The Story Of Us (Todobaku)

King of the Playground

It didn't take long for Katsuki Bakugou to decide he did not like the new kid.

Granted, he didn't like most of his classmates. At six years old, Katsuki was the oldest in his class, and it showed. His skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic far exceeded those of his peers and in turn resulted in the boy developing a serious superiority complex. He often looked down on his classmates for not measuring up to him, a habit his parents and Miss Yukizome were desperate to break.

But there was something about Shouto Todoroki that especially irritated Katsuki. While he found the majority of the children in his class dumb and useless, at least they all demonstrated some level of competency. Shouto, on the other hand, needed assistance for everything.

It was like he was a different species. He couldn't count higher than the number five, could hardly distinguish colors and shapes, and couldn't even write his own name correctly. No wonder why he spent most of the day hanging out with Izuku Midoriya. Katsuki couldn't think of a more pathetic duo.

"Okay, class!"

Miss Yukizome held two fingers in the air, signaling for everyone to be quiet. Katsuki instantly set his blocks down beside him. He elbowed Eijiro Kirishima to do the same, as the latter was too focused on adding more blocks to their already massive skyscraper. Katsuki never understood why it took the other kids so long to get quiet when the teacher asked them to. It wasn't hard to just shut up and listen.

When the room settled still, Miss Yukizome smiled. "It's time to head outside! Everyone line up at the door please."

Several students cheered and giggled as they rushed to the door. Katsuki made his way up the line, Eijiro right behind him. He was one spot away from the front, but was blocked by Tenya Iida, who had his arms out in a T position.

"Miss Yukizome says I'm line leader today," he said.

Katsuki scrunched his face. "So?"

"So that means I get to stand in the front. No cutsies."

Eijiro rested a hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "That's okay Katsuki, you can be second."

Katsuki shrugged, but still gave a half smile. He liked having Eijiro around, mostly because Eijiro always did whatever Katsuki wanted him to. The Robin to Katsuki's Batman, Eijiro was happy to take on the sidekick role and leave the shot calling to Katsuki.

Miss Yukizome led the class single file outside to the playground. This was Katsuki's favorite part of kindergarten. He hated being stuck indoors and the rules that came with it. On the schoolyard playground, however, he was free to run around and climb on things as much as he pleased. If it were up to him, school would always be outside, rain or shine.

Once they hit the wood chips, kids broke off in all directions to play in small groups. Katsuki was about to head off with Eijiro toward the jungle gym, but Miss Yukizome called for him.

"Katsuki, can you come with me please?"

Katsuki walked with his teacher to a small picnic bench while Eijiro ran to the sandbox to play with Mina Ashido. When they reached their destination, Miss Yukizome crouched down to Katsuki's height and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you going to earn your gold sticker today, Katsuki? I don't want a repeat of last week."

"Yes ma'am," Katsuki muttered.

Contrary to what his classmates might've believed, Katsuki didn't like getting in trouble. In fact, his self-esteem was dependent on praise from others. It was why he and Eijiro were as close as they were. Aside from Katsuki himself, Eijiro was probably his biggest fan.