"U.A.'s dark side...?!", Eri said in a nervous tone.
"Ha! What might this child be saying?!", Monoma loudly asked as he walked over to Midoriya, Mirio, Eri and I.
"During the cultural festival, I told her that you were 'the dark side of U.A.'", Mirio pointed out.
"Excuse me?!", Monoma exclaimed. "I'm the one who walks the path of justice here!"
"Um... What's going on here?", Midoriya mumbled.
My thoughts exactly, Izuku. My thoughts exactly...
"Ah, sorry for calling you three out like this, (y/n), Midoriya and Mirio."
I turned my head to see Aizawa walking up to us with his usual tired expression.
"I wanted Monoma's help with something", he continued. "But regrettably, having Monoma here alone would have been far too damaging to Eri-chan's mental health."
"Who the hell do you think I am?", Monoma loudly exclaimed.
"Come on in", Aizawa said as he gestured towards the door, completely ignoring Monoma's remark.
A few minutes later I was attentively paying attention while Monoma 'copied' Eri's quirk. The same type of horn she had appeared on his forehead and he carefully touched it. Then a sad smile spread across his features as he looked up at Aizawa.
"Yeah, she's a 'miss'", Monoma concluded. "Sorry, Eraser, I won't be able to live up to your expectations."
"...Is that so?", Aizawa mumbled and he scratched the back of his head. "That's unfortunate."
"He tried to copy Eri-chan's quirk?", Mirio asked. "What are you...?"
"Rather, what do you mean by 'miss', Monoma-kun?", Midoriya asked.
"It's the same as yours", Monoma answered. "Your quirk is also an accumulation-type, yes? My quirk allows me to copy the fundamental abilities of a quirk. But if that quirk relies on storing something up and converting it somehow, I can't copy what's already been stored, you see."
Ahh, I see. Take Fat Gum for example. If Monoma copied his quirk, it wouldn't do much because Fat Gum has a lot of fat stored and Monoma doesn't.
"They come up every once in a while", Monoma shrugged. "That was the reason why I wasn't able to do anything when I copied your quirk during training yesterday."
Midoriya and I shot each other a look.
Thank God for that mechanism, otherwise Monoma would've blown his limbs off trying to use One for All.
"So why would you copy Eri-chan's?", Mirio asked.
"Eri-chan doesn't understand how to wield her own power", Aizawa answered. "If we had to have her activate her quirk, things might turn out like that again. So if Monoma-kun could copy her power and learn how to use it, then it would've made things easier for her. Guess things don't always go as planned."
"I'm sorry...", Eri whispered. "I'm causing everyone trouble."
She reached up and touched the horn on her forehead.
"My power is causing everyone trouble", she mumbled. "Everyone would be better off if I didn't have this power..."
"Eri-chan...", Mirio began.
"That's not true, Eri!", I interfered. "Don't you remember how you saved Izuku?"
"Yeah! It's your power that saved me!", Midoriya said as he knelt down in front of Eri. "It's all about how you use it! Like... Take a knife for example. A knife is dangerous, but if you learn how to use it you can make all kinds of delicious foods with it! So that's why your power is an amazing power!"
"I think... I'll try my best after all!", Eri timidly said.
I smiled. She reminded me of Midoriya. He also had a hard time making his power his own, and although he had more control of it now, he still had a long way to go. The same thing went for Eri.
About a week later it was early December. I finally figured out what I wanted to get Todoroki for his birthday and had already started the preparations. I wanted to make something special, so I started working on it and went to the jeweler for some information. Content with my idea I walked into the common room the next morning.
"Hey!", I greeted Todoroki. "Today is the last day of your remedial course, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is", Todoroki answered.
"Awesome! If you do well you'll get your provisional license today!"
"Yeah, I guess so", Todoroki answered with a small smile.
"Don't act like it's nothing!", I immediately said. "It's a big step towards becoming a hero! You and Katsuki are going to crush it, I'm sure!"
"Speaking of Bakugo...", Todoroki began. "Where is he? We're supposed to leave in five minutes."
"I'm right here, Zuko!"
I slapped my hand over my mouth to hold back a snicker and Todoroki raised his eyebrows out of confusion. Bakugo walked out of the elevator with his usual scowl.
"We going or what?", he spat.
"Yes, yes", Todoroki sighed. "We're going. I'll see you later, (y/n)-chan."
"Bye~", I waved after them as they walked through the front door. "Good luck!"
I looked outside to see thick clouds lining the sky. I smiled and flopped down onto the couch to watch some TV.
In the next hour or so all my classmates started to emerge from their rooms.
"IT'S SNOWING!", Kirishima yelled as soon as he came downstairs.
"Good morning, Eiji", I chuckled.
"Morning!", he replied without slowing his pace.
He ran past Jiro into the courtyard.
"Hey, close the door, please!", Uraraka yelled from one of the couches. "Tsu-chan is going into hibernation!"
"Ah, sorry about that, Tsu!", Jiro said and she quickly closed the door.
"Hey, what time are Todoroki and Bakugo coming back?", Sero asked. "Have you heard from them? I want to borrow the next manga volume from Todoroki."
"He said he'll be back around 6 pm!", Midoriya answered.
"It's the last day of their remedial course!", Iida added. "If the two of them clear the test today, everyone in our class will have their provisional license!"
"What manga did you want to borrow from him, Sero-kun?", I asked.
"Bungo Stray Dogs volume 10", he answered. "Todoroki said I could borrow it."
"You read that?", I asked in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, it has a nice story", Sero answered.
"It does", I agreed. "You can borrow mine, I have the entire series. The ones that're out already, that is. Which one did you say you need?"
"Volume 10", Sero answered.
"I'll get it for you, be right back!", I beamed before starting to run up the stairs.
I skipped into my library room with happy and enthusiastic steps before closing the door behind me. I walked over to the correct shelf and scanned for volume 10. Once I found it I went back downstairs, where I handed Sero the manga.
"There ya go", I smiled.
"Thanks!", Sero answered.
I gasped when Ashido pulled me to the side with a devilish smirk on her face. I furrowed my brows in confusion. Then I saw Hagakure and Uraraka with her.
"Hey...", I cautiously said. "What's up?"
"You and Bakugo, huh?", Ashido asked with a suggestive wink.
My face immediately turned red and I dropped my gaze to the ground.
"She's not denying it!", Hagakure beamed.
"Of course not, I told you I saw them all cuddled up in the kitchen the other day", Ashido replied. "And during training too!"
"I think I'm gonna go...", I mumbled and I took a small step back to try and escape from this conversation.
"I'm also curious, (y/n)-chan", another voice said from behind me.
I yelped and turned around to see Yaoyorozu, Jiro and Asui.
Oh god, why is this happening? Even Yao-momo and Kyoka want to know about this?!
"I really thought Todoroki would be first", Asui continued.
I shrieked and clamped a hand over my mouth.
"What's that supposed to mean?", I asked. "S-Sho-chan and I are just friends!"
"You don't seem very sure about that, (y/n)", Ashido smirked.
"It's alright to like multiple boys, y'know?", Uraraka kindly said. "No one would judge you."
I blinked and briefly looked around. At least Ashido had pulled me to the back of the common room, out of the boys' earshot. I was thankful for that, but it wasn't ideal to talk.
"I-I'm not talking about this here!", I stated.
"Let's go to your room then!", Ashido and Hagakure said at the same time.
I sighed and nodded, knowing I wouldn't get out of it if I tried. I strolled to the stairs, keeping my gaze fixed on the ground. I knew I would get questioned thoroughly, so I wanted to mentally prepare myself.
"Alright", I mumbled as I walked up to my bedroom door. "But... Please don't all speak at once."
"Got it!", Ashido smiled.
"Sure thing!", Hagakure chimed
"Of course", Uraraka said.
"Sure", Asui answered.
"Okay", Jiro shrugged.
"I'll try", Yaoyorozu added.
I pursed my lips, since they all spoke at the same time. Then I sighed and opened my bedroom door. Without looking back I flopped down on my desk chair. I heard the door close and then everyone took a seat.
Ashido, Hagakure and Asui sat down on the floor while the others took a seat on the edge of my bed. I took a deep breath and stared at my hands in my lap.
"So what'd you want to know?", I timidly asked.
"What happened?", Ashido immediately shouted. "What happened to make you and Bakugo start dating?"
"I-I...", I stammered.
I took another deep breath, averting my eyes. Part of me was sort of happy that I could talk to the girls about this. I never really had any girl friends, so this felt like a relief. When I looked up again I had a shy smile on my face.
"He kissed me", I stated.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and multiple reactions were heard. Ashido was by far the loudest.
"WHAT?!", she exclaimed. "When? How?"
"We were in the elevator, and-"
"He kissed you in the elevator? That's so romantic!", Hagakure said.
"He didn't", I objected.
"Oh, sorry for interrupting", Hagakure mumbled.
"It's fine", I assured her. "He uh... Katsuki seemed really irritated and didn't speak to me the entire time, so when I got out of the elevator I was kind of worried about him. Then I turned back around and spoke to him, and within a millisecond he was in front of me and he kissed me."
"So straightforward", Yaoyorozu murmured.
"Bold move", Jiro agreed.
"It sounds like him", Asui said.
"It really does", Uraraka chuckled softly.
"I know", I said with a soft sigh as I remembered how overwhelmed I felt in that moment.
"So what did you do?", Ashido asked.
"Did you kiss him back?", Hagakure added.
I looked away and blushed before answering. What followed was me being questioned about Bakugo. I explained to the girls what happened exactly and how. To my surprise they were all eager to hear. Todoroki didn't come up much, which I was thankful for. Ashido did leave some subtle hints that she wanted to talk about him some other time.
I looked at the clock on my nightstand and my eyes widened.
"Fuck, I'm gonna be late", I cursed.
"For what?", Jiro asked.
"I made an appointment at the jeweler's for Shoto's birthday present", I explained as I got off my chair.
"That's so sweet of you, (y/n)!", Uraraka smiled.
"Thanks, gotta go!", I replied as I rushed out of my room. "Please close my door when you leave!"
Thirty minutes later I was walking through the city, nearly at the jeweler's. I checked the time on my phone and sighed in relief. I'd be on time.
The jeweler I went to was very expensive, but made high-quality jewelry. I only wanted the best for Todoroki, and I knew I could afford it.
I entered the jewelers, the bell above the door softly ringing. A woman in a suit appeared behind the counter and kindly smiled at me.
"Can I help you?", she asked.
By her expression I thought she didn't expect me to actually buy anything. After all, I was a teenager and I was wearing my school uniform. I wouldn't have expected it either if I were her.
"Yes, I made an appointment", I politely said. "My name is (y/n) (l/n)."
"(l/n)?", the woman asked. "Of course, for the custom order with the gemstone."
I nodded and she excused herself. She disappeared into the back of the shop and I briefly looked around. The entire store was filled with expensive jewelry such as watches, earrings and necklaces.
Maybe I should have just gotten a watch instead? What if Sho-chan doesn't like what I got him...?!
Shit.
"Here it is", the jeweler woman said when she returned with a small box in her hand. "We looked at the gemstone you gave us, but it's not like anything we've seen before. Is it quirk-made?"
I nodded and walked back to the counter.
"I made it myself."
"We inspected it, and it's a real gemstone", the woman said. "There are a lot of quirks that produce faux stones that are more like glass, but yours is real. You could sell them at a high price, especially since they're one of a kind."
"Thank you, but I'd rather not", I replied as I rubbed the back of my neck. "It took me about a week to create the stone. My quirk naturally comes in the form of sand, so I created the stone under a lot of pressure at a high temperature, layer by layer. It would take ages to produce them."
"I understand", the woman said. "Anyhow, here is your order."
She opened the box and revealed the bracelet I ordered for Todoroki. It was made out of braided leather with a silver holder for the small purple gemstone. At my request they barely ground it, leaving it in its natural, rough shape.
"Do you like it?", the woman asked.
"Yes", I answered. "It turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I think Sho-chan will like it."
"Sho-chan?", the woman asked with a sweet smile. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"W-What?!", I stammered. "No! We're just friends."
"Of course", the woman said, back to her professional demeanor. "I apologize for asking."
"I-It's fine", I murmured. "So, how much was it again?"
"Since you only have to pay for the bracelet and adding the stone, it's ¥100 000", the woman answered. "The finished piece could be sold for around ¥600 000, if you add the worth of your gemstone."
"O-Okay", I mumbled, handing her the money.
The woman reached behind the counter to grab a small bag for me when suddenly all the windows of the store shattered. I instinctively shielded my face from the glass shards and waited for them to fall before looking around. I was glad the woman was behind the counter when it happened, otherwise she probably would have gotten hurt.
The woman slowly appeared from behind the counter, her eyes widened in fear. I quickly looked around for the culprit. At first I didn't see anyone, but a few seconds later a tall man appeared, wearing a black mask. He was holding a large bag and pointed at it with a grin.
"Give me your jewelry", he said.
"P-Please don't hurt us", the jeweler woman pleaded.
"I won't if you give me your damn jewels! Put it in the bag!"
"Hold on!", I interfered. "You're not getting away with this."
"Is that right?", the villain smirked. "And what are you gonna do about it?"
"I happen to have a provisional license, thank you very much", I muttered under my breath as I absorbed some darkness.
I used my quirk to blast the villain square in the chest, sending him flying back. He landed in the glass shards, the sight alone making me cringe. I quickly turned back to the woman behind the counter.
"Ma'am, is there a back exit?", I asked.
She nodded and I could see her trembling.
"I'm a U.A. student, I have my provisional license", I explained. "Please leave through the back exit and I would appreciate it if you could notify the pros and authorities."
The woman nodded.
"Thank you", she mumbled before disappearing to the back of the store.
I turned back around and saw the villain getting up, his smirk replaced by a scowl. I took a fighting stance and I clenched my jaw.
What's his quirk? He couldn't have shattered all the windows like he did without a quirk, and there were no explosions either...
I decided not to wait around and teleported to the villain to kick him in the face. He stumbled back but remained on his feet. He spat some blood on the floor and glared at me. That's when a terrible headache hit me.
The pain was so bad that I clutched the sides of my head as I fell down, trying not to cry out in pain. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the headache was gone again. I looked up at the villain and saw him grinning at me.
"That'll teach ya", he said. "Stay down, girl."
He walked over to the shattered showcases and started shoving the jewelry that had been on display in his bag. I slowly got up, trying to ignore the aftereffects of the sudden headache.
I noticed my nose was bleeding and wiped it away with the back of my hand. I pursed my lips and absorbed more darkness. When I emitted it from my hand I immediately let it close around the villain and made it solidify to trap him.
My eyes went wide when my trap started to crack and broke. The villain had a triumphant look on his face when he stepped out of the remains.
"Not bad", he commented.
Then he raised his hand and pointed it at me. I blinked and my entire body began to hurt. I fell to my knees again, holding my arms in front of my stomach due to the pain.
When I looked up my vision was hazy and I could barely see the villain. When I blinked again I realized not everything was hazy. There was a trail leading from the palm of the villain's hand up to me.
"V-Vibrations?", I managed to make out, struggling to make myself audible with all the pain I was experiencing.
"Nice observation", the villain said. "Indeed, my quirk is vibrations. Which is why you should realize you can't stop me. I'll break your stupid sand and everything else you send at me."
He stopped using his quirk and I let out a relieved breath. But I also noticed that I definitely wasn't okay. My insides felt like they were going to explode, and it didn't seem like something that would be fine after a night of rest.
My eyes widened and I gagged, blood seeping out of my mouth and splattering onto the marble floor of the jeweler. The villain let out a low chuckle and continued collecting jewelry.
It's kind of... Like Shindo's quirk. But this guy does it from a larger distance and it's like he can send vibrations in concentrated beams. How the fuck do I beat him?
The villain began making his way towards the counter and his eyes fell on the white box containing Todoroki's birthday present. I struggled to get up and when I was on my feet I swayed from left to right.
"Still not done, huh?", the villain grinned.
He lazily raised his hand as I focused on assembling darkness. I nearly lost focus when the villain activated his quirk again, this time targeting my entire body instead of just my head or torso.
I vaguely looked through the tears forming in my eyes and noticed a large, dark purple cloud hanging above the villain who was sadistically smiling as he attacked me. I felt blood coming out of my ears and released the energy, Black Lighting raining down on the villain. His attack abruptly stopped and I saw his eyes roll back before he passed out.
I let out a relieved breath and started crawling towards the counter. I noticed that I was about to pass out but I wanted to get Todoroki's birthday present. There was no way I was leaving it here. I kept crawling, ignoring the glass shards digging into my knees and palms.
I stopped when the room lit up in a faint orange. I let myself collapse against the counter and looked at the entrance of the store to see Endeavor. He scanned the room and raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw me.
Police officers came into the store and took the villain into custody. I felt that I could pass out any second, so I turned around again and reached up to the counter. Endeavor saw my struggle and grabbed the box for me. I slumped back against the counter and looked into the hero's icy blue eyes. He knelt down to my level and handed me the white box. As soon as I grabbed it blood disgraced the smooth surface.
"What's your name?", Endeavor flatly asked.
"(y-y/n)", I managed to say.
I blinked a few times and felt myself slip out of consciousness.