Chapter 8 \ Heroing-101
❝I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It just slipped out.❞
❝Please, I don't mind! You're like, my new best friend now. No offence, Kiri.❞
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Haruka was beyond upset the morning of the following day. Katsuki had left all the messages she had sent him on read and left early for school so he wouldn't have to talk to her. And to top her morning off, she had to sit next to Shouto on the train ride to school.
When she arrived at the station, she had noticed his duel-coloured hair in the crowd and planned to avoid him altogether. But once they stepped onto the train, she saw it was packed, and the only two seats available were beside each other.
So she sat beside him with a slight sigh as she pulled her schoolbag off her shoulders to sit it on her lap. The heat from his left side was soothing, especially with the cold lingering in the air. She did her best to ignore him as she fiddled with the front clasp of her bag.
Shouto, on the other hand, was having an internal struggle; his mind had been tormenting him with the memory he remembered the day prior and how Haruka was involved. He still couldn't think of a reason, which drove him crazy.
He glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye and noticed the slight pout tugging on her lips. She didn't look happy to be seated beside him, but he knew that must have been his fault. After he snapped and asked her that question, he ignored her for the rest of the day. He noticed her sudden drop in mood and the frown on her face each time he would purposefully do so, but he was too stubborn in his ways to apologize at the time.
Shouto felt this pang in his chest as he thought over his actions, feeling terribly guilty for treating the girl so poorly. This morning, he concluded that ignoring her was not the way to go about the situation and that he was making things worse for himself. His subconscious saw some significance in the girl, almost as if it told him to keep her around. He figured he could make an exception for her in his plans; surely, one friend wouldn't distract him too much.
Before he could open his mouth to speak to her, the train had arrived at their stop. Haruka quickly stood as she swung her mint green bag over her shoulder before smoothing her skirt down the back of her thighs like a nervous tick.
Shouto blinked, not realizing he had been staring at the girl from the corner of his eye. He stood from his seat and joined her as they waited behind a group of people to leave the train. He noticed Haruka perk up the second they stepped onto the platform, her eyes trained on something near the exit.
She was about to take off when she froze briefly as she glanced back at him. His brows furrowed in confusion as she bowed her head to him respectfully, gripping the straps of her bag as she spoke softly, "See you in class, Todoroki."
Shouto was shocked by her politeness and regretfully let her leave without a reply. He silently cursed to himself as he watched her jog off towards the exit, waving her hand above her head excitedly, "Kirishima! Ashido! Wait up!"
That was another thing that made him feel guilty about his attitude the day prior. She was beyond friendly, something he was not used to growing up, considering the torment he went through with his father. All she ever was was kind to him, even when he snapped at her during their first meeting, and he repaid her by being an inconsiderate asshole.
Shouto followed behind the trio by a few yards, sighing out through his nose as he shoved his hand into his pants pocket after adjusting the strap of his messenger bag. He promised himself that he'd apologize to the girl today. Maybe then he could get rid of this terrible ache in his chest and finally get some answers as to why he felt so drawn to her.
Haruka spent the majority of her second day getting used to her schedule. All her classes in the early morning before lunch were a couple of general studies courses such as English, Mathematics, and Japanese. She was anticipating the afternoon when the Heroic classes started.
She ate lunch with Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida, agreeing to do so on the walk home the day prior. While in line, Mina had invited her to eat at her table, where it seemed Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari were busy laughing at Katsuki's angered expression. They must have done something to piss him off, but knowing how Katsuki was, they probably just breathed on him. She had to decline her invitation but promised to sit with her tomorrow.
Haruka sat down next to Izuku with her tray of umeboshi onigiri and a small side of white rice. She enjoyed her time with Izuku and their new-found friends as they got to know each other better. She had gotten onto the topic of their classes with Iida, who was eager to dive into the discussion.
The Pro Hero Lunch Rush, who was responsible for making all of their food and everything, had made an appearance at their table halfway through lunch, "White rice is the perfect comfort food, isn't it?"
"Mhmm! This is super good," Uraraka agreed with a mouth full of rice while Izuku failed to conceal his inner fanboy as he stared at the Pro Hero with his hands over his mouth, squealing.
Haruka nodded with a grin as she returned Lunch Rush's thumbs up. The man was about to turn away to continue his rounds when a thought popped into Haruka's mind, causing her to gasp involuntarily, "Oh, sir! I have a question. Would you be able to make teas? Specifically, Matcha or perhaps Chamomile?"
"I don't see why not!" The Chef Hero exclaimed as he sent another thumbs up her way. "Just ask for it whenever you order your meal, and you'll be able to have your tea."
Haruka beamed with a slight clap of her hands, "Yay! Thank you so much!"
"Not a problem!" Lunch Rush offered her a quick finger salute before making his leave.
On the way back to the classroom for their afternoon classes, Izuku fell into step with Haruka as they followed behind Iida and Uraraka. He seemed nervous, almost guilty for the conversation topic he was about to bring up, "Ruka. . . How come you didn't walk to school with Kacchan this morning?"
"Huh?"
"It's just. . . I noticed you walked in with Kirishima and Ashido instead of Kacchan when you usually walk to school together. How come you didn't today?" Izuku further explained, his curiosity through the roof. He just hoped it wasn't anything too serious; he hated it when the two fought over something.
Haruka sighed at his question, wondering how long it would take him to notice Katsuki wasn't talking to her. She had an idea why he was ignoring her, but that didn't make it hurt any less, "Katsuki's been ignoring me ever since yesterday. . . I'm not sure why exactly. My guess is that he can't wrap his head around you having a Quirk now and convinced himself it's all some kind of joke. He's probably gathered that I've known for a while and is butthurt that I haven't told him, but obviously, I didn't 'cause that's not my thing to tell."
"Oh. . . I'm sorry, Ruka. Maybe I should tell him about it. Maybe then he'll understand that I haven't been tricking him, and he'll talk to you again," Izuku said with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't see much wrong with letting Katsuki know about him receiving his Quirk from another person, and if it made it to where he would talk to her again, he didn't care what he had to do.
Haruka shook her head immediately before bumping her shoulder into Izuku's, "It's all right, Zuku, no sweat. If he wants to be a big ol' baby about it, he can continue to ignore me. Yeah, it sucks; he's one of my best friends besides you, but he needs to realize you're not some hopeless weakling. It's time you stand up for yourself and prove him wrong, you hear me? It's the only way he'll listen, I'm afraid."
"Right!" Izuku gave a firm nod, though he still wasn't happy about the two not talking. It was unheard of for the pair; they usually talked out their disagreements rather quickly. Katsuki must have been really bent up over this if he's going as far as to ignore Haruka.
The two soon returned to the classroom, waiting for their Heroics lesson to start with the rest of their classmates. They had heard All Might before they saw him, his loud and boisterous voice causing everyone to turn to the door in excitement, "I am here!"
All Might slung the door to the classroom open, striking a pose in the doorframe as he shone his bright smile for everyone to see, "Coming through the door like a Hero!"
The class erupted into gasps of admiration for the Number One Hero, Haruka included. Her gasp was mixed in with a slight chuckle as she tried hard not to laugh at how over the top he was being.
"He's so dramatic," Haruka laughed into her hand, her words lost in the class chatter as she watched All Might strut to the front of the room wearing his Silver Age costume.
"Welcome to the most important class at UA High!" All Might stated as he put his fists on his hips in a classic Hero stance. "Think of it as 'Heroing-101'. Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight in the name of good! Let's get into it! Today's lesson will pull no punches! But one of the keys of being a Hero is. . . looking good!"
Haruka grew giddy in anticipation as she watched shelves holding briefcases with numbers from one to twenty-one emerge from the wall in the front of the room. All Might gestured to them as he explained, "These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started. Get yourselves suited up, and meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
"Yes, sir!" The class exclaimed, the room buzzing with excitement for the official start of Hero Training. Everyone was quick to hop out of their seats as they rushed to pick out their costume case, which was based on seat number.
Haruka grinned broadly as she seized the case with the number twenty-one on it. Mina dragged her to the locker room, where she and the other girls changed into costumes.
Her costume consisted of emerald green leggings that cut off just below the knees. A cream, sleeveless cotton cheongsam with brown leaf patterns at the bottom corners and neckline hugged her torso before it split at the hip. Some sheer, green off-the-shoulder sleeves hung loosely on her biceps. A caramel leather cinch belt wrapped tightly around her stomach; some leather cuffs decorating her wrists were lined with the same green fabric of her sleeves that attached to a golden ring on her middle finger. A simple pair of black flats covered her feet while her hair was up in a high bun with a hair stick going through the center.
Haruka felt ecstatic in her costume, her mood lifting with her confidence. Especially with all the compliments Mina and the girls showered her with when they saw her in her costume.
"They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof!" All Might exclaimed from his spot at the entrance to Training Ground Beta as Class 1-A walked out in their Hero costumes. "Take this to heart. From now on, you are all. . . Heroes in training!"
Haruka smiled over at Mina from her spot in between her and Tokoyami. She placed a hand on her hip as she jutted the opposing one out, sending the acid-wielder a two-fingered salute. Mina giggled at her gesture before excitedly clapping her hands in front of her chest.
"This is getting me all revved up. You look so cool! Now shall we get started, you buncha newbies?"
Hearing running from the tunnel, Haruka turned to see Izuku coming out dressed in his Hero costume. She couldn't help but cover her mouth as she let out a surprised snort at how obvious he was in his connection to All Might. From the similar tuffs to the mouthguard that made it seem he had a constant smile on his face.
Uraraka went to greet him, and Haruka watched as Izuku grew all flustered, most likely from the girl's costume. It was a bit skin-tight, but Haruka thought it fitted her vibe well.
"Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training!" All Might started once everyone had their eyes on him.
Iida raised a hand from the front of the group, his voice slightly muffled from his armoured suit, "Sir! This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?"
"Not quite! I'm going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors," Haruka noticed Izuku glance back at her, assuming they were thinking about the encounter they shared against the sludge villain that took place away from the public eye. "Think about it: backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles. Now, there will be one team of three due to our odd numbers, but fear not! Heroes must need to be prepared for cases such as being outnumbered!"
Tsuyu tapped the corner of her lip with her index finger as she tilted her head at All Might, "Isn't this a little advanced?"
"The best training is what you get on the battlefield! But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now."
The class started shooting many questions at him regarding the training, and even Haruka felt slightly overwhelmed. All Might clenched a fist in front of his chest, "I wasn't finished talking!"
All Might then went into a scripted explanation of how the training would go. The villains have set up a nuclear missile within the building, and the Heroes were either supposed to capture the villains or secure the weapon.
They drew lots to decide on teams, starting with Aoyama as the first pick. With Haruka being last in the roll call, she was most likely set to be on the team of three. All Might confirmed her thought as he called her up to choose her team, "Young Yukimura, with the teams all even, whichever letter you pull will be the team of three."
Haruka nodded and felt the baby hairs at her nape tickle the back of her neck. She reached into the bowl, ruffling through the papers for a second before she grabbed one and pulled it out to read it, "Team I."
"Ah, that's us!" Hagakure squealed with a high wave of her hand from her spot next to Ojiro, who glanced at the invisible girl before shooting Haruka a friendly smile. She returned the gesture as she made her way over to join her new teammates.
"I declare that the first teams to fight will be. . ." All Might began, reaching each hand into a box to pull out two spheres with the letters A and D, "These guys!"
Haruka blanched, knowing exactly who would have to go against each other. She followed the rest of the class to the monitoring room when All Might said to wait there. As she passed Izuku, she gave him a quick squeeze on the shoulder for good luck.
"Are you all right, Yukimura? You look rather nervous," Kirishima mentioned once they were in the room where they'd monitor the training. He had noticed the girl twiddling her thumbs as she rested her hands on her stomach, anxiously shuffling her foot along the ground while they waited for All Might to join them.
Haruka looked up at her friend and gave him a slight smile, "Yeah, I'm fine Kirishima. Just worried about Izuku and Katsuki going against each other."
"You're pretty close with them, huh?" Kirishima offered her a reassuring smile as Mina joined her other side, a curious glint in her yellow eyes. "I'm sure they'll be fine. What's up with Bakugou anyway? He seems so. . . angry all the time. Especially towards Midoriya."
Haruka quickly smiled at Mina before turning to Kirishima to answer his questions, "Katsuki's abrasive, sure, and I really don't think his explosion Quirk helps a whole bunch with that, but he has his moments, and he's always been there for me. Izuku too. I've known them ever since I can remember; they're my best friends. But since Katsuki developed his Quirk, his attitude towards Izuku. . . shifted in a way. I'm unsure how or why, but he always feels the need to put him down. Like some twisted, messed up way to remind him he's better than Izuku. . . I don't know, but I never understood him in that aspect," The girl blinked at the two, aware that she was talking quite a bit as she let out a short chuckle, "Sorry for rambling."
"It's all right!" Mina exclaimed as she looped an arm with hers, "I can see you care about them and hope they don't get hurt, and that's totally reasonable! You're nervous rambling, and that's okay."
Kirishima offered her a toothy grin as he sent her a thumbs up, "Exactly! Don't apologize for worrying about your friends."
"Right," Haruka sighed before smiling softly at her newest friends, "Thanks, guys. I have got to say, Kirishima, I'm highly offended you haven't introduced me to Mina sooner. Shame on you for keeping her all to yourself."
Mina giggled as she smirked at a red-faced Kirishima as he fumbled for an answer, "I — Come on, now, you can't blame that on me!"
"Oh, wait! You just called me Mina!" The pink-haired girl beamed over at the girl as she tightened her grip on her arm slightly.
Haruka flushed a bright pink in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It just slipped out."
"Puh-lease, I don't mind! You're like, my new best friend now. No offence, Kiri," Mina shot the boy a grin as she stuck her tongue out at him between her teeth before looking at the brunette, "Now, this just means I get to call you by your first name as well."
Haruka couldn't stop the bright smile that slipped onto her lips as she let the acid-wielder cling to her bicep. Mina made her feel relaxed and gave off a gravitational aura that made Haruka want to be her friend immediately. She's the only female her age she had ever felt so comfortable with, "I'd like that, Mina."
"Isn't she just the cutest, Kiri!? She's definitely my new bestie!" Mina squealed as she gripped Haruka's shoulders in a slight shake. The three plunged into laughter, enjoying each other's company as the class waited for All Might to return.
Shortly after All Might walked into the room, Haruka realized that Kirishima and Mina had distracted her enough to where she wasn't worried about Katsuki's and Izuku's duel. The anxiety soon came crashing back over her in waves when All Might announced the start of training, "All right! Let's begin the indoor combat training! Team A and Team D, your time starts now!"
"Oh, no. . ."
☆.。.:*°☆.。.:*・°★.。.:*°☆.。.:*°☆
Heyo! I just wanted to give a reference picture for Haruka's Hero costume! Now, I'm in no way an artist of any sort lol, but this is just what I envision :)
Anyway, thank you so much for the support you give this book!! I'm like in love with Haruka and the plans I have for her and Shouto in the future, so I'm really excited to share! I appreciate you all !
~Eri <3