This Thing A Quiet Madness Made

Chapter 36

Although, on second thought, maybe it really shouldn't be.

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Dinner at the 1-A dorm was quieter than usual that night. Pockets of conversation remained active in some parts of the room as most of the class sat scattered around the common area. Uraraka stared idly down at her food as she pushed it around a bit, fidgeting in her seat and tucking her hair back for the tenth time that night. It had been like this all day, now that she thought about it, though perhaps it was only natural for everyone to be a bit nervous.

It had been a few hours since class ended, and they had yet to see even a glimpse of their newest housemate. A few of the more daring among them had even taken a peek into the second-floor girls' hall, perhaps expecting to find some sign of her. They had known she would be coming before the rest of the school. Surprisingly enough, Uraraka and Midoriya had managed to convince the class to have her stay with them. Uraraka had been the one to come up with the idea, and knowing Midoriya was the person most likely to stand by her side, she went about persuading him first. She had actually tried asking Yaoyorozu before him, knowing she and Naoko used to be close back then, but the girl hadn't been feeling well and sheepishly had to deny the plea for help, though she was the first to sign the unofficial petition they had created. At the time, Uraraka thought it was a bit strange, as the girl had seemed quite normal earlier that day, but she quickly dismissed it as a result of her own preoccupation. She did have a tendency to miss the obvious whenever she was distracted.

Uraraka picked up her cup and took a slow sip, her eyes anxiously sweeping over the room. Her classmates may have agreed to it, but she knew not all of them were necessarily excited to have her here. She knew they were kind-hearted people, they believed Unknown deserved a second chance despite the hurt she had once caused them, but it was still a bit unnerving, the thoughts of "what if" always whispering in the back of their minds. Surely Mr. Aizawa and Principal Nezu wouldn't have agreed to this if they thought she was dangerous, right? Even still, it was strange to think she was really here- on the same campus, in the same building- just a floor above them.

"Hey, do you think Unknown is actually up there?" Kaminari asked quietly from the couch behind her, drawing Uraraka out of her daze. She shifted in her chair as she took another sip of her drink, leaning back to listen as inconspicuously as possible.

"Aizawa and Mic said she is, right?" Jirou blinked questioningly at him.

"But no one's seen her yet! Has she really been inside her room all day?"

"Hm... do you think she's a ghost?" Sero tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Or maybe she just doesn't want to see you idiots again," Mina sighed, shaking her head dramatically.

"Do you guys think it's alright to have her here? It's a little weird, right?" Sero asked through a mouthful, drawing a disapproving glare from Jirou.

"I think it's fine. I mean, she doesn't really have anywhere else to go, and no one deserves to be all alone without a place to live. That wouldn't be manly at all," Kirishima mused.

"Yea, just because she's a bad guy doesn't mean she's a bad guy, right?"

"I think the point is she's not a bad guy, dude."

"Hey! Don't change the subject!" Kaminari whined, pointing an accusatory finger at his friends.

"Denki, just because you haven't seen her yet doesn't mean she doesn't exist."