Spotting the book store up ahead, I noticed how Yaoyorozu's face lit up. She looked excited as we approached it, her eyes already beginning to scan the books on display. Entering through the open front doors, she was quick to hurry over to the section she was most interested in. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to kill some time by looking at some manga.
My eyes scanned the shelves, eventually landing on a specific manga series. It was the one I'd been lending to Monoma, reminding me of the way he had changed as of recently. He had always been a bit odd but now he was acting really rude, especially when he was talking about my class. I really didn't like hearing that since I actually liked my class a lot. I had developed relationships with a lot of my classmates, I now considered many of them to be my friends.
That thought reminded me of something that had been mentioned many times since the start of school, that being the UA sports festival. I had learnt about it before attending the school, being informed by the Hero Association that this was something I would have to be wary of. Even though everyone else would see this as a great opportunity, I was told that this could be dangerous for me. Being broadcast all over the world, everyone would be able to see me. They didn't say how they would protect me during the festival but I had an inkling that they would definitely do something. Tomorrow morning I would have to take part in it and hadn't heard anything from them, making me assume they'd get in contact with me tomorrow at some point.
I tried to push those thoughts away, not really liking to think about the Hero Association. Just thinking about them reminded me not only of the Heroes I had lived with in the past but also my real family. My mum, dad and little sister. The past wasn't something I liked to dwell on, especially since there was nothing I could change about it. It also reminded me of the things I had forgotten, all of the blank spots in my memory. I knew that there were things about myself and my past that were being kept from me, things that I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.
"(L/n)!" Yaoyorozu called out. Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to face the girl who stood at the end of the manga aisle. Spotting me, she smiled widely before approaching. In her hand was a bag containing everything she had bought in the store, by the size I assumed that she had bought a few books. As soon as she stood before me, she looked down at the bag and reached in to grab something. Her hand came out of the bag a moment later with a pen inher hand. It was light green in colour with a cute alien on top of it. I was surprised to see her hold it out to me, reluctantly reaching out to accept it.
"I saw it and it made me think of your quirk," she smiled, reaching her hand in to pull out another identical green pen.
"I got it to thank you, now we have matching pens." I watched as she waited for me to respond, looking nervous that I would reject her gift. Looking down at the pen in my hand, I couldn't help but smile.
"Thanks, Yaoyorozu. It's cute," I told her, watching as she looked panicked for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak before stopping herself, looking at me with a nervous glance. Seeing that I was looking at her, she spoke up.
"It's fine if you call me Momo," she said, her cheeks tinting pink. I was surprised by her words, not expecting her to say that.
"Right, Momo. I guess I could say the same, just call me (Y/n)," I told her, watching as she stared at me in shock. She was quick to snap out of it, nodding quickly before directing her gaze to the front door of the shop.
"We should probably go meet with the others, we don't wanna keep them waiting," she changed the subject, beginning to walk towards the door. I nodded in agreement and hurried after her, wondering why her mood had suddenly changed. She seemed really nervous, I wasn't really sure why.
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Meeting up with the others, we all headed to the train station together. Since none of us really lived close to each other it was sad having to say our goodbyes, each of us getting off one by one at different stations. By the time we reached my station, the only ones left on the train were Ashido and Jirou. Bidding goodbye to the pair, I hurried off the train and onto the platform.
The walk back to the Shinsou household didn't take too long, just over fifteen minutes. Spotting the house up ahead, I felt a little relieved. I couldn't wait to get up to my room and relax, my feet killing me from all the walking around I had done that day. It was the cherry on top of my constant running during our Heroics class, trying to run away from Tokoyami and his team.
Arriving at the house, I opened the door slowly and as quietly as I could. The hinges squeaked quietly as I entered, not being noticeable by anyone else in the house. But since I was so focused on the sound the door was making, I wasn't paying attention to anything else and didn't see Mihoko standing in the hallway before me. Freezing in place under her gaze, I wasn't sure how to react. On instinct, I bowed quickly before making my way towards the stairs with a lowered head. But as soon as I put my foot on the second step, she called out.
"Dinner's ready," she announced, making me stop in my tracks. I was surprised to hear her actually speak to me. Turning back to look at her, I nodded and put my bag down by the door.
"O-okay," I managed to get out, beginning to head towards the dining table. The food was already laid out, Hitoshi and Hajime already occupying their places. Meeting the gaze of the two males, I sent them both an acknowledging nod before taking my place beside Hitoshi.
"Did you have fun with your friends?" Hajime asked as his wife took a seat beside him, everyone beginning to eat. I nodded my head, finishing my mouth full before speaking.
"Yeah," I answered, my mood improving after remembering the afternoon I had spent with my friends.
"What did you do?" he asked, both Hitoshi and Mihoko listening in. Giving it some thought, I only mentioned the main things that happened.
"We just went shopping and then went to a restaurant together," I informed him, taking a sip from my glass of water. He nodded as he chewed, swallowing before speaking again. But this time was different, Hajime seemed a lot more serious about what was on his mind.
"(Y/n), I got a call from a teacher today. They said you got into a fight," he said, making my body tense up. I immediately knew that it was All Might that had called, most likely since I didn't go and see him like Midoriya has requested me to. I just felt like I didn't need to, what's going on between Todoroki and me is no one else's business.
"I did but it wasn't that serious," I told him, hoping he wouldn't pry too far into it. This wasn't something I wanted to discuss at the dinner table, especially since a majority of the people sitting here weren't too fond of me at the moment.
"You teacher also mentioned that it was a boy you used to stay with for Hero Care, do you not get along with him?" he asked, seeming very interested in my answer. Even though Hitoshi and Mihoko kept their eyes down, I knew that they were just as invested in my answer as Hajime was. I really didn't want to discuss this, but it didn't look like they were giving me a choice.
"We don't get along," I told him, knowing my answer would invoke more questions. paused for a moment, humming as he finished his mouth full.
"Why's that? Did something happen while you were staying with him?" he questioned. I nodded my head, feeling a little annoyed that all of this was being brought up again. Since the first day of school, Todoroki's stare has invoked all of those memories and forced me to remember them. It's not a good feeling knowing that you've done something wrong, never being able to fix it.
"Well, that was a long time ago. You guys are older now so you should try and work it out," he lectured, hoping this would help me learn some kind of lesson.
"I'll try," I told him, hoping it would appease him. I was lucky enough to get away with that, thinking that the conversation was over. But how wrong I was, feeling mentally drained after Hajime continued asking about it.
"What happened between the two of you?" he asked, catching the attention of his wife and son with his follow up. They waited patiently for my answer, neither of them really knowing much about the situation.
I never went into too much detail about my stay with the Todoroki family, only that it hadn't ended well. What Hitoshi knew about my past was only a fraction of the story, some of it was even unfamiliar to me. I had blank spots in my memory, sometimes making me doubt if what I remembered was the truth or not. But with Todoroki, I knew what had happened was true. That memory felt all too real, I remember the regret and the pain I felt when he suddenly became cold with me. And the confusion, not knowing what I had done wrong back then.
"I..." I paused, hating that I was being forced to talk about this again.
"I said something I didn't mean, it was a misunderstanding," Iadmitted. He took a moment to process what I had said, chewing his mouth full before speaking.
"Why don't you apologize?" he asked, thinking he was doing something with his suggestion. I lowered my head, trying to ignore the eyes that were on me. Mihoko listened with her head down while Hitoshi no longer cared to conceal his eyes, now waiting for my answer.
"Sometimes it's not as simple as an apology, it wouldn't be enough to fix what's already happened," I told them, lifting my head to look up at Hajime. In the corner of my eye, I could see Hitoshi watching me. Glancing his way, he was surprised to meet my gaze. But I wanted him to know that this referred to him too, a misunderstanding that we would hopefully be able to move on from. Hajime opened his mouth to continue talking, stoping when he received a cautious look form his wife.
"Right, if you ever want to talk to someone we're here for you. That man that came by that day is also there for you, you can talk to him if you ever need anything," he said, referring to Sir Nighteye. I nodded my head, knowing that it was an offer I couldn't take him up on especially with Sir. Even though I had relied on him multiple times in the past, we weren't actually allowed to see each other. After my time during Hero Care, I was cut off from every single hero I'd stayed with. Sir was one of them and because of the strong bond we had formed, it hurt even more when we were separated. And even though it broke the rules, he continued to check in with me even after we were split up. But everytime we spoke or met up, it was a risk. Sir could lose his job and I would hate to be the cause of that.
"I can't," Isaid quietly, not realising that everyone else at the table could hear me. All eyes were on me, shocked by the words that had just left my mouth.
"Come on, I'm sure that you'll be able to talk to him. He seems a little grumpy and serious but he cares about you," Hajime tried to assure me. Everyone at the table was startled by the sound of my chair scraping against the ground, everyone now seeing me standing from my seat.
"I'm not allowed to," I said, voice void of emotion. Beginning to walk around the table towards the hall, the Shinsou family stared at me in disbelief.
"Who said that you're not allowed to?" Hajime asked, breaking the silence. Not wanting to talk about it anymore, I continued walking.
"(Y/n), wait," he called out, sounding worried. But I didn't want to hear it. Entering the hall, I picked up my bag before making my way up the stairs. I'd had enough.
It's been a while but I'm happy t finally get a chapter out. Tomorrow will be the sports festival so we'll get some more Todoroki clashes and an introduction of a new charater. I think you'll be really happy to see him pop up. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for reading :)