chapter xxxiv.
( a house full of idiots )
Finally, the day that Keiko and the rest of the class would officially live in the dorms together arrived.
Her mom sent her to school with the car, which she didn't normally do but she wanted to be with her daughter until the very last moment when she won't be able to see her as often.
"Stay safe Kei," Suki told her daughter, pulling her head close and pressing her lips to Keiko's forehead. "Remember what your father and I told you: if anything bad happens to you, don't be afraid to use your quirk to save yourself. We'll deal with the lawsuits after. Your priority is your life, okay?"
Keiko nodded, smiling at her dear mother. "Yeah, don't worry Mom. I got it."
Suki sighed. "Don't forget to have fun, though. You don't need to act so mature and uptight all the time. I'll also bring your stuff for your dorm later."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll go now," Keiko said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and stepping out of the car. "Love you Mom!"
"Love you too, Kei!"
Keiko walked away, waving her hand above her head without looking back when she heard her mom honk the horn one last time before driving off.
It was a five-minute walk from the main building to the dorms in the big campus in UA, and it went by in a flash.
She was the last one in the class to arrive at the dorms, since she had one last doctor's appointment an hour earlier to make sure that she was physically capable of resuming her hero training.
It also led to quite a few... awkward questions due to the remarkable speed of her recovery from life-threatening injuries.
"It's incredible how quick your body healed from the serious injuries you sustained!"
"Uh... I eat my vegetables. A lot."
So much for Astran's assistance in thinking of suitable excuses for the hidden (not-so-hidden) qualities of her quirk.
"Keiko!" Kirishima greeted, excusing himself as he walked from the front of the class to the back so he could greet his friend. "I was worried for a sec that your parents didn't let you go back to UA!"
"Eijirou," Keiko returned his grin, giving him a short one arm hug. "It was difficult to convince them, but in the end they let me stay."
Kirishima pulled away slightly, one arm still around her shoulders. "That's good!"
With the conclusion of her conversation with Kirishima, she was given the opportunity to get a better look at the dorms as the two walked back to join the class.
The building was quite big — as expected of a place that was supposed to house twenty-one students. With rich brown in a darker shade being framed by white, and the large "1A ALLIANCE" label in the front, it seemed more like a bank rather than a dorm.
Well, soon enough it was going to become home to them.
And to her.
Hopefully.
"Now that we're complete," Aizawa started, looking at the girl and making Keiko smile sheepishly at her tardiness, "I'm glad to see you all here safe and healthy."
"Yeah, it's a blessing that all of us were allowed to go back to UA," Sero said, hands on his hips.
"Yeah, I'm glad my effort to convince my parents paid off," Hagakure sighed in relief.
"Now, before I let you settle in your dorms, I have a few things to say," Aizawa said gruffly, clapping his hands together to regain their attention. "From now on, you'll be training for the provisional license exams."
Ah, finally, something not involving villains.
"Kirishima. Kobayashi. Yaoyorozu. Todoroki. Midoriya. Iida."
The ones mentioned — and the rest of the class — stiffened and shuffled nervously at the change of their teacher's tone.
They all knew where the conversation was headed.
And they didn't like it.
"You six went to rescue Bakugou at the night of the Kamino Incident," Aizawa continued. "Judging on the rest of your reactions, you were all aware of their plan."
The wind picked up its pace, falling leaves gliding along with its current as Aizawa looked at them with eyes more bloodshot than usual. "I might as well tell you now since we're here: if it weren't for All Might's retirement, I would have expelled everyone in this class except Jirou, Hagakure, and Bakugou — the six who executed the plan, and the twelve who didn't report their plans to someone who could've kept them away from danger. In doing so, you've broken the trust us teachers placed in you all.
"So if you can follow the rules, stick to them, and regain our trust, that would be most appreciated."
Keiko sighed silently, her hand clenching on fabric. I hate this atmosphere.
"That's all," Aizawa said, turning around and nonchalantly walking back into the dorms as if he didn't just say such serious things. "Into the dorms you go. Lighten up."
It's going to be hard to lighten up with the guilt you just made us feel.
It seems your explosive friend has a plan.
And he did — Bakugou dragged Kaminari with him behind a bush. Electricity went off for a few seconds before Kaminari emerged, his face sweaty and dumb, giving everyone a stupid thumbs up and making Jirou laugh uncontrollably.
"Oi, Shitty Hair," Bakugou walked towards Kirishima and Keiko, his face in a scowl as he handed out a wad of cash to him.
"Holy shit did you mug Kami?!"
"NO YOU SHITHEAD, THIS IS MY OWN MONEY!" Bakugou boomed. "You ran out of pocket money, right? Here."
Keiko smiled softly. He knew Kirishima used up his money to buy night vision goggles for the Kamino Incident... that's oddly kind of him.
Without letting Kirishima decline, he shoved the money to his chest and walked to the dorms. "Stop looking so glum and shit or else you're gonna make me glum too. Be your usual stupid selves."
Keiko and Kirishima watched Bakugou, their eyes holding surprise and appreciation for the blonde.
The girl decided to relax a little, smiling up at Kirishima. "He's right, let's not keep wallowing in sorrow and loosen up a bit, yeah?"
Kirishima grinned. "Yeah."
▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎
Hours passed, and soon it was late in the afternoon. There weren't any academics, since the day was kept free so the students had the chance to settle in before classes resumed.
Everyone was exhausted, having used most of their time for moving their stuff around in their dorms.
"Shit, I'm beat," Keiko groaned, leaning back on the couch. "I haven't eaten lunch yet. What time is it?"
"It's almost six, Keiko," Kaminari tutted. "You should take better care of yourself! Skipping meals is bad."
Keiko chuckled tiredly. "You sound like my brother, y'know? He's always like 'hoi eat a lot! Who cares if you get fat? A happy life starts with a fuck ton of tasty food!'"
"Sounds like a funny guy," Sero laughed. "When will we get to meet him?"
Keiko shivered at the thought of the class finding out about the famous Aiko Kobayashi being her brother. "Hopefully, never."
Before Kaminari could question her response, Keiko steered the topic away from her. "Eijirou, did you finish unpacking?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I did," Kirishima said.
Midoriya smiled. "Good job everyone!"
"Y'know, I thought that moving in together would be awkward at first, but it's actually really fun!" the electric blonde grinned.
"It's an opportunity to build on teamwork and our knowledge about each other!" Iida said, waving his hands determinedly.
The redhead with a white bandana laughed. "Iida's very motivated."
"Boys, are you done settling in?" Mina suddenly asked, the girls behind her as they entered the common room.
"Yeah, we are," Keiko answered despite the fact that she wasn't a boy. "Why?"
"Well," Mina started, mischief etched on her pink face. "We were wondering if we can hold a dorm exhibition competition!"
Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Keiko simultaneously stiffened, as they were the ones who lived on the second floor.
"Hell no," Keiko shot down immediately. She didn't like the idea of people stepping into her personal space.
Sadly, they didn't listen as they went into Midoriya's room.
"Woah, it's a typical fanboy's room, except twelve times more intense," Keiko commented bluntly, gazing around the room through the doorframe.
"He's my idol," Midoriya said, his face flushed a deep red from embarrassment.
They moved on to Tokoyami's room after pushing the bird boy out of the way, revealing his dark room with interesting antiques.
Keiko decided not to enter, just as she did with Midoriya's, since she didn't want Tokoyami to feel more uncomfortable than he already is.
Oh no, it's my turn next.
Keiko swiftly ran towards the front of her room and blocked it with her arms before anyone could enter, making the class gather in front of her door. "Okay, move along. No one's going in my room."
Mina pouted. "C'mon Keiko! Don't be shy. I'm sure your room is nice."
Keiko shook her head. "Hell no. I don't want anyone going in my room. It's my personal space and you guys gotta respect that."
"We shouldn't enter her room," Hagakure spoke up, mistrust in her tone. "Who knows what booby traps she might've set up there?"
There was a tense silence after Hagakure spoke.
Do you wish for me to resume the form of a feline and scratch the girl who is not seen by the human eye?
Sounds tempting but no. I have to deal with this on my own.
Of course.
Of course there was someone in the class who was one of the people that didn't accept her as Ninja.
The black-haired girl got lost in the kindness of the class, lost enough to have forgotten about the fact that her trial regarding her crimes as a vigilante was witnessed by thousands of people, and there was no doubt that her classmates contributed to those numbers.
As someone who has been fighting in the shadows for years, it was stupid of her to let her guard down.
She knew that.
But why was her chest clenching slightly?
Why did her fists involuntarily form?
Why did her smile get wiped out of her lips?
Why did it hurt?
Keiko wished Hagakure stopped speaking right then and there.
But she didn't.
She just had to keep going.
"What, did you guys forget that she's a criminal?" Hagakure said, taking the class's silence as confusion. "Did you forget that she's been breaking the law just because she was too lazy and too impatient to work for a hero license like the rest of us?"
"Hagakure-san, you shouldn't speak like that!" Iida was the first one to reply. "Keiko-san is our friend!"
"Not anymore!" Hagakure said, her body turning to face them. "I'm not friends with a criminal. And since all of you want to be heroes too, I suggest you follow my example and just distance yourself from her. Simply associating yourself with Ninja could make a lot of heroes turn their heads away from you."
Mina approached Hagakure silently, her face expressionless.
Slap!
"Mina."
The pink-skinned girl had her arm raised, her fist clenched so tightly that it shook. Her face was now contorted with rage, anger and disappointment in her eyes as she glared at someone she considered a friend.
She almost punched Hagakure in the face.
Keyword: almost.
A firm hand was on her forearm, stopping her fist from reaching the invisible girl. That hand was connected to Keiko, whose face was blank and impossible to read.
"Relax, Mina. It's okay."
Mina's glare didn't soften, but her hand did. Her arm dropped to her side, making Keiko let go of her.
Thunk!
"OW!"
Hagakure dropped to the ground, her lifted sleeve indicating that she was caressing her cheek.
That Keiko just punched.
The class was frozen, unsure of what to do, torn between who to support.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," Keiko said with no remorse, her voice as monotonous as her face. "I couldn't help but listen to the voice inside my head, the voice that convinced me to become a vigilante to protect people, even the lowly pussies like yourself, from all the kinds of danger that can possibly damage your future."
Keiko looked up at the rest of the class, who were obviously uncomfortable with what just happened. "Look, I don't really care if any of you turn your backs on me," lies, "but I would appreciate it if you just say what you want to say directly to my face instead of talking shit about me as if I'm not right in front of you. Doing that is just going to give me all the more reason to knock out a few teeth of yours." She looked back at the invisible girl, whose clothes were shaking and the collar of her t-shirt damp, indicating that she was crying. "Be glad I didn't go for your nose, 'cause even if you're invisible, I know exactly where to hit you to make it hurt."
Keiko opened the door of her room, just enough for her to slip in without people seeing much of it, but not before saying one last thing:
"Don't step in my room unless you want the 'booby traps' to activate and cut your ears off for me to use as decoration."
With that, Keiko slammed the door behind her and slid to the ground, her fingers raking through her hair multiple times to try and calm herself down.
Light suddenly appeared by her side, and Astro came, pawing slightly at her bent knees to get her attention.
"Hey," Keiko said, smiling sadly at the cat before scooping him up and putting him on her bed. "Turn around, I'm gonna change."
Her room wasn't that extravagant — she had her bed, nightstand, desk, chair, and shelf on one side of the room, then her guitar, speakers, amplifier, piano, and a coffee table on the other side, along with some cushions and a large rug on the floor to fill up the empty space in the middle of the room.
On the shelf, she had framed photos displayed — which was partially the reason why she didn't want people going in her room. She had a photo of her family when she was just an infant and when Aiko was just a toddler, another of them travelling to another country for the first time, one of her and the Phantoms in front of the newly-bought-slash-constructed Haunted House, and one of just her and Aiko, the boy with an arm around her neck and flashing a peace sign and a toothy grin at the camera and Keiko signing "I love you," her eyes closed and her lips upturned in a smile.
The other reason why she didn't let people in was because of the massive cork board near her instruments, full of newspaper clippings of old and new events regarding heroes and villains.
Normally, the cork board changed its contents almost monthly, as new supervillains arise and old ones get defeated. However, the past few months have been different, as they still held information about the same topic: the League of Villains.
Yes, even if she's no longer Ninja, she was still trying to find the League on her own. Mostly because the heroes don't seem to be making any progress whatsoever and they were still asking for her help.
She's more discreet about it though, limiting her investigations to hacking into the system (as usual) and getting the illegal cups of tea the government kept away from the eyes of the press and the people, then adding them to her cork board to see how it connects.
It made her feel like a true detective.
Her main focus as of right now was to discover the next move of the League.
To her, it was suspicious how happy All for One seemed to be in the high-security prison Tartarus.
Keiko didn't cross out the possibility that he might have meant to get caught and leave Shigaraki to work on his own.
But how?
How did it connect?
Keiko interlaced her hands and rested them over her head, thinking deeply while her gaze brushed over the details pinned to the board.
"Ah, not even this can distract me from what just happened," Keiko complained to Astro, who simply meowed in response.
"You know what, I'll just sleep. Fuck dinner."
And with that, the former vigilante jumped on her bed, making Astro hiss as he was almost pushed off the bed from the force.
"Can you stay like that, just for now?" Keiko said to the cat. "I kind of want some company. Physical company, specifically."
Astro seemed to ponder for a moment, before waltzing over Keiko's head and curling into a ball between Keiko and the wall. Keiko shuffled around a little before settling down comfortably, running a hand through Astro's fur until her eyes closed and sleep came over the two.
It was a good hour of silence until a knock resounded from the door. However, neither the girl nor her comoanion stirred from their state of unconsciousness.
"Keiko?" Kirishima called. No response.
The redhead sighed, thinking that the black haired girl was ignoring him. Nonetheless, he kept speaking. "I just wanted you to know that dinner is ready. You can go out whenever you're comfortable, I've already filled a plate of food for you. Just heat it in the microwave if it's cold."
Kirishima waited to see if she would respond this time, but the silence resumed from her room.
The boy smiled sadly. "Don't worry about Hagakure's words, Keiko. The rest of us consider you our classmate and a strong hero-in-training. If you ever need anything, just know that I'm always here for you."
With that and a final soft knock on the door, Kirishima left the girl alone, who hadn't woken up at all during his speech.
But hey, at least she was having a good slumber in what was meant to be the calm before the storm.
[ author's corner ]
Guess whose classes just ended for the school year??? THAT'S RIGHT ITS ME HEHEHEHEHEHEH
Yknow what that means?? MORE FREQUENT UPDATES >:))
anywho, i hope u enjoyed this chapter 💪💪 i'm so excited to write the next events because they were the first events that i thought of when writing this book and are basically the reason why this thing exists in the first place.
Also, do you guys want some fun facts about each chapter at the end of the chapter? Because that would be fun but i want to know what you guys think about it
NOW I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE. SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU
PLUS ULTRAAA
- R