I sat alone in my room, the only sounds being muffled talking from downstairs and birds loudly chirping outside. After awkwardly eating breakfast with the Shinso family, I returned to the safety of my room and here I was now, sitting cross-legged on my bed. It was upsetting that life here wasn't the way it used to be. My relationship with both Hitoshi and his mother were completely destroyed.
I had been sitting on my bed in deep thought for around 30 minutes when an urgent thought came to mind. I needed to get out of here. It wasn't that I wanted to get out of here permanently, all I wanted was a day away from the awkward atmosphere that had been caused by both Mihoko's rage and my fight with Hitoshi. If I could leave for the day, I thought it would make me feel better and hopefully lessen the stress on the Shinso family.
Standing from my bed, I left my bedroom and headed down the stairs. Just as I descended down the stairs, Hajime approached the stairs. He was fixing his tie, looking ready for work which surprised me since it was a Saturday. As soon as I met his gaze, he sent me his usual lazy smile.
"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice kind. I nodded, stepping off the last stair.
"I was thinking about going for a walk," I told him, avoiding his gaze in fear of him rejecting my wish. But nothing of that sort happened, instead, I felt a hand on top of my head.
"Okay, I have to duck into the office for a bit but I'll be back in the early afternoon. Be safe," he said before rushing past me up the stairs. I was shocked by his action, watching him turn the corner and disappear into his room. I stood there for a moment, trying to process what happened.
It was the sound of his bedroom door being closed for the second time that brought me back to reality. Not wanting him to see me looking so shocked, I rushed towards the front door and left. From there I chose a direction I was familiar with. It was the same direction that Hitoshi and I would usually take to reach the train station which took about 10 minutes to walk to.
I walked in this direction for five minutes, stopping when I saw an alley between two houses. A sign pointed down it, giving the name of the street on the other side. I had walked passed this place many times but had never had the urge to go that way, that is until now.
Wanting to explore a part of the neighbourhood I wasn't too familiar with, I took the risk and walked down the alleyway. The alley lead to another street and after walking down that one for another twenty to twenty-five minutes, I noticed that the houses started looking a lot nicer.
It was obvious that I had walked into a wealthier area, the houses were large in size and looked neat with their newly painted walls and spotless windows. But something stood out even more to me, that being a running track which connected to a spacious park. Not having anything else to do, I entered the park and began walking down the path, noticing something move quickly in the corner of my eye. Turning my attention towards the running track, I spotted someone I recognized.
Iida stood with his hands on his knees, puffing as he tried to regain his breath after completing multiple laps on the track. If anything, I was surprised to see Iida, not having expected to see anyone I knew let alone my class rep.
Lifting his head, the spectacled male's eyes locked onto my partially hidden figure. Recognising me as well, he lifted his hand and gave an exaggerated yet robotic wave. Feeling welcomed by him, I fully emerged from the park and began walking towards him. Iida waited patiently as I walked closer, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"I didn't know you lived around here," Iida said, walking forward to meet me. I nodded, holding my own hand for reassurance.
"Yeah, I was just walking around and I found this area, I've never been to this part of the neighbourhood." He smiled happily down at me before taking a drink from his water bottle.
"So, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to make conversation. Iida dropped his bottle, his large hands moving to his hips as he looked out across the track.
"Training. Right now it's for the upcoming sports festival but I need to get stronger anyway, I wouldn't be a very good hero if I wasn't strong enough," he admitted. It was then that Iida took a double-take, looking down at me with curiosity.
"How about you? Are you training?" he asked, seeming interested in what I did if any at all. I shrugged my shoulders. At first, I wasn't sure how I should reply, but I had come to terms with how I felt and it no longer bothered me to share.
"To be honest with you, I wasn't given a choice to be a hero. Although I have great respect for heroes, it's not something I think I'd want to do or be all that great at. So because I was kinda forced into this, I haven't trained in a long time," I admitted. Iida was shocked with my honesty but didn't look all that bothered by it.
"Really? Well, I won't bother you with the questions. But if you want to stay, would you like to train with me?" The spectacled boy looked a little flustered after asking that question but felt a little better seeing me nod my head.
"Sure, I've got nothing better to do."
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As expected of the boy with the engine quirk, he was focusing on speed which was what he was known for. Not having anything in particular I wanted to work on, I did the same. First, Iida demonstrated. A small, time-recording robot sat by the start line, lifting its mechanical arm in the air. A blank was shot into the air from its limb, letting Iida begin his run. He was quick in speeding around the track, making it back almost immediately with how fast the engines on his legs made him.
"Wow, that was cool," I thought aloud, causing my class rep to blush for the second time that day.
"It was nothing, (L/n). I didn't beat my record so I haven't improved," he said, sounding disappointed in himself. I casually placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention, immediately having his eyes land on me.
"Don't worry, I know the kind of person you are and I know for a fact that you're training hard. You might not see the results immediately but I can guarantee with practice you will definitely improve." Not only was Iida surprised by my words, but I was as well. It wasn't often that I said or felt the need to say anything like that to anyone. There was the exception with Midoriya, where I saw him sad and I felt the urge to cheer him up. It was a feeling foreign to me, one which I had rarely experienced.
I guessed that I just hated seeing people sad.
Iida snapped me out of my thoughts by gesturing to the start line. I did as he instructed and readied myself in a comfortable position. It was then that the robot shot another blank, making me react immediately and start running. Each time my foot would hit the ground, I would repel it, giving more momentum. And before I could take the next step, my foot would magnetize to the ground ahead, pulling me even further forward. I struggled a little in the beginning but got into the habit of it quickly. There I could efficiently run with the help of my quirk, reaching the finish line as fast as I could.
Iida's face harboured a wide smile, my eyes locking onto him as soon as I reached the end of the track.
"I didn't know you could do that, you reached an incredible speed for someone without a speed-related quirk," he complimented. I glanced over at the robot who sat by the start line, reading the time with a quiet laugh.
"But nothing compared to how fast you were, my time is years behind yours." Iida laughed, his smile growing even wider.
"You told me that if I practised I would eventually see results, maybe if you gave a little time to training you could beat me," he encouraged, adjusting his glasses.
"Why don't you give it another go and see if you can beat your current time?" Iida suggested. I was quick to agree and the cycle continued. I returned to the start line, launching myself forward after hearing the blank being fired. There I used my quirk once again, now being fully into the flow of running to my fullest potential with the help of my quirk. And this lap felt a lot shorter than the first. The sound of clapping caught my attention, Iida applauding me. At first, I was unsure of why he was doing so but after taking a look at my time I knew exactly what had happened.
I bet my first time.
"See, I knew you could do it," Iida smiled. I felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness, not only from my new record time but also the fact that Iida looked so happy. So, with this genuine feeling, I decided to express how I felt.
"Iida, thank you. I really appreciate all of your support, it means a lot." He was taken back by your sudden words but smiled gently in return.
"I'm happy to help a classmate."
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Both myself and Iida spent a while training together, running laps and seeing if we could beat our times. I started getting better and better, continuously beating my score after I perfecting the way I used my quirk by tweaking it and making changes every time. Iida eventually beat his score and by this time both of us were exhausted. We now approached a tree where Iida had left his things, both of us sitting beneath it to get away from the harsh rays of the sun. Opening his bag, the spectacled boy pulled 2 wrapped rice balls, offering one to me.
"Are you sure? I don't want to take your lunch," I argued, feeling bad if I were to take his food away. He shook his head and pushed it into my hand.
"Don't worry, I have plenty more. My mother tends to overdo things, I asked her to make me two but I think there's about six," he awkwardly laughed. I thanked him before reluctantly opening it and began eating. Iida did the same, both of us sitting in silence as we ate. It was then that I remembered the day I had met Iida. I regretted my behaviour that day, feeling bad with the way I had refused something as simple as a handshake. But even though it wasn't that long ago, I had grown quite a bit. I yearned for the company of others and found no problem in them touching me. I felt like I could open up and trust others again.
"I'm sorry about refusing your handshake on the first day of school, Iida," I said after swallowing my mouthful. He lifted his head from his lunch, finishing his mouthful before he spoke.
"It didn't bother me so there's no need to apologize, (L/n)," he tried to assure me. But I still felt bad about it, not knowing anyway I could get rid of the guilt I still held about it. So, I held my hand out to my class rep, offering my hand to shake. His eyes locked onto my hand through the lenses of his glasses, staring down at it for a moment before moving. Iida took my hand in a grip which was both firm and gentle. We shook each other's hand, both continuing to hold on even after it was done. I looked down at his larger hand wrapped around mine, noticing how warm it was.
Holding his hand was pleasant.
Noticing that we were still holding hands, Iida was quick to pull back, his face flushed.
"Please excuse my behaviour!" he yelled in apology.
All I could do was laugh, trying my best to hold back my giggles as he overreacted.
"Don't worry about it, Iida," I assured him. He looked hesitant in agreeing but eventually did, giving a small smile back to me.
"Okay."
Really happy to write about Iida because I really love him. Also just some hints about future stuff. What horrible thing happened to your mother that makes it hard for you to trust?