"She seems quite impressed with this boy," Takashi Yaoyorozu commented to his wife.

"Indeed," Himeko Yaoyorozu responded, watching her husband browse on his phone. "Found anything?" she asked, already predicting that he wouldn't waste time gathering information about this Bakugo Katsuki through his sources.

Takashi sighed, furrowing his brow as he scrolled through the screen. "Nothing too promising," he said with a look of disapproval. "He has a history of rebellion and being a troublemaker at his previous school. Seems like the type who doesn't follow rules and disrespects his elders. In every sense, a bad influence on Momo."

"I see... this is what we feared."


[The next day]

'This is hell on Earth,' Bakugo thought as Present Mic's high-pitched voice still echoed in his head.

As soon as the teacher dismissed them for lunch, he practically flew out of the classroom.

Running a hand through his hair irritably, Bakugo walked with firm steps toward the cafeteria, ignoring the murmurs and pointing fingers of the other students in the hallway.

"The class was... a bit too normal,"

Bakugo abruptly stopped and turned to glare at the owner of the voice. 'How did you follow me so fast?' he wondered, finding himself face to face with Uraraka.

"What?" she asked after he just stared at her. "Oh, do I have something on my face?!" Uraraka turned her head to the side, checking her face with her hands.

"No..." Bakugo replied flatly, spinning on his heels and resuming his walk with his hands in his pockets.

The two reached the cafeteria and got their meals. Then, with trays in hand, they chose a table near the window, where the sunlight streamed in softly.

Uraraka sat on one side, and Bakugo on the other. The atmosphere at the table was relaxed, but Bakugo seemed distant, his eyes fixed on his tray as he chewed.

"...it's good that the prices are cheap," Uraraka murmured to herself, unaware that Bakugo could hear her clearly.

A little curious, he leaned slightly toward her. "Why's that?"

Uraraka flinched, letting out a small "Ah!" as she straightened up in her chair. She blushed slightly, realizing that Bakugo had actually heard what she said.

"I-I just thought the food would be more expensive, you know," she said, raising a finger in an explanatory gesture.

"Hmm... you're a terrible liar," Bakugo replied, going back to eating without looking at her.

The comment made Uraraka's shoulders slump. "I... I just didn't want it to be a problem," she admitted, staring at the table while her fingers nervously played with the napkin. "It's just that I try to save money whenever I can. My family... well, we don't have a lot of it."

She hesitated, her eyes lost in thought. After a few seconds, she decided to continue. "They have a construction company, but things aren't going well. It's been years since we got a big contract, and we're on the verge of bankruptcy."

Uraraka let out an awkward laugh, scratching her head. "Ah, sorry! I shouldn't be talking about this while we're eating, right?"

'So that's why she got the smallest plate...' Bakugo stopped eating, his eyes shifting to her from the corner of his eye.

The silence that followed was almost palpable, and Uraraka felt the weight of having opened up so much hanging in the air.

"Yeah, you're right," Bakugo finally broke the silence, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "This isn't mealtime conversation. Now I lost my appetite because of you."

"Oh... sorry." Uraraka lowered her head in embarrassment, her voice coming out as a nearly inaudible whisper. 'I... shouldn't have said anything.'

Bakugo scoffed and pushed his tray toward her. "I'm not throwing all this food away. If you feel so guilty, then finish this."

Uraraka's eyes widened, and she lifted her head to look at him. Tears started to spill down her cheeks, reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Hey, don't start that now," Bakugo grumbled in a low voice.

"You... are you sure? Won't you be hungry?" she asked, quickly wiping her tears away with her hand.

"Tsk, just eat."

She nodded and picked up her chopsticks, but before taking a bite, Uraraka looked at Bakugo with the brightest smile he had ever seen. "Thank you, Bakugo-kun!"

"...whatever, pink cheeks."

At that moment, Uraraka didn't even care about the nickname.


[One hour later]
"Aren't you guys nervous?" Kaminari asked from his seat.

"Why would we be?" Momo asked back.

"I mean—" He looked around for support. "Am I the only one traumatized after Aizawa-sensei's class?"

"Yes, just you," Kyoka replied beside him, idly twirling one of her jacks in her hand.

"No way!" Kaminari exclaimed, his eyes widening as he leaned toward Kyoka. "Did you see the way he looked at us? Like he was planning our total destruction? That didn't scare you even a little?"

Kyoka shrugged, a playful smile forming on her lips. "Maybe you're just more cowardly than the rest of us."

"Hey, that was rude!" Kaminari protested, placing a hand on his chest as if he'd been truly wounded.

"I'm excited to see who'll be teaching the class," Kirishima commented, completely ignoring Kaminari's whining.

"Me too!" Uraraka exclaimed, raising her arms with a bright smile. Deep down, she hoped it would be Thirteen, her favorite hero.

"I just hope it's someone who doesn't waste time with useless theories," Bakugo muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"You mean 'essential theories so you don't blow things up by accident'?" Kyoka shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"You teasing me, earphones?" Bakugo asked in a mocking tone.

"What do you think, Blasty?" Kyoka replied, a challenging smile appearing on her face.

'Wow, so this is what a conversation between friends looks like?' Momo wondered, watching everything with curiosity.

Everyone stopped talking when they heard heavy footsteps near the classroom door.

"HEEERE I COME—"

At the back of the room, Izuku's face lit up as he recognized the voice.

"ENTERING LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" All Might threw open the door, his presence filling the class. And despite his words, his entrance was anything but normal.

"I-it's really All Might!" Kaminari stammered, his eyes wide.

"Now THIS is a real teacher!" Kirishima exclaimed, raising his fist enthusiastically.

'All Might...' As much as he had prepared himself mentally, Bakugo felt his chest tighten and his eyes sting upon seeing him again—tall, strong, and unshakable, just as he should always have been.

Instinctively, his hand went to his chest, where he felt the All Might card—the same one he always carried... the same one he held before he died in front of the hero's specter.

His jaw clenched as the weight of the memories hit him. 'Not now,' he thought, tightening his fingers around the card.

"-Bakugo-kun?"

He snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Lifting his head, Bakugo found himself staring at Uraraka's concerned expression and noticed that everyone was already standing up, grabbing their uniforms.

'How long was I—?'

"Are you okay?"

Hearing the worried tone, Bakugo took a deep breath and quickly pulled his hand away from his chest. "I'm fine, just got lost in thought."

Uraraka didn't look entirely convinced but stepped back. "If you say so." She didn't push further, understanding that he didn't want to talk about it.

Bakugo got up and went to where his case with his uniform was. 'I... think I'm not feeling well...'


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.