Ochako
Today was the day Class 1-A moved into the school dormitory. Everyone gathered in front of the newly erected Class 1-A dormitory which was lined with the other classes' dormitory. Among the buzzing excitement, Uraraka Ochako desperately scanned her classmates looking for someone, but she was not here.
Ochako clenched her fists. Her best friend really left for Shiketsu.
Ochako was not the only one looking for Eria. Todoroki Shouto was also discreetly looking around, hoping to find his best friend's familiar presence, but to no avail.
"Did she say anything before she left?" Deku asked Ochako with a sad look on his face.
Ochako shook her head. "She didn't reply my messages since yesterday. I guess she was busy packing her stuff."
"I thought she said she was still persuading her parents. Looks like the outcome was unfavourable," added Iida, who slightly shook his head. "I pray for her success in Shiketsu. I believe we will meet again soon."
The trio sighed.
"I went to her house nearly every day," Todoroki abruptly spoke in a gloomy tone.
Wait, what? Ochako tried to hide the disbelief on her face.
"......and tried to persuade her parents, but she won't let me. Her brother taught me a great idea. He said I just have to tell her parents that I promise to take good care of her for the rest of my life, to cherish her, to care for her..." Todoroki continued.
HOLY SHIT THAT'S A PROPOSAL! WHAT IN BLAZES IS ERIA'S BROTHER TEACHING HIM?!
"But Takasaki just turned red and angry and swore to murder her brother. And she warned me to never say that, ever," said Todoroki. "If only I said it......"
"It might work," Deku tapped his chin, contemplating on the possibility.
"You should have been more aggressive, Todoroki. If you can't talk to Takasaki's parents in person, calling is a good option too," Iida added.
As the three boys agreed with each other, Ochako wondered how dense they were.
Suddenly, a chill tingled in Ochako's spine. She shivered as she felt a murderous gaze upon her. It was Bakugou, who had been glaring at her and her friends for some time now.
What does he want? Ochako tried not to stare. However, she could feel that Bakugou's gaze was sad instead of anger. ......So he knows too.
Aizawa-sensei arrived to the scene and briefly explained the dormitory system to the class. In the end, he also reprimanded almost everyone in class for their rash behaviours in Bakugou and Eria's rescue mission.
"If not for All Might's retirement, you would all be expelled," Aizawa-sensei said harshly and the class lowered their heads in resentment. "Now, get inside and unpack your stuff."
Ochako turned to the entrance of the dormitory compound, wishing for a miracle. But no one was coming.
"Eria, I really hope you're here," Ochako muttered as her heart tightened in her chest.
"I am here."
Ochako whipped her head around. Takasaki Eria was miraculously standing next to her, as if her prayers were answered.
Mixed feelings of joy and disbelief bubbled up in Ochako's chest and she felt like crying. "E-e-eria?"
Surprised looks appeared on Iida and Deku's faces. "Takasaki?! Why are you here?"
"I'm...... not transferring. I'm staying," Eria said sheepishly. "It took some time, labour, chores and continuous desperate begging but I finally managed to persuade my parents to let me stay! I don't know when they will change their minds again but—"
Ochako cut her off by hugging her. She nearly cried tears of joy. "I'm just so glad you're staying. Thank you, God."
"And thank Takasaki's parents too," Iida added. "They made a hard decision, but a good one."
Deku nodded in agreement, as if he understood well Eria's predicament.
Ochako wanted to hug Eria longer, but she let her go to make way for another best friend of hers.
Todoroki always wore an impassive mask, even during a moment like this. Ochako had a hard time figuring out his emotions, but slowly she began to understand him better. There was a glint of joy in his mismatched eyes and the hints of a tiny smile forming on his face.
"Welcome back," Todoroki said gently.
"Hey," Eria replied with a smile.
As they stared at each other, Ochako sensed something brewing between them. Maybe we should leave and let them have some alone time?
"Oi," an angry voice called.
Ochako was surprised to see Bakugou approached them. His sharp gaze was fixated on Eria and he looked like he was going to explode like a volcano.
Ochako faltered. She seldom interacted with the boy, despite their last fight during the Sports Festival. His intimidating façade often scared her a little.
"I thought you transferred," Bakugou said through his gritted teeth.
Eria raised an eyebrow. "No, I didn't. How did you know?"
Bakugou briefly glanced at Deku, who jolted a little. "Whatever." He looked away from Eria's inquisitive eyes and glared at Todoroki, who was silently watching him.
A ridiculous idea lit up Ochako's mind. Why does this feel like some love triangle? She silently gasped. No way! She looked at her best friend, who seemed oblivious at the current situation.
Ah. The bystander always sees things clearer than those who are involved. This is really a love triangle!
Ochako choked upon the realisation.
"I'm gonna move my things into the dorm so yeah," said Eria as she dragged her humongous luggage into the dorm, but Bakugou overtook her and stormed into the building.
I understand Eria's firm stand on 'no romance during school', but what I really want to know is Todoroki's feelings. But as Ochako watched Todoroki's impassive face, she wondered if he was even sharp enough to understand puppy love.
Speaking of puppy love, Ochako instinctively glanced at Deku and a pink blush dusted her cheeks.
Love rots people's minds. Stop staring!
***
Eria
Everyone had their luggage moved to the dormitory beforehand. In my case, my mother made a last-minute decision for letting me to stay so I had to move everything on my own. Thankfully, my quirk was quite handy in such cases.
I was the sole female occupant on the second floor, which made me feel isolated and lonely. Even though it was nice to have some privacy, but honestly, being alone scared me a little.
I unpacked my luggage and organised my belongings neatly. I hung my clothes in the cupboard, placed my books in the shelves, pinned photos on a board and allocated a space for the animal dolls I sleep with every night. Frankly, my room was void of any pinkish or girlish decorations because I had no artistic sense in stuff like that.
Oh I almost forgot. I opened the final luggage, which was filled with a vast amount of food, ranging from candies to chips and fruits. I placed them over a special table I called 'food table'. This would be convenient whenever I was hungry.
With everything done, I walked down to the spacious lobby. No one was here yet because everyone was still busy with their rooms. I lounged on the sofa and turned on the TV, snacking to my enjoyment until I saw Todoroki entering the dormitory while carrying some stuff. Our eyes met and he stopped moving, like a thief caught stealing.
I stared at the stuff he was carrying. It was a large rolled-up tatami.
"What are you... why are you..." I asked, confused.
"My room doesn't have tatami, so I found one," Todoroki replied bluntly.
"You found one instead of bringing one?"
"Recovery Girl told me I could take it. No one wants it anyway. It's new and discarded as garbage in the storage room."
"Okay......" I was not sure how Recovery Girl's role fit in all this, but Todoroki was my best friend so I decided to support him no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
"There's still a shoji and some other stuff."
"Is this some magical storage room filled with everything you want?" I asked sarcastically.
"I guess so."
My heart ached at the boy's innocent reply to my sarcasm. "I'll help you." I took the large tatami from him. "You go get the rest."
"Thanks. My room is on the fifth floor."
It did not take long for us to move the stuff into Todoroki's room. "What do you plan to do with all these?" I asked, wiping the sweat off my eyebrows.
"I'm remodeling my room into a Japanese-style room."
I looked at him, bewildered.
"I grew up in a Japanese home so I don't really like flooring."
Without questioning how he was going to remodel his room, I decided to support him no matter how ridiculous it sounded. I glanced at his belongings. There was a dark-brown Japanese-styled drawer, a short Japanese-styled desk, a tatami chair and a futon.
This guy is really serious in remodeling his room into a Japanese one. Although the idea sounded crazy, but upon looking at his flawless face, I could not help but to admire Todoroki's determination.
Handsome, pure, smart, strong, diligent, dense...... ah this is my best friend.
"Do you need help?" I asked.
"I think I'll be fine on my own." Todoroki stared at the rolled-up tatami. A second later, he changed his mind. "Could you help me move the stuff out so I can put the tatami?"
I stifled a laugh. "You owe me food for this."
"Deal."
***
I sat on the tatami, taking a breath after Todoroki's room was completely remodeled to the owner's satisfaction. Beads of sweat dripped down my neck as remodeling felt like a good exercise.
Todoroki sat beside me, with a faint smug on his face as he looked at his new Japanese-styled room. "Now this is nice. Thank you. I would have taken a whole day to do all this."
I smiled. "You owe me food."
He whipped his head around, watching me as I retied my hair into a ponytail. His gaze made me uneasy and a blush dusted my cheeks. "What?" I asked.
"Nothing," Todoroki replied, looking away. "Zaru soba then?"
"Ice cream," I retorted.
We stayed in silence for a while, until Todoroki brought up the most important topic of all. "Why did you stay?" he asked.
I scratched my head. "It's not because of you," I lied. Even though he was partly the reason, I refused to tell him that.
Todoroki seemed slightly disappointed, but pressed on. "Go on."
I told him the same reason I told my mom and he nodded in agreement. A smile spread across his face. "Anyway, I'm glad you stayed."
I had a mild heart attack when I saw that gorgeous smile. "Y-yeah. There's a lot of begging and arguing and kneeling and...... very humiliating ways of requesting my mom's permission. My brother was just watching us two stubborn women debating while my dad failed in every attempt to soothe his wife and his daughter. But yeah, I'm glad she finally let me stay."
"And what's the condition she imposed?"
I choked. "Smart kid."
He smirked. "I guess she must have a condition or so. Or she wouldn't let you stay."
"She said I have to master my hidden demon and use it in every training or battle in the future, even though I might lose control."
"That's easy," he replied nonchalantly, and I punched his arm. "Ouch."
"I might lose control. Does that ring a bell?"
"I think you've been controlling it very good lately. You're just not confident. Your mom believes in you. And so do I."
I wanted to refute but I had nothing to say.
"And besides," Todoroki added. "Your hidden demon might be your best chance against the villains who tried to kill you. That's why she wants you to control it."
"I saw her logic but..."
"You can do it. I know you can."
Our eyes met. I was completely mesmerised by those gorgeous eyes. Although I was fighting hard against its magnetic attraction, I was getting drawn in. Todoroki did not move away. He was just staring at me with an inexplicable intent that made my heart fluttered.
I had watched too many romantic movies to know that this was a very intimate moment that could lead to a—
Before I could back away, Todoroki's right hand shot up and lingered next to my face. He was about to touch me before he froze abruptly. His eyes widened in surprise and his face turned a little pink.
"Sorry I gotta go!" I quickly stood up and bolted out of his room.
I could not understand what had just happened, but I knew I was not ready for it.
***
For the next few hours until nightfall, I buried my blushing face into a pillow, hoping I would die of suffocation instead of embarrassment. I thought my mind malfunctioned because all it could think was Todoroki and that 'intimate' moment. I even tried to distract myself with dramas and food but nothing was working.
When someone knocked on my door, I jolted, fearing it was Todoroki. My face was too red to face him and my loud heartbeat had turned me deaf. Thankfully, it was just Ochako.
"I've done organising my room so I came to talk to you—oh my, why is your face so red?" Ochako asked.
"You know, moving stuff is very tiring so it feels like a very good exercise," I lied horribly.
"Okay. I'm just so glad you stayed." She glanced around my room. "Is that an Ikea Blahaj? Oh my god it's so cute! I love this cute cuddly shark!" Ochako took the large blue shark doll from my bed and admired its cuteness. "It's so fluffy~"
I took a water bottle and rolled it on my cheeks to cool it down.
"By the way," Ochako said. "I've noticed something between you and Todoroki—"
HOLY SHIT! SHE KNOWS!
"—And Bakugou."
Wait, what?
"Ah it's probably nothing," Ochako added abruptly. "I'll need to observe a little longer."
I stared at her incredulously.
"And everyone's gathering at the lobby for something. Let's go." She took my arm and forcibly dragged me out of my safe house.
"But I—" I don't want to meet Todoroki right now...
"Come on!" Ochako activated her quirk and I floated helplessly as she dragged me to the lobby.
Nearly everyone was gathered at the lobby as it buzzed with their chatter. I tried to conceal myself within the crowd, just to make sure Todoroki did not see me. It would be too awkward to see him. When I did see that familiar bi-coloured hair, I quickly squirmed under my best friend's shadow.
"Are you okay?" Ochako asked.
"Y-yeah," I lied.
Todoroki did not approach me throughout the whole tour of the boys' room. I made sure to stay out of Todoroki's sight. Whenever I tried to slip away, Ochako would manage to grab me and disrupt my escape.
Finally, it was Todoroki's room. Its appearance earned awes and surprises from my classmates.
"How did you even manage to do this in one day?!"
Todoroki stared at his classmates. He looked as if he was scanning the crowd for a certain someone. But fortunately, I hid behind a large Shouji.
"We... I worked hard," Todoroki replied nonchalantly.
After eating the homemade cake Satou made, it was the girls' room. And mine was the first.
When the group gathered in front of my room, my glance rested upon Todoroki and for a second our eyes met. But before I could look away, he was the first who did it and turned around to face his back at me.
Is he...... avoiding me?
"Your room seems to be plain..." Kaminari commented. "For a girl's room."
"It's not as sparkly as mine," Aoyama boasted.
"There's a lot of snacks!" "That's a lot of dolls." Someone said.
I ignored their comments and sighed in relief when everyone left my room for the next 'victim'.
"Takasaki."
I sighed and steeled myself to face the owner of the gentle voice. Todoroki looked at me apologetically and a little bashfully; a pink shade dusted his cheeks.
"Hey?" I squeaked.
"Sorry... back there... when I... tried to..." Todoroki stuttered, which was a first. "...touch you. I... I didn't know what happened. My hand just..." He glared at his right hand. "I might have acted like a... pervert."
I blushed, looking at how flushed he was. "I-it's okay... it's normal for friends to touch a little..." ...I think.
Todoroki was still glaring at his right hand. "This cursed hand. It has crushed hands and now it wants to crush your face."
It did not take long for me to burst into laughter. "What?!" Oh this pure boy. "I don't really think that's it."
Todoroki scrunched his eyebrows together. "It's not funny. I still don't understand what's wrong with me. If my hand is not cursed, then what is? This curse seems to be affecting my body as well. I thought I was going to burn up in flames looking at you. When you tied your hair, I saw your neck and I felt an urge to touch yo—" he stopped mid-sentence.
I blinked. "Todoroki, you...... I didn't know you're perverted." I touched my neck while trying to conceal the blush in my cheeks.
"I'm not... I..." Todoroki glared at his right hand once more. "This cursed hand..."
If you don't even know what's going on with you, how should I know? But I'm pretty sure it's not a curse.
"Todoroki, boys and girls can be perverts. It's normal during puberty," I said it with a straight face and was glad I did not stutter. "Boys like to look at girls and vice versa."
"But I'm not a pervert. And besides, I only felt like this when it's you and not girls in general......" he trailed off after dropping an atomic bomb of truth on me.
My mind froze for a second and then it started to screaming obscenities. HOLY FUCKING SHIT ASDFGHJK—
"I think I need some time to calm down," Todoroki abruptly spoke and left me alone in my room.
"I need some time to calm down too," I said. From the fact that he just said he might be 'sexually attracted' to me.
DOESN'T THIS MEANS HE LIKES ME?!
My mind was propelled into disorientation, confusion and embarrassment. My breathing hitched and my heartbeat resonated in my ears. It took me quite some time to calm down and think of a good solution to this mess. I braved myself to message Todoroki.
'Todoroki, let's just pretend none of this ever happened.'
A few minutes later, he replied with a short yet weirdly cold message. 'Fine.'
It seemed like a neutral reply. Avoiding the problem was not the best solution, but I promised myself not to think of romance in school. So, I stuffed all these feelings into the corner of my mind and let it rot and fester.
If only pretense could solve everything, there would not be a growing gap between me and Todoroki.
***
Nobody's POV
The glowing moonlight shone upon Tokyo's skyscrapers and shed a gray tone on the buildings. Standing in one of the skyscrapers, a woman stared into the distance at Mount Fuji, which glimmered under the clear sky. She meticulously sipped her glass of wine and savoured its fruity fragrance.
A tall slim man appeared behind the woman in a flash and knelt down on one knee to show his respects. He handed the woman a tablet, which showed the news of All Might's retirement.
The woman briefly glanced at the tablet. "So?"
"The League of Villains have failed in securing the target," replied the man.
The woman slightly bit her glossy red lips, which was the colour of her luscious hair. She clenched her glass with anger and cracks started to spread on the glass like a cobweb. But immediately, she regained her composure and sat on a sofa.
"Since the plan of approaching her failed twice, what should we do next?" the woman talked to herself. "If we can't get to her, we might as well let her come to us."
The man stayed silent and continued to listen to the woman.
"Hmm..." the woman hummed, slightly elated. "If a person loses everything she ever cared about, do you think she would just stand by and wallow in grief, or would she search for the perpetrators and seek revenge?"
"I understand," the man gave a short reply and disappeared into the night.
The woman continued to look at the beautiful skyline in the night while a tiny smile crept onto her white flawless face.
***
Author's note:
How did Todoroki get the tools to remodel his room? This is written in BNHA's official light novel 3. It involved Hatsume, Todoroki and Recovery Girl.
Todoroki's photo was blown out of the window so he went to look for it. He found Hatsume gathering her wacky gadgets so he decided to help her. Then, one of the gadgets caught Recovery Girl and Todoroki tried to save her. When all was done, Hatsume collected her gadgets and gave Todoroki's photo which she found lying somewhere. Then Recovery Girl told Todoroki there were some Japanese stuff (tatami, shouji etc) in the storage and he could take it. So there you have it! The backstory to Todoroki's remodeling!
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