the ring of a doorbell which made him turn to see a green-haired woman who entered the pub. The woman was dressed in an orange buttoned-up blouse and a blue dress that went down to her ankles, the sight of the woman made the raven-haired man involuntarily cringe as he tried to hide himself in his scarf. 'Oh no.'
"Hey, Emi!" We're over here!" Nemuri waved at the green-haired woman. Emi sat with the group, the woman deciding to sit beside Shouta to whom she gave the man a teasing smirk.
"Hey, Shoubiz! Never thought I would see you here!" She said, getting an exhausted groan from the man as he slammed his head on the table. While Nemuri and Emi were talking, Shouta stood up and dragged Hizashi to the bathroom.
"Whose idea was it to take her here?" Shouta asked as he washed his face. "Yours?"
"No! It was Nemuri's idea. She said that we need more females in the group." Hizashi whispered nonchalantly as he groggily leaned on the wall. Shouta raised a brow as he looked at the ring on his friend's ring finger. "But you're married."
"You're not." The voice hero said in a quiet tone which made the underground hero look at him in confusion. "Huh?"
"You know Nemuri's been looking out for you. She thought that you would take the little incident at school to heart, especially with how you apologized to Midoriya and his mother. Hizashi said as he leaned on the wall with a slight smile on his face. "You tend to be too hard on your students because you don't want to see them hurt, you softie."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Shouta said as he wiped his hands and left the bathroom. "I'm simply doing my job as a teacher and letting them know the dangers of the job they're taking."
"I know you care for your students, Sho!" Hizashi said before he noticed a list of improvements for the students of class 1A on Shouta's phone. This made a frown appear on the blonde's face as he saw a background picture of clouds on the mobile device. 'His death messed you up this much. Huh, Sho?'
Shouta went back to his table, seeing Nemuri and Emi speaking to each other before the latter gestured for them to sit. "C'mon, Shoubiz! Take a seat!"
Shouta twitched uncontrollably as he reluctantly sat down beside Emi. The woman then slammed her hand on the raven-haired man's back which made him twitch in pain.
"Hey, Shoubiz! I have one question." Emi said with a cheeky grin which got a raise of the brow from Shouta.
"Hmm?"
The woman flicked back her green hair before she opened her mouth with a serious expression. "Let's get married."
"No!" Shouta answered quickly.
"Wrong answer! You have to own up to the joke, Shoubiz! Why do you have to be a killjoy?"
Shouta grumbled as they all continued to enjoy themselves, the man having to go through the torture of Emi trying to make him laugh while Hizashi and Nemuri teased him. Despite the annoyance he felt, the man could not help but feel a little happy as he continued the party with them.
After a while, they were finished with their little get-together, the four of them drunk and acting deliriously except for Emi who called a cab to pick up Nemuri. She then called for Hizashi's wife to pick him up, a blue-haired woman came out of a black sedan and walked towards them. "Sorry about my husband. Hope he has not been too much."
"It's no problem, Kaede. he's the best one here!" Emi said as she gestured to the others, getting a giggle from Kaede who used her hair to grab Hizashi and put him into the car. "You guys need a ride?"
"Nah! Shoubiz and I live down the corner. We'll be alright from here!" The green-haired woman said as she put a drunken Shouta's arm over her shoulder.
"Oh! That's surprising! Shouta hardly drinks until he is drunk! Something about him not liking hangovers! Alrighty, I'll leave your lovebirds to yourselves!" Kaede nodded before she drove away, leaving Emi and Shouta to their lonesome.
Paying the bar and moving out into the chilly night, Emi grabbed Shouta as she walked down the quiet street.
"It's almost time, huh? Can't believe it's halfway through September?" She said as she looked into the starry night, enjoying the quietude before she looked at Shouta. "It's almost romantic."
"Hmm..." Shouta grumbled as his body involuntarily trembled.
"You hate the cold, don't you? You usually don't drink so much liquor. What happened?"
"..."
"C'mon, Shoubiz. Hizashi told you that it's good to release your feelings." Emi said while they went across the road.
"Ok..." Shouta said in a groggy tone before he tried to keep his balance. "It's just...one of my ki-students...he attacked another student...I didn't want that..."
Emi listened quietly as the man dizzily let out his frustrations at work before she reached their apartment.
"Finally, home sweet home!" Emi said as he carried Shouta back home on the lonely street. "C'mon, Shoubiz! It's time to go home and feed Skittles and Hershey."
It was nighttime as Izuku was in his room, resting on his bed. He then looked at his phone, seeing a new contact 'Himiko Toga' which made him blush as he remembered the shenanigans that happened earlier.
"Toshi would not get off my back about this." Izuku thought while he went down his contacts lists.
Seeing his mother's contact, Izuku did not waste time as he called the woman. As the video call was answered, Izuku saw his mother's reddened eyes which made a wave of guilt course through his body.
"Izuku." Her voice trembled when she saw his face.
"Hey, Mom." Izuku waved meekly.
There was a moment of silence as the woman calmed herself and took steady breaths until she decided to speak.
"Hello, Izuku!" She started before she took another breath. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok, Mom! A little numb through my arm but I'm ok."
Inko looked at her son, her heart in pain when she saw all the bandages covering his arm and face. Her lips began to quiver before she put her hand on her chest to relax. "Izuku. I don't..."
Izuku looked at his mother in silence as she put on a serious expression despite her hands trembling.
"Is this the only way? Do you have to get hurt?"
"Huh?"
"I don't like to see you like this...you're hurting yourself...and I'm worried. It's like..." Inko stopped, her hands tightened into fists before she spoke again. "If there is a problem, please don't bottle it up! Please! I'm here to help you! I love you and I want the best for you!"
Izuku looked down on the ground as he saw his mother slowly succumbing to her emotions. He could not say anything, he could not explain anything. He made a promise to his mother and within a day, he broke it. He hated seeing his mother like this. He hated seeing her hurt like this. She looked like she would break into a million pieces.
While thinking that, he heard the words from the woman he dreaded since he decided to go to UA.
"I can't do this anymore, Izuku."
Finished.
Consequences. I'll be honest. I think Bakugo had this a long time coming in the series. Even though he has changed, the fact that he gets no consequences for his actions apart from that one time when Aizawa punished him AND MIDORIYA irked me. I'm not saying Horikoshi should crucify the guy but damn. He gets away with literally using his quirk outdoors and even threatening people.
For Bakugo's scene, I tried my best to write to ensure it was as Bakugo as possible. It took a moment to get everything in check for this chapter.
As for Midoriya, I had to put my two cents for him too. Had to make him realize that hey, not because Recovery Girl is there means that all of your wounds are going to magically heal in seconds. His recklessness was something that needed to be dealt with in the series but it was always pushed to the side.
And last but not least, Toga is here. Funnily enough, I wanted to use her beta version but since she pretty much looks the same and is the only person with a messy bun, so I had to change a lot of stuff.
Well, this arc is done. It's time to go to the next arc. You guys can guess but I don't think you could ever predict what the next arc will be. Please take care and share your thoughts about the story so far. Stay safe, y'all!
Enigma out!