Chapter 14!
This will be a nice addition.
Enjoy, more notes at the end!
Kill the Lie
*Itsuka POV*
Itsuka and Midoriya were wary of one another for different reasons.
Midoriya knew that Itsuka was the only one determined to question the truth of her words and Itsuka knew that Midoriya was purposefully hiding something harmful from the class.
The greenette meshed perfectly well with 1-B but, unlike a few of their classmates that simply preferred a little more personal time, she had drawn a barely noticeable line between them. Itsuka had caught on to it eventually, and she was certain Kaibara did too, and because of that Midoriya created a second layer only for them to notice.
Another barrier that whispered, 'I'll keep you right where you are no matter what'.
It left Itsuka and Kaibara no choice but to either respect this separation or try to push with the promise of Midoriya pushing back to keep them out. She'd deflect Itsuka with her words endlessly, use their surrounding classmates as escapes, blend her lies with the truth, and, above all, slowly make her actions more acceptable. The others would say, 'oh that's just how Midoriya is' but Itsuka was certain that the fox girl was elaborately hiding the tracks of something. Yes, the tall greenette's aloof attitude was a part of her personality but Midoriya was also so sharp that it was uncanny.
Although, that sharpness could be used against her.
Midoriya always sacrificed something when it came to the two of them that were aware of her hiding something if it meant keeping whatever it was a secret. That meant that even if they didn't get the full picture then they could slowly tear the puzzle pieces from her until they had just enough to figure it out themselves. Then again, Itsuka also knew that Kaibara couldn't bring himself to press Midoriya. He was too passive, too uncertain at times about if he should or about Midoriya's potential response, and so it was up to the class rep to pry on her own. She normally wouldn't have been so nosy but Itsuka at least knew a single fact about this secret of Midoriya's.
It was eating the fox girl alive.
It bothered Midoriya endlessly, consuming her thoughts to the point that she was at times almost a disconnected entity from the class, and Itsuka simply couldn't leave her alone knowing that. Wandering the halls of the dorm, the class rep found the fox girl standing at one of the windows during the morning. Midoriya stood unmoving, her ears not even twitching at the sound of Itsuka's footsteps, so she drew up beside her and stared at the outside world herself. Itsuka wasn't sure just what Midoriya found so attention grabbing, it looked like a normal day as always, but eventually she turned towards her friend.
"Midoriya," she addressed, gaining a slow glance from her. "What was that with the circle?" she questioned as she thought back to the strange occurence that she previously tried to ignore.
There was a calm silence between them and Itsuka expected to receive some noncommittal answer or push back but instead the fox girl thoughtfully frowned.
"Yokai problem," Midoriya groused, seemingly irritated at said problem and not her, and Itsuka raised her brow.
"Wanna elaborate?" she tried as the fox girl's ears twitched with some movement.
"Not really," her classmate shrugged but before Itsuka could become frustrated she pulled out a magnifying glass and gave it a turn and a few flicks before giving it an experimental bite. "Look through this," she offered, handing it over, and Itsuka examined the item skeptically while Midoriya gestured her towards the window.
"What the hell?" Itsuka whispered as she stared through the looking glass.
"You don't have to believe me but I'm not using my illusions on you," Midoriya claimed, her gaze once more drawn beyond the pane, and for once Itsuka believed her. "This is just how I see the world."
Itsuka would have preferred if this was just another of Midoriya's elaborate pranks.
With the help of the lens, the class rep was able to get a glimpse into the greenette's issues. It seemed that alongside her quirk being based on one, Midoriya lived with one foot inside a world of yokai. Itsuka spotted a few of the formerly unseen creatures passing by without ever acknowledging that they were being observed by a regular human. With this being how Midoriya saw things then it easily explained the previous incident and just why the fox girl was sometimes so wrapped up in her own dealings.
"It's kinda distracting right?" Midoriya wondered, a dash of forced playfulness in her expression, but Itsuka nodded along.
"No kidding," she replied while keeping her cool. "I guess you're always looking out for us huh?" she figured as she thought back to the summoning business and the many moments in which Midoriya was otherwise preoccupied but the greenette softly grunted.
"They...don't bug us a lot," she revealed as her green eyes barely shifted over the many yokai in the distance, "especially since I'm around."
"This why you're so active at night?" Itsuka further wondered and her friend hummed.
"It's part of it," she deflected but the orange haired student decided to let it slide.
"I guess I finally get why you're so aloof," Itsuka noted.
If you were always distracted or trying to tune out an entire world happening around you then it was no wonder you'd end up a bit detached with what was occuring even close by. Midoriya paused at her words, her lips almost invisibly turning down at their corners, but she eventually spoke back.
"They interact with me sometimes," she continued, weirdly forthright in Itsuka's opinion, "know I can see them and all." Midoriya's gaze settled and became blank as if she was now staring through everything. "They kinda treat me like I'm one of them but they're not all that nice," the fox girl noted and Itsuka shifted slightly and bumped against her to reassure her from whatever trouble she was feeling.
"That why you're so distant from the class?" she had to ask but the question didn't appear to bother Midoriya.
"Being with everyone is strange," she whispered with her unflinching gaze. "Thanks to my quirk I kinda...don't feel human," Midoriya elaborated much to her surprise. "I already hide my tails and don't use my fox form, and I'd make my fox ears go away too but I can't seem to make it happen for some reason so I let them blend into my hair by keeping it messy," her friend explained readily though she kept her voice calm and even. "Guess I could use illusions 24/7 but I'd still see them," she mused briefly. "Shapeshifting would work maybe but not having my body is a bit..." Midoriya trailed off and Itsuka couldn't help but just be there since she had no real way of helping.
"You're putting a lot of trust in me," the class rep lowly replied.
"Mm," Midoriya mumbled, her hand gliding over the glass of the window with a ghostly touch, while Itsuka placed a hand on her other arm.
"I'll keep it a secret if you want me to," she said, at least putting the forth the idea of Midoriya sharing with others, but the greenette didn't react much.
"Thanks," the fox girl acknowledged with an almost timid tilt of her head but her eyes continued to stare through the window blankly and Itsuka's senses flared.
Something just then simply felt...off.
Midoriya was vulnerable, even visibly distressed, but her reasons just did not sit well with Itsuka's gut instinct. She felt paranoid over these words that now contradicted Midoriya's actions.
She disliked her features, form, and yokai seeing ability that pushed her away from the average human? Then why the hell did she feed into these kitsune disguising as human tropes? Why was she okay with being in the music club in which she had to use her tails to play more instruments, a suggestion SHE made, if she supposedly hid them due to not liking them? Itsuka reeled for an explanation that made sense and it eventually came like a swift strike to her stomach.
One of the best lies was half of the truth.
This was the 'sacrifice' to hide the actual core. She had to commend the fox girl on giving away so much at once but, while it would have worked on Kaibara, Itsuka had already prepared herself to stomp on Midoriya's feelings. She liked the girl, the greenette being somewhat like a sister to her, but she also looked at her in her entirety.
Midoriya was manipulative and liked to have things go her way. She schemed and made things play out how she wanted them but if they weren't weren't going to plan then she corrected things until they did.
She desired control.
It didn't come up often and she could confidently say it was never malicious, despite her not knowing what Midoriya's goal was, but that was a part of the fox girl's nature. Again, it wasn't well known about Midoriya but that didn't mean it wasn't true.
"The rest..." Itsuka began, this time drawing Midoriya's attention, "I'll wait to hear the rest next time."
The fox girl eyed her momentarily and Itsuka nearly flinched and retreated as Midoriya's eyes narrowed mischievously and her lips turned into a dangerous smile that barely showed her now sharpened teeth. Midoriya's expression screamed misfortune but she quickly found how it seemed forced and held strong.
"Kendo, you really scare me, you know," she admitted and Itsuka stood her ground at the facade.
"And I'm really scared for you," she shot back which only made her friend utter a clipped laugh.
"That's not what I wanted to hear," the greenette hummed, "I wish you weren't so smart."
"Tell me about it," Itsuka retorted with her own smirk, "smart ass."
With that, the class rep bowed out and went on her way but she could feel Midoriya's gaze piercing into her back, scheming and studying her for a weakness, yet she would not give in. Itsuka would only give up once she'd ground Midoriya's lies into dust.
[Kendo Itsuka and Midoriya Izumi. The two would continue their painful game today as well.]
Notes and Stuff
Why do I always do this to these two?
Anyway, yokai exist and I'll mix things up with following chapters rather than focus so much on Izumi. She just has the longest thread so far and the most answers needed.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!