To say that Katsuki had a rough first day back at school was an understatement of the fucking century.
After the events at Kamino Ward and everybody's incessant worrying and babying over him (he was fine, dammit, he wasn't a child), he wanted nothing more than to go back to U.A. and focus on the things that mattered — like becoming the number one hero. It took everything in him to keep his composure and not snap during the government's daily visits and mandatory therapy sessions. But Katsuki hated being coddled, and he was more than ready to forget all the shitty things that had happened that night… if only it were that easy.
It all started as Aizawa led the class towards their new dorms, in the beginning of the week following their teachers' house visits. Katsuki's mood darkened just thinking about it, remembering the old hag's comments and All Might's beating around the bush when he asked him about Deku — but he shook his head. He didn't need to go down that train of thought right now.
Katsuki drifted towards the back of the group, keenly aware of the brief, apologetic stares the others made over their shoulders amidst their excited buzz. He clenched his teeth. He didn't need their fucking pity. That was the last thing he — "Oi! Bakugou!"
He glanced over to his right. Kirishima waved to him, nodding a goodbye to Sero, who he had been chatting with, and running up to match his pace. Katsuki grimaced. He had been trying to avoid him ever since the class met up that morning. Not because he was mad at him, but because he was still trying to figure out a way to repay him for the night-vision goggles he brought to Kamino without being awkward. (And maybe because of some residual guilt.)
"Hey dude," Kirishima greeted, flashing him a toothy grin that didn't reach his eyes. He looked like he wanted to tell him something. "Stoked about the new dorms? I know I am—"
"Don't fuckin' act like you're walking on eggshells around me, Shitty-Hair. Just spit it out."
Kirishima faltered, his expression turning remorseful. Katsuki felt a twinge of regret for snapping at him, but he shoved the feeling down. "Listen, Bakugou," he started, "I know you've been ignoring my LINE messages. I just wanted to say — Woah!" He almost bumped into Kaminari, who had stopped in his tracks.
They both paused, noticing that the entire class had stopped moving. Up ahead, Aizawa had turned to face them, his stern expression commanding their attention. Katsuki frowned, putting his hands in his pockets. Their teacher had the air of someone about to deliver serious news.
"First things first, Class 1-A," he began, scanning each of the students carefully. "I'm glad to see all of you present." His words immediately broke their focus, and the class began to chatter amongst themselves, discussing how each of their house visits went. Katsuki scoffed. He couldn't have cared less about their parents' lectures or how their teachers grovelled in front of them. But just as he began to tune them out, Aizawa clapped, grabbing their attention. "Okay, this is important. Listen up." He eyed the students in the front. "Iida. Yaoyorozu. Midoriya. Kirishima. Todoroki," his tone hardened. The five of them visibly stiffened.
"On that night, you five headed out to rescue Bakugou."
Katsuki's blood ran cold. He knew they were eventually going to be reprimanded, but out here? With the rest of the damn class as an audience?
"I think that all of you here understand the consequences of those actions," Aizawa continued. "The issue's been swept under the rug for now, but let me say this much…
"If not for All Might's retirement, I would've expelled every single one of you, except for Bakugou, Jirou, and Hagakure."
A cool wind rustled the leaves in the trees, imposing its weight on the already chilly atmosphere descending on the group. Some of the students audibly gasped — Katsuki's own eyes widened, his fingernails digging into his palms. It was all he could do to keep himself from barking out some incredulous remark and breaking the silence. Aizawa's flippant statement had ignited his pent-up frustration, but more than that, it confused him. What the hell? He couldn't be serious.
Their teacher's voice lowered. "The chaos is sure to continue now that he's retired, and since we can't get a read on the League of Villains' next move, kicking anyone out of U.A. at present is ill-advised.
"I'm talking about the five who went, of course. But also the twelve who knew but did nothing to stop them. Your reasons aside, the fact remains that you betrayed our trust." Aizawa's gaze turned contemplative. "From this point on, if you follow procedures and behave properly, you might be able to regain our trust."
He paused. There was a beat of tense silence as the class stared at him, wondering what he would say next.
And then, without warning, he flipped back around, continuing towards the dormitories. "That's all. Now look lively and get a move on."
For a brief period of time the entirety of the class stood there quietly, trying to process what had just occurred. Then, one-by-one, they continued on the way to the dorms with their conversations starting up again, albeit more quietly and half-hearted.
Katsuki scowled, gripping the shoulder strap of his bag. Just great. Seemed like his morning was already off to an amazingly shitty start. Trudging along, he glanced around at some of the others who were still standing. Kirishima and Kaminari, along with the others, were looking miserably at the ground.
Damn, that sure put a damper on their mood.
Katsuki took a quick look at Kaminari. A bright idea entered his mind — everyone else usually laughed their asses off whenever he fried his brains out, didn't they?
Without a second thought, he stomped towards his classmate and roughly grabbed the shoulder of his school uniform, pulling him along towards some nearby bushes. "Eh? What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" Kaminari protested before being pushed to the ground.
Katsuki didn't bother responding. Before the other boy could regain his bearings, he took a hold of his neck and pushed sharply on the two upper pressure points with his pointer and thumb.
It was a good thing Kaminari always loved to babble about himself, otherwise Katsuki wouldn't have known about his Quirk's side-effect in the first place.
He pulled back quickly as a violent burst of electricity discharged from the other blonde's body. After making sure that his brain was properly short-circuited, Katsuki pushed him out of the bushes and towards the others, revealing one, dopey, smoking and charred Kaminari Denki. "Wheeeyyy!" he drawled.
Katsuki's eyes centered on his red-headed friend, making a bee-line for him as the others snickered at their classmate's impairment. It was now or never — best that he got this out of the way while the others were preoccupied with Dunce-Face. "Kirishima," he glowered, fishing the money out of his pocket and putting it in his face.
"Eh?!" Kirishima exclaimed. "This is like, 50,000 yen! Don't tell me you shook him down for that much!"
"It's mine, you idiot," Katsuki grumbled, looking the other way. "I don't want anyone ever calling me stingy. It'd piss me off. So here, take it." It was definitely a lot of money, but his family was fairly well-off, and he was never one to boast about their wealth.
The other boy's eyes widened. Apparently it finally got through his thick skull that he was trying to pay him back for the night-vision goggles. The rest of the class had quieted down a bit as well, noticing the stack of bills that Katsuki had stuffed in his friend's hands. "Bakugou…" Kirishima whispered, "how'd you know?"
Katsuki flipped around, knocking his hand against Kirishima's shoulder half-heartedly. "Word always gets out with so many idiots around," he muttered, glancing at Kaminari, who was still stumbling around mindlessly.
He sauntered off, feeling somewhat awkward with all of his classmates' eyes on him. As he walked away, Katsuki could hear Kirishima emotionally declare that he would take the whole class out for yakiniku, to which they all cheered. He snorted. He supposed it was the least he could do for those extras after putting them through that trouble… and yet, Aizawa's words sprung to mind.
"If not for All Might's retirement, I would've expelled every single one of you, except for Bakugou, Jirou, and Hagakure."
Katsuki gritted his teeth. Not only had he ruined All Might's career, he realized, but because of his classmates saving his weak, sorry ass, he had come close to ruining theirs as well. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. Just another fuckin' thing to keep him up at night.
With all things considered, Tsuyu's morning went as terribly as it possibly could.
After waking up late and having to skip breakfast, to almost missing the train, to Aizawa-sensei's announcement and warnings of expulsion, the cold weight she'd felt in her gut ever since the aftermath of the forest attack sunk lower and lower into her stomach. Not to mention that it was that time of the month — the cramps certainly weren't doing anything to help her mood, especially with having to unpack all the things she brought from home.
Home. It was almost funny how homesick Tsuyu was already, even though she'd been there just that morning. In any other context she would've been ecstatic at the prospect of living with her classmates (more time for bonding!), but now, just being in their presence made her feel so ashamed she wanted to hide out in her half-finished dorm room and curl into a ball… which was what she was currently doing.
It was now two thirty in the afternoon, and from looking at their messages on the class group chat, all her classmates had returned from lunch at the cafeteria — either continuing the move-in process or taking a break in the common area. Tsuyu's stomach grumbled at the idea of food, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since last night. She supposed she could make a quick run to the cafeteria and get something to-go. Hopefully she could get through downstairs without any of her classmates trying to make conversation with her.
Tsuyu unraveled herself from her frog-themed comforter and rolled out of bed, feeling too lazy to bother straightening out the sheets. She shook on a pair of slippers and glanced at herself in the mirror. Earlier in the day she'd changed out of her UA uniform, like most of her classmates, in favor of more work-friendly clothing — which for her, consisted of a simple black tank top and her school-issued gym sweatpants. Not the cutest outfit to be seen around in, Tsuyu thought, but she wasn't out to impress anybody. She stepped out in the hallway and entered the elevator, pressing the button for the 1st level. Thankfully there wasn't much activity on the 5th floor. The only other girl on her side was Yaomomo, who had been holed up in her room all morning trying to set up the furniture she brought in from her family mansion.
She stepped out quietly through the doors as they slid open with a ding, glancing wearily towards the common area. Most of her classmates were busy in animated conversations or snacking on something in the kitchen. Partially relieved, Tsuyu started for the doorway.
"Ah, Tsuyu-chan!" Ochako exclaimed as she tried to creep past. She raised her hand in a small wave, looking over the couch where she was seated with Mina and Tooru. "Where are you off to?"
Tsuyu froze, but only for a moment. She gave them a light-hearted smile. "Just getting some food, kero. I'll be back soon." And with that, she quickly stepped out of the building, missing the inquisitive looks her friends gave each other.
She hopped with purpose as she traversed the path to the dining hall. The sun's rays beat down on her harshly, sticking her top to her back, and the summer humidity wasn't doing anything good for her body temperature. It was no wonder that Tsuyu preferred the rainy season — besides forming puddles and making walks like these much more fun, the rain was refreshing and never sapped her energy like afternoon August heat did.
What she would give for a rainy day right now. It would certainly complement her dreary mood better… and right on cue, her train of thought returned to the dilemma that had been endlessly plaguing her mind over the past week: what was she going to do to mend her relationship with her friends?
The tension within their social circle was palpable ever since their visit to the hospital, and had only heightened after their teacher's reveal of the events at Kamino. Every interaction felt forced or awkward, even as they tried to maintain the facade that nothing was wrong in their idle conversation and "Deku-Squad" groupchat (Ochako had come up with the name, much to Midoriya's embarrassment). Tsuyu knew, of course, that everyone was emotionally exhausted from the ordeal, and whatever she said back then probably had little to do with anything. But after seeing the uneasy looks in her friends' eyes as they met up again that morning, and learning about what they did, she couldn't help but feel at fault for the widening rift.
At first she felt that her words, though harsh, were justified. They were only first year students, for heaven's sake! They didn't even have their provisional hero licenses yet, and they had just narrowly survived an encounter with the League of Villains that left several of them unconscious and even more injured. They were worried about Bakugou just as much, but still — the last thing Tsuyu had wanted to see was more of her classmates in Tooru and Kyouka's condition, or even worse. And so, in the heat of the moment, she had spoken out.
"It doesn't matter how righteous our feelings are. If we start another fight — if we break the law — then we're no better than the villains!"
She knew logically that her criticism of their plan, though hyperbolic, was correct. Aizawa-sensei himself had said as much — what they did betrayed UA's trust, and it was a direct act of disobedience. Furthermore, the outcome of that night was based on incredible luck. If one thing went wrong, some of her classmates likely wouldn't be here, moving into their dorm rooms and enjoying each other's company.
But after learning from hushed whispers about Bakugou's struggle, her friends' heroic rescue, and how it enabled All Might to fight against that terrifying villain without holding back, Tsuyu's mind conjured up countless questions that pricked at her conscience. What if they had actually listened to her? Would Bakugou still have been able to get out of there safely? Could she live with herself, if he didn't? In the end, despite knowing that what they did was supposed to be wrong, that it completely went against the rules in place —
—she also knew that it had been the right thing to do.
Up ahead, Tsuyu saw the entrance to the cafeteria come into view. Sighing in relief, she quickened her pace. The sliding door opened, and she was immediately greeted with a rush of cool air from the building's A/C. A welcome change from the awful weather outside.
The daily menu from Lunch Rush's venue didn't have anything out of the ordinary, but for no particular reason, Tsuyu decided to change her usual order up a bit and get a spicy curry. Back at home, her younger brother Samidare had a special fondness for spicy food, and after years of cooking for him she had developed an appreciation for it as well. "You're a bit later than usual," the attendant at the counter remarked. "Will that be for here or to-go?" Tsuyu tipped a finger to her mouth thoughtfully. If she decided on takeout, she would return to the dorms earlier, but she would also have to get through her classmates again. Perhaps she could use some extra time to herself. As she left she made sure to stack a side plate with some creamy fruit jelly — her favorite kind of snack. Now more than ever, she thought, was a decent time to indulge.
As she made her way to the dining area, Tsuyu stopped in her tracks. Most of the student body had visited the dining hall two and a half hours prior, and the venues closed up shop at around three, so she'd initially expected the place to be near empty — which it was. What she didn't expect was a certain blonde classmate sitting by himself at a table.
Bakugou's back was facing towards her, giving her extra time to come up with a course of action. She could simply ignore him and sit at a table in the corner, of course. That way they could both finish their food in peace and not have to bother with forced social interaction, which Tsuyu doubted either of them came here for.
At the same time, though, seeing Bakugou alone piqued her interest. What was he doing here so late, eating by himself? She'd assumed he had joined Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero when they'd texted they were going out for a lunch break. From what she'd noticed, those three seemed to be the only ones in the class who were actively trying to befriend him, or at least make him tolerate their presence. The red-haired boy seemed to have accomplished this, with the latter two not far behind.
Tsuyu thought about it further, remembering his strange behavior when Aizawa-sensei had led them to Heights Alliance earlier in the morning. She'd noticed he made it especially apparent that he didn't want to talk to anybody, walking behind the rest of the class. And she definitely couldn't forget when he had stuffed a hefty amount of bills in Kirishima's face (for what, she had no clue) and walked away. Maybe he had come here late, like her, for similar reasons?
She left her thoughts, refocusing her eyes on Bakugou. At that moment, Tsuyu realized that, save for that one moment on the bus ride to USJ, she had never really interacted with the fiery blonde before. She'd always assumed he wouldn't give her the time of day, and besides that, his abrasive behavior was more than enough for her to steer clear.
But there was a first time for everything, wasn't there?
I'll just talk to him for a few minutes, Tsuyu decided. It was only proper that she should get to know all her classmates a bit more with the beginning of their second term, even if they were characters like Mineta or Bakugou. They were going to be in this together for three years, after all. And perhaps a lively conversation with him, however one-sided it might be, would be enough to clear her head... Tsuyu held her tray just a hint tighter as she rounded Bakugou's table, standing next to the opposite chair.
"Bakugou-chan," she greeted him cordially. He glanced up from his half-eaten food, startled. The look on his face reminded Tsuyu of a cat rudely interrupted from its meal. Clearly, he hadn't expected any of his classmates to be here after the usual lunch time hours. "Mind if I sit here?"
Tsuyu anticipated the several ways he could react after such a provoking question. She imagined him snarling at her, yelling that all the other tables were vacant. Or perhaps he would scoff and assume she was making a joke.
"Eh? Why the hell are you here? All the other tables are empty, Frog-Face! Are you blind, or are you just trying to be funny?"
Or maybe a combination of both.
Even with his outburst, Tsuyu wasn't discouraged. She put a finger to her chin, deep in thought, studying Bakugou as he continued to throw a fit. He'd certainly reacted in the way she expected, but for some reason, it was noticeably... subdued. Usually, his carrying-on was loud enough to interrupt whatever she was thinking. Was it a rare moment of Bakugou being considerate for the other students who were still eating? Or was he just feeling more mellow than usual? Either way, she pressed on.
"Well, since I got so distracted trying to move the rest of my stuff in, I missed lunch," she explained, interrupting the blonde mid-rant. He glared at her, unconvinced. Tsuyu suppressed a grimace — now that was an outright lie. "And anyways," she continued, smiling lightly, "I prefer eating with company." That was truthful enough. Bakugou wouldn't be the first on her list of who she considered polite company, though.
The frog girl looked at him, daring to hope he would show some sign of affirmation. Instead he continued to stare, his face equal parts bewildered and annoyed. It was a bit annoying that he wasn't saying anything, but she couldn't blame him for his skepticism— she'd never tried to make conversation with him before, so why now?
Tsuyu sighed, shifting on her feet. At this rate, he was just going to yell more. Maybe she should approach this in a different way… it might be counterintuitive, but it was worth a shot. "I'll even stay quiet the whole time if you really want me to, kero."
Now that sparked a change in Bakugou's demeanor. He squinted at her suspiciously, as if trying to figure out if she had any ulterior motives. "You aren't serious."
Tsuyu didn't budge. "I'm deadly serious."
For a few seconds, they maintained an awkward, prolonged eye contact, like engaging in a staring contest with her was something winnable. Did he forget about her quirk?
Bakugou eventually scowled, appearing to realize the same thing. Then he grunted and went back to eating his food.
Tsuyu stood there blankly, still unsure if his grunt meant approval. "You gonna eat while standing, Frog-Face?" he asked through a mouthful of food. Brushing off the rude remark, she pulled out the chair, giving a quiet thanks over her meal and beginning to eat. As always, the food was delicious — she hummed in contentment as she slowly chewed the chicken from her curry, savoring the spice. She idly noted that Bakugou had also ordered the same dish. Did he like hot food? It would suit his personality.
After a minute or so of eating, Tsuyu set down her chopsticks, trying to recollect her thoughts. So far, the first step of her plan to initiate a conversation with him went remarkably well. The fact that Bakugou conceded their little staredown so quickly was only further confirmation that something was amiss. But how was she going to get him to start talking? At the present moment he seemed fine with ignoring her. Tsuyu's earlier promise to stay silent certainly didn't do her any favors, but at the time, knowing Bakugou's short fuse, she'd figured she would find a way somehow. But he probably wouldn't be too agreeable if she tried to start a conversation now.
The green-haired girl thought back to her interaction with him on the bus. He was definitely susceptible to provocation, which seemed like Kaminari and Sero's main method of interaction. Would she be able to get something out of him with a playful jab? But she also didn't want Bakugou to get too riled up and leave. She wasn't too comfortable with the prospect of creating more hard feelings between her classmates.
The boy in question glanced up from his bowl momentarily, the distracted look in his eyes lessening as he noticed her staring at him. His brow furrowed, but he went back to eating. That was it.
Back in middle school, some of Tsuyu's classmates would be disturbed by her abnormally large eyes and blank stare, especially since she tended to observe people instead of talking to them. There was always some light teasing, but she learned to ignore it. She never purposely used it to annoy anyone, but if it was enough to get him to speak up...
Bakugou swallowed a spoonful of curry and sat back in his chair, catching Tsuyu's eyes on him for the second time. Would it work? He gave her a dirty look, but he seemed obstinate in maintaining the increasingly-awkward silence.
Another bite. She was still looking at him.
It didn't take long for him to snap. "Quit staring at me, it's creepy as hell!" he demanded, setting down his chopsticks. "Just say what you wanna say already!"
Tsuyu stifled a smile. It wasn't taking long for her to figure out all his buttons. "You didn't come here with Kirishima-chan and the others today?" she questioned.
Bakugou scoffed. "What, you expect us to be joined at the hip just because Shitty-Hair's chummy with me? I'm taking a break. He already helped me move in this morning, so of course I had to return the favor. That dumbass owns enough weights to fill a whole gym."
Now Tsuyu was really interested. Kirishima was usually with him all around the clock during the previous term, and as far as she knew, Bakugou had simply accepted his presence with grumbling resignation. Was he trying to avoid the topic? Strange.
"Not at all, kero. It just seems like he, Kaminari-chan, and Sero-chan tend to hang around you a lot."
He grimaced. "Don't remind me about those damn extras. Kirishima's constant bugging was enough, and now I've got them on my back too. Pain in the ass." Despite his words, his tone lacked their usual malice. Tsuyu cocked her head. Perhaps he was warming up to them.
The two picked up their chopsticks and continued to eat. Bakugou eyed her bowl of curry, finally seeming to realize they'd ordered the same thing. "Good choice. I'd ask for some extra spice packets, though. Gives it more flavor." Tsuyu glanced at the packets strewn about his side of the table; their design featuring a sweating Lunch Rush with fire spewing out from the top of his chef's hat. When she first sat down and noticed his curry, she'd assumed he had just grabbed a bunch of them for later use.
After closer inspection, she realized that the packets were all empty. She counted five of them.
Tsuyu looked up at him, slightly incredulous. "Bakugou-chan, this is spicy Indian curry, not mild. I'd rather not burn my tongue off, especially considering how it relates to my hero work."
He crossed his arms. "Never said it was mild, Frog-Face," he huffed. "I just like the extra heat, wakes up the senses. If it makes you sweat, even better."
"Sounds a bit masochistic."
"Psh."
The pair continued to eat in silence, though it felt more comfortable than before. Bakugou regarded her with a thoughtful eye, leaning a cheek against his fist. "Still, not bad. Never would've guessed you'd have a decent taste in food. Most girls are wimpy when it comes to spice."
Tsuyu blinked. Well, that was a surprise. She never would've thought she'd receive a genuine(albeit slightly misogynistic) compliment from Bakugou before. Who knew he had it in him? "I grew up cooking for my younger siblings," she shrugged. "My brother likes it, so I just got used to it."
Bakugou gave her a curious look, but only for a moment. It shifted quite abruptly to one of horror once she started scooping at the platter of jelly next to her curry. "What the hell is that?"
Tsuyu tilted her head, bemused. "Creamy fruit jelly?"
"I know what it is, Frog-Face! I'm asking why you're eating that nasty stuff with curry!"
She raised her eyebrows, slightly peeved that Bakugou had insulted her favorite snack. "It helps to soothe the spice. And I like it better than the plain yogurt they serve."
"How the hell would it be better than the yogurt?" he blustered. "All that artificial sweetness just clashes with the spice!"
"So what?"
"'So what?' What kinda fuckin' retort is that?! Did you damage your taste palate or something?"
"Indoor voices, Bakugou-chan," she chided, using the same tone she had with her little siblings. "Other people are still eating." Of course, this only enraged him further. He was about to yell some more when a student from across the dining hall swore at him.
"Hey, asshole! Keep it down! I'm trying to eat!" he called. Tsuyu squinted — was he one of the general education students?
Her classmate pushed his hands off the table and swung his head around, snarling. "I'll talk however I want to, you damn extra!"
The student flashed a middle finger at him, but said nothing further. Bakugou, who was now standing, returned the gesture. After a moment he slouched back into his chair, still seething. "Gen-ed bastard."
Tsuyu blinked at their antics. "Does that happen often?"
"Forget about him, we ain't done." The blonde stuck a finger at her. "I take back all that shit I said earlier. Your taste is worse than Dunce-Face's, and he insists that stacking his plate with hamburgers everyday is a balanced diet cause of the toppings."
The shifts in conversation were enough to give Tsuyu whiplash, but she straightened. So he was going to compare her appreciation for jelly with Kaminari's unhealthy eating habits, now? It was on. "It can't be worse than destroying your tongue with spice packets all the time. Do you even have any taste buds left to tell if something tastes good?" Bakugou glowered at her as she struggled to keep a straight face. Now she understood why the others got such a kick out of this — who knew that hurling insults could be so amusing?
"Right back at you, Frog-Face," he countered. "For a quirk-enhanced tongue, your taste buds must be pretty deficient to enjoy that kind of crap."
"If they're deficient, I'd worry about yours. All that abuse must be limiting their range."
Bakugou was unable to come up with an immediate return. His forehead wrinkled in a pout. "What the hell happened to you staying quiet the whole time, anyway?"
Tsuyu crossed her arms. "You told me to say what I wanted to say. I assumed you were just trying to make conversation."
"I only said that 'cause you kept gawking at me with those creepy-ass eyes!"
"So you're going to resort to insults about my appearance, now? That's pretty weak of you, Bakugou-chan," she teased.
The blonde's eyes widened, his retort wavering in the back of his throat. His whole body tensed, as if he had been reminded of some unsavory memory. Their back-and-forth fell into an abrupt silence, and the boy stared at his finished curry bowl with an unreadable expression on his face. Tsuyu was taken aback. Had she said something wrong?
"...Bakugou-chan?"
He shook his head roughly, snapping out of his daze. His eyes had returned to the distracted, uneasy appearance from earlier. "...I'm heading back," he muttered, picking up his tray.
Wait, what? "Hold on, Baku—"
"Bye."
The frog girl watched him dumbly as he trudged away towards the tray drop-off. By the time she had thought to return his goodbye, Bakugou was already out the door.
...Well, that ended as terribly as it could.
Tsuyu looked down, fists clenching on her lap. The weight of guilt had returned in her gut, heavier than ever. She'd managed to create yet another rift with one of her classmates. But how? All she did was play along in their silly insult match, but she hadn't said anything that went too far or was too personal. Or had she?
Tsuyu knit her eyebrows in thought. His attitude had been predictable for the most part, up until her last jab, when she told him his insults were weak. Weak. Was that word what had set him off? Was it connected to his weird behavior in any way? He had to have sustained some trauma after going through what he did at Kamino, perhaps the word triggered it somehow. But why — she froze. Oh, no.
She would've slapped herself like Ochako if she hadn't been in public. How could she have been so careless with her words?
If there was one thing she knew about Bakugou Katsuki, it was that, more than anything, he wanted to be the strongest. So much so that it wouldn't surprise Tsuyu at all if it had developed into an inferiority complex. So after being kidnapped by villains, to having to be rescued by Midoriya and his classmates, followed by the whole ward being razed in the ensuing fight — she could only imagine how much that affected him.
Tsuyu poked at the last of her fruit jelly with her spoon, staring at the empty spice packets Bakugou had left behind. Her mind was set.
When she finally gathered the courage to apologize to her friends, he would be there too.