bunny love [k. bakugo x oc]

53. A Teacher's Worth

Kuri wiped her damp palms on her leggings as she sat down on one of the armchairs in the lobby across from Aizawa, who had his head leaned back and eyes closed. Even the hotel's air conditioning couldn't stop Kuri's anxious sweating, but she reassured herself that nothing she wanted to say warranted punishment.

"Mr. Aizawa...?"

Her teacher stirred and glanced at Kuri with confusion and a twinge of annoyance.

"What? Aren't you going to dinner with the others?" he asked.

"Um, no, well, not yet—"

"If you're here to invite me, I already told your friends no. I spend enough time supervising the lot of you," he said, leaning his head back again.

"I'm here for academic advice, actually," Kuri said, curling her hands into fists and resting them on her knees.

"Go on, then."

Kuri blew out a heavy breath and closed her eyes. She felt a barrier between her mouth and the words she needed to say, but Kuri forced her lips to part and squeezed out the truth she'd hidden from practically everyone.

"I don't want to be a hero," Kuri said. Aizawa didn't respond immediately, and Kuri was too scared to look up and see his reaction, so she hurried to add context. "I started feeling this way before I transferred here, but things just keep getting worse, and I want to quit, but my parents won't let me. I still want to stay here, though—"

"Okay, slow down," Aizawa cut her off, and Kuri looked up with zipped lips. He had a hand up, urging her to pause. "So, what exactly do you want my advice on? How to drop out of UA?"

Kuri paused and tilted her head to the side. She had half-expected him to immediately tell her it was an idiotic decision to leave or to question why she had transferred here in the first place, but Aizawa started right on her level. Kuri had prepared for a debate, but he really was willing to advise her on quitting.

Aizawa raised his eyebrows, and Kuri realized she'd failed to provide an answer yet, so she straightened in her seat and cleared her throat.

"I guess I just want someone to tell me whether or not I should stop hero training for good," Kuri said.

"Don't ask someone else to make the decision for your life," Aizawa said, crossing his arms. "What do you want to do—continue or quit?"

"I don't know..." Kuri shrugged and furrowed her brow. "There's too much to consider."

"Such as...?"

"Well, you might've heard about my kidnapping..."

"It's noted on your school file, yes."

"There's that, so I get mental breakdowns during missions. I don't want to get into that, but it's the main reason—besides general disinterest—why I want to quit. But I feel selfish for not wanting to save people anymore, and my parents won't let me out of here anyway, so I'm stuck."

She fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt, studying a loose thread while Aizawa contemplated her response and formulated a question.

"Is helping others something you value?" he asked.

Kuri nodded, and Aizawa leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Everyone has a different skill set they can use to serve their community, giving us doctors, teachers, sanitation workers, you name it," Aizawa said. "You, Nakano, have the skills of a hero, which is only natural after all your training."

Kuri nodded and looked at her hands in her lap. So, he wanted her to keep going...

"But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to be one," Aizawa continued. Kuri's head shot up, and she looked at him with keen eyes. "You likely have skills in other areas, too, and you may find you enjoy those things more than heroism."