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Chapter 24: The Call to Action
🕑 Added 2024-05-07 15:12:34 +0000 UTCWell, season 7 has started, and that first episode was great. It's clear that they know our time with Star won't be long, so the animation is going all the way with her, but dammit, whoever is in charge seems to love assertive women as half her shots with Shiggy give off 'You son calls me mommy, too' vibes. Also, do you think we'll get anime-exclusive stuff like in TYBW in Bleach?
Chapter 24: The Call to Action
Crackling at how his students looked at him like he was carrying a dirty bomb set to blow, Nezu decided he had his fun and had to get going with a fun announcement. "Well, as fun as it would be to let Koharu, your class mascot, chase me around, we have more important things to discuss. Your fight isn't over."
“Wait, is the league coming back?” Komori asked.
“How many times do we need to smash their faces into the ground?” Kamakiri’s blade shot out, eager to teach those morons another lesson.
Nezu kept on smiling, though he cocked his head to the a little. “The League? When did I say it was them? Oh no, you all need to prepare for the sports festival!” He revealed that this wasn't met with joy and excitement from the students but with surprise and concern, as that seemed like a foul play.
“The Festival is still on? Is that wise, sir?” Shiozaki asked, with others agreeing with her.
"The villains already tried attacking us once. Wouldn't the festival be too good a target for them to pass up?" Kendo followed with a question of her own. The League wasn't as dangerous as they first thought. Yes, just three of them were worth mentioning, but that didn't mean they weren't crazy enough to make another pass.
Nezu understood their concerns and was pleased they had them; it showed they had good heads on their shoulders. "To answer your questions in order: Yes, the festival is still happening at its regular time, so in around 2 weeks; yes, the festival is an enticing target, but the security around campus has almost finished being upgraded. Also, they'll be 5 times the regular security persona and protocols for this year's event. I can assure you, if any villain tries, they'll be detected and handled long before they can do anything."
Monoma raised his hand. "Sir, forgive me, but is the festival so important that it couldn't even be pushed back by a couple weeks?"
Nezu shook his head before he explained. "Not it of itself, but the festival, along with its regular purpose, will carry a secondary one this time. That being to demonstrate that our crisis management is as solid as All Might's fist, a means to show both the people and the villains that this little break-in was a fluke.”
"And the original reason?" Shishida asked, Nezu's smile getting a little bigger from pride.
"U.A. can boast that our annual Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events, having long surpassed the pre-quirk sports events as great as the Olympics, but it has since fallen due to reductions in scale and population." He informed them, which, when the students thought about it, made sense, as all of them had seen at least a few festivals growing up, but when was the last time they tuned in for the summer or winter Olympics?
“But that means that the tens of millions that once tuned in for the Olympics now tune in for our festival. This is an event that the entire country watches to get a glimpse at the future of their heroes. And it's not just them but also the pros who watch. They'll be scouting your performances. Do well, and you can be offered a spot at a top agency." Nezu opened his hands to them, presenting the facts like a performance.
"That is the goal, but joining a top hero agency doesn't mean you'll set, but it does give you greater chances to earn experience and gain popularity, which will take a long way come graduation." Nezu stated, with the students thinking of many of those top heroes, many of whom are U.A. graduates themselves. Not only would it be amazing to impress one or more, but then get a chance to work under them and learn from the best? That was something they couldn't pass up.
"Some sad sacks end up being sidekicks for their entire careers. Best they can hope for is it being for a big time hero agency." Kamakiri joked.
“You should watch out then.” Tsunotori teased him, which he responded to with a half-assed middle finger, but he was grinning all the same.
Nezu chuckled at the friendly banter between the two. "You're both right, but to be clear, Kamakiri, being permanent sidekicks, is far from the worst fate. Especially if you find an agency with a good dynamic as you work in teams, cover each other's weaknesses, and emphasize their strengths." An excellent example of something like that would be Endeavour's sidekicks, whose talents help the number 2 hero daily. While abrasive, the U.A. alumni were never shy to admit that fact about them.
"Besides, just because you're a sidekick doesn't mean you can't still rise through the ranking. Most of the heroes on the board in the slots between 101 and 150th are sidekicks." He added that most who did make it that far often left their agencies to start their own after a few years.
"That is why we're not canceling or postponing the event. Because this is your chance, your first of just 3. I hope that you all work hard when the time comes, but do remember to take care of yourselves and have fun!" Nezu finished, the student’s earlier concerns forgotten in the face of the excitement at being able to make such a splash.
“Yes, sir!”
Line Break
Present Mic had just finished his English lesson when the lunch bell rang. It slid out of the class, allowing the students to talk about what they had learned from their temporary homeroom teacher. "Even though we got jumped, I'm still pumped about the festival!" Tetsutetsu yelled out.
“Well, if we stand out, we can impress who knows how many pros. That’ll be a great first step to going pro when we graduate.” Kaibara replied as he might not have been as visibly eager, but it wasn't like he wasn't looking forward to this.
"It's not like some of us would need to work that hard to stand out to begin with." Awase pointed toward others in the class, namely Kamakiri, Kuroiro, Kendo, Shiozaki, Shishida, Tokage, and Midoriya. All, thanks to their quirks or appearance, would stand out with little effort.
"I take some offense to that. This isn't just about being flashy. It's about skills and potential." Honenuki, who was leaning against his desk, stated.
"Hmm! We all have something to contribute!" Midoriya cheered from his friend group.
"I'll probably be fighting an uphill battle with this one. The festival is always held in the morning in a stadium, so there are not many places for shadows to form," Kuroiro lamented, though if he was honest with himself, this made it easier to throw the contest.
“Aren’t you trying to go underground?” Komori asked, causing the pitch-black-skinned boy to stutter.
“Y-yeah, I’m better suited for it.” He replied, with Komori smiling his way.
"Wouldn't there be games for students like that? Once that doesn't want the spotlight?" Yanagi asked as that seemed like an oversight.
"It sort of defeats the purpose of having underground heroes compete on TV. Part of their thing is that they don't do the whole media stuff." Kamakiri replied, with the white-haired girl rolling her eyes at that.
“That I’m aware of, but it could be a smaller in-house event where underground heroes are invited to watch.” As the class continued to discuss the upcoming festival, Midoriya was near vibrating in his seat. He had watched the festival almost every year, only missing the previous one because the temple didn't have a TV, but he read about it in the papers, and it was amazing as always!
"You seem hyper. Do you think you can impress Endeavour, Hebimi?” Tokage asked.
“I’ll do my best, but why Endeavour?” Midoriya replied, tilting his head to the side.
"He's the flame hero; you're a walking fire source. It's not that hard to put together," Monoma answered, which caused Midoriya to pout.
"Can you imagine if Midoriya learns how to do the flame beard thing?" Tokage joked, trying to imagine the snake lover with an emerald-flaming mustache, and it just came off as weird-looking.
Midoriya slapped a hand over his lower face. “No facial hair!” He didn't care if he hadn't grown a shadow yet; he wasn't getting a beard, and you couldn't make him.
"Lay off him; you're going to have your own problems," Kendo told the two, but then they turned to her. Monoma and Tokage yelped out, while the rest started to sweat a little when they saw the look in Kendo's eyes. It was like they were all marks, and she was going to enjoy smashing them to pieces!
“What the? You’re even more intense!” Tsunotori pointed out as Kendo crackled under her breath, planning their demise!
“Damn, girl, you look like we all owe you money.” Tokage was hesitant but laid a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Kendo's blood lust didn't stop, as even others in the class started to pick up on how their usually reserved and level-headed class rep was now acting as she swapped places with Kamakiri. “I’ve always loved friendly competition, but I might get a little…carried away.” She managed to reign in…some of that energy with a breath.
“How bad can you be?” Midoriya asked, which caused Kendo to act a little bashful.
"Well, I was kind… sort…banned from the national Kyokushin tournaments," she replied, which caused some blinks and stares of confusion.
“What did you do?” Tetsutetsu asked her, almost afraid of the answer but being just as curious to hear it.
"Nothing! It's not my fault that they couldn't keep up. It was all above board!" Just like her dad said, the real winner was the one standing in the end. She didn't use her quirk; she beat her opponents and shattered their resolve to continue through skill. It's not her fault that she could be so intense that some ran off crying.
“I doubt that would have banned you if it was just nothing.” Tokage noted but decided it wouldn't help if she got Kendo to admit that.
Kendo shrugged. "So I hit a little harder and don't stay down when struck; that's a fight! Not my fault everyone else gets scared." She smiled, recalling how her dad fought them when they banned her just because the parents of 20 other kids had come together to complain and write a letter. Still, they couldn't ban her from attending, just competing, so since she was 13, she would show up and make sure they saw her, just to mess with them a little.
Was it petty? A little. Did she enjoy it? She wouldn't be planning to do it again if she didn't.
“Monoma, perhaps you’ll handle her?” Tetsutetsu asked, which Monoma waved off.
“I don’t have a death wish.” His response sounded normal, but Midoriya saw that his eyes didn’t look into it, which made him frown as he wondered what was on his friend’s mind. His reading told him it was best to talk about issues when people had problems, but sometimes, they didn't like speaking in groups. That made sense; he didn't like sharing all his secrets and issues with others because he didn't like feeling whiny. Still, he had no problems when it was one-on-one with his mom, Hado, or Ryukyu, so he just had to create a situation where they could talk one on…three.
Simple enough.
Line Break
As the group got up to make their way to the cafeteria, he slowed down to be closer to the group's rear. As they turned the corner, he pulled on Monoma's sleeve to get his attention. "There an issue?"
"I wanted to ask you something but didn't want the others to hear it." Midoriya explained that the halls started to clear, and most walked past them, barely noticing the two, if only for the giant snake wrapped around Izuku's shoulders.
“And what’s that? Normally, you’ll go to Tsunotori or Tokage for this.” Monoma asked, which got Midoriya to raise an eyebrow.
“I would, but you’ll all my friends-wait, you’re confusing me!” Midoriya shook his head before he went down that rabbit hole, pointing at Monoma, who looked even more confused by this.
“I’m sorry…?”
“No, I didn’t want to talk about me. I wanted to talk about you.” Midoriya huffed, getting himself back under control as he frowned, worried. "Why did you look down earlier. You looked sad When we talked about quirks and Kendo's scary side."
Monoma’s eyes went distant again. “It was nothing. Kendo’s response just threw me off.”
“You’re doing it again.” Midoriya stated that he would not let him use that excuse.
“Okay, now you’re seeing things.” Monoma frowned as he turned to walk off.
“I…” Midoriya scrambled to think of something but wasn't good at this. He wasn't good at talking with people. So, he did what he could. “I like to help people, ever since I was little. And for a long time, no one was there to help me…” Monoma stopped there. He knew Midoriya was a rather lonely kid growing up, even if Hado-sempai didn't tell them. It was apparent in all he did and how poor he was with social clues.
But he was also honest; Monoma would bet he was a terrible liar even if he tried. For Izuku, he wasn't sure what he was doing, but he didn't stop as he refused to, even if he wasn't wanted, even if Monoma didn't hang out with him after this. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't try to help when someone needed it. “But that made me want to help them more, especially my friends. Please don’t lie. I don’t like seeing my friends having problems.”
Midoriya's head was bowed, his eyes to the floor, while Monoma remained with his back to him. The empty hall was silent momentarily, then another as Midoriya awaited Monoma's response. When it came, it was a sigh of surrender. Turning to him, he had a smile on his face, which relieved Midoriya of any fears that this would end badly. "Sometimes, you can be real annoying, but an honorable Hebemi.”
Midoriya giggled at that, not minding the nickname because a friend was using it. But Monoma asked him a question. “You didn’t spend time out after the USJ, did you?”
He shook his head. “Hado-sempai thought it was best I stay inside.”
"Well, people asked us how he did after they found out it wasn't class A that was attacked. You probably heard about how they reacted and how some got praise for free food." Monoma started, looking out the window towards the campus, a frown growing on his face, but it wasn’t sad-more angry then sad.
"Well, one question always came up—one assumption: 'Oh, what quirk do you have? It must be strong to have fought off villains' or 'You must have a powerful quirk, as expected of a U.A. student.'" Monoma repeated, reliving those moments from the store, the street, and even the train ride to school that morning. They always looked impressed, eager to offer him a pat on the back. But it never lasted.
"Well, all that praise tends to dry up faster than a pool in the desert when people discover my quirk. And it’s back to the same looks and statements I’ve gotten ever since I was a kid.” He knew that he could spare himself the trouble if he just lied or said nothing at all. But he was proud of his quirk; he wouldn't hide it from people, even if that meant seeing results he hated. As the old saying went, the truth was ugly.
“‘Oh, so you copy people? That’s it?’; ‘You were lucky you had talented people around’; ‘Maybe you should transfer now before you get hurt.’” Others would shy away from him as if terrified that his copying their quirk somehow affected them; others just dropped the pretense and called him a quirk thief or a fraud who should be ashamed he was even trying to be a hero.
His anger grew even as he tightened his fist. His gaze shifted to the town, filled with all those same people who looked at his dreams as if they were a joke. He heard growling and an irritated hiss from his two audience members; perhaps they were also angry.
But what he didn't expect was for Midoriya to approach him and give him a hug. Monoma blinked in surprise at the warm feeling of another against him as Midoriya wrapped his arms around him, resting his forehead between his shoulder blades; the smaller boy spoke, his words bleeding with burning honesty. "Those people are just dumb. You have one of the best quirks in class. You might not have power, but that means you can have all the power, a force multiplier, regardless of the situation!"
Shifting, he turned them around so Monoma could see the smile on his eyes, his emerald eyes nearly glowing. "I know you'll be a great hero, one of the best they'll ever be, and if anyone wants to say otherwise, I'll set their pants on fire like the liars they are." Koharu nudged Midoriya’s cheek. “And Koharu will bite their ankles.”
Monoma…didn’t know how to take that, having never expected such a visceral, emotional response from his friend. The shorter boy getting so angry and defensive for him. Even now, he seemed ready to charge off and carry through with that promise as steam leaked from the corners of his lips. But he knew that it warmed his heart to know he had such a friend. "You're something else, aren't you?" He pats the shorter boy's head, Midoriya buzzing at the touch. Damn, he really was touch-starved.
"I like to think friends help friends. If the rest heard, I'm sure they'll say the same thing as me." Midoriya replied before a question popped into his head. "Monoma, why do you want to be a hero?"
Monoma broke the contact between them. Humming in thought. “You know, I forgot the old reason. Feels like I wanted it just because everyone wants it when you’re young. Now?”
“Now?”
"I would say it's 60% to do some good in the world and 40% to spite all my haters and nay-sayers. After all, while they all get office jobs, they'll see me become a top hero and have to recognize that they were wrong." Monoma smirked at him, which caused Midoriya to giggle into his hands.
“That does sound attractive, I can’t say I haven’t thought about that.” Plenty of folks thought he would end up a villain, yet here he was, a student at the best hero school in Japan. There was satisfaction when he woke in the morning and looked at himself in the mirror; he knew he had beaten those predictions and mean comments. “So, we’ll do it. We’ll become heroes.”
Monoma fixed his hair. “You know it, though it’s a shame. I might have the smarts and the looks, but I lack the power of a main character. Oh well, I’ll just have to be the side character that’s even better than the lead of life.”
“Wait, when did we start talking like we’re in a play?” Midoriya cocked his head to the side. Was this normal for talking? He didn't recall Hado, Haya, or anyone talking like that, but he knew that people had their quirks, so…
Monoma laughed at how confused Midoriya was. The boy didn't even know he had all the marks of a main character. “Come on, Midoriya. The others probably noticed we’re gone. We best get going before Tokage goes crazy without her little Hebemi.” A main character that Monoma wouldn’t mind following in this story as he turned to walk down the halls to get their lunch.
“You say that like I’m a housecat.” Midoriya asked as he jogged a little to catch up with him.
Line Break
When they made it to the cafeteria, true to his prediction, Tokage had been all over him, worried when they noticed both had vanished, which made him feel like he, not Koharu, was the class mascot. Still, it wasn't a wrong time, as they got to talk more while sharing a delicious meal, as always. Kendo was worried about Midoriya's new habit of ordering servings for 2, but he was determined to stick to it. The rest of the school day after that went by without incident, even hero training, even though it was scheduled at the USJ since they did miss out on that the first time.
The weird part came at the end, as the class was packing up and preparing to leave, only for Awase to open the door to see the hallway was packed—full of people, all looking at them.
“What the fuck?” The headband-wearing student stepped back as he didn't recognize any of them, yet they were all eyeing them like animals at the zoo.
“Why are they all here?” Kodai asked, though she hardly seemed concerned with the situation.
“Hey, some of us need to get going before we miss our trains!” Komori yelled at them as Shishida scratched his chin in thought.
“Is there a reason you’re all here?” He thought as Kamakiri scoffed, packing his things.
“My money’s on them wanting to scope us out. Not every day do a bunch of first-years beat the snot out of some villains." He explained, glaring back at the students outside, some of whom turned away from his gaze, which only irritated him even more. You come all this way to be annoying and can't even follow through? What a waste.
Kendo stepped forward to address the crowd. "If that is the case, that's fun, but it's not fair to inconvenience us when many need to catch trains home, myself included.”
That seemed enough for some to start leaving, mumbling out apologies or saying they had trains to catch themselves, but not all. When Kendo opened her mouth to reinforce this with a threat to report whoever she could describe to the teachers, a voice in the crowd spoke first.
“Pyro.”
To most, that meant nothing. To Midoriya, he dropped his book as he was packing it away. He recognized that voice; he knew it better than even his new friends. Turning, he saw the source force their way through the crowd, not caring for them in the slightest as his red eyes, always looking so angry fixated on him.
Midoriya gathered his strength and remembered that he'd done far scarier things, at least on paper, as he faced his old friend turned bully. “Hello, Kacchan.”
Seeing him and how Midoriya reacted to him clued Monoma and Tokage into the situation. They didn't know what he looked like, but this had to be the infamous Bakugo that Asui told them about. They had hoped that his not appearing before was him deciding to leave their friend alone, but in hindsight, that was wishful thinking. They weren't the only ones watching this stand-off, as the rest of the class paid special attention. One would need to be an idiot not to see this newcomer as anything but friendly. From how they carried an aggressive stance and fury in their eyes to how Midoriya looked visibly nervous while Koharu was glaring right back at the blonde.
"I didn't believe it till I saw it, but somehow, a villain like you managed to get in." Bakugo glared at him, not even registering the snake wrapped around Midoriya's neck or how it looked close to lunging.
Midoriya frowned, knowing this would not be an easy or pleasant conversation. But he wasn't going to just roll over and let him do whatever he pleased, not anymore. “I’m not a villain, and I earned my spot.”
That seemed to set him off as he stomped forward. "Bullshit! Who'd you have to con to trick your way into a hero school when all you want to do is burn everything, you damn pyromaniac?"
Midoriya got just as heated at the implication that Hado-sempai and Ryukyu would ever do something like that. He refused to let such an insult go unanswered. “I didn't trick the people who helped me, and they didn't cheat for me to get in; they're better than that!"
Bakugo curled his lip at that, looking down his nose at him before turning his gaze to the rest of the class. None looked pleased with him after a terrible first impression. "Keep telling yourself that, Pyro. I came to see what the fuss was about, but if you're the guys and you have Pyro in your class, those villains must have been weaker than babies for you to take them out."
“You want to run that by me again, you little shit!?” Honenuki held Tsunotori back from trying to start a fight with this punk.
“Kacchan, you can say mean things about me all you want, I don’t care. But as vice class rep, I won’t let you make fun of my classmates, especially when you don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Midoriya glared at him, and his eyes started to glow as steam leaked out the corners of his mouth and nostrils. Bakugo lifted a hand and set off a few small explosions, ready to start a fight then and there, which others fearfully picked up on and wondered when they signed up for this as they wanted to see class 1-B, not get caught in a fight because some blonde prick fight like being needlessly aggressive.
Lucky for them and the two would-be fighters, Monoma came up behind Midoriya, hanging off his shoulder as he smirked at Bakugo. "You must be from the famous class 1-A, the one that was too good to stand with the rest of us lowly mortals during orientation.”
"People worth a damn have better things to do with their time than hang out with extras." Bakugo snorted, an ego bigger than his head on full display, one that Monoma would have fun pocking and prodding.
"My, I would be careful. The higher the ivory tower you've built, the greater the fall. I assume you'll know that since you got slapped with a week's detention, it hasn't even been a month yet." He smiled as Bakugo's smirk turned to aglare, no doubt wondering how he even knew that.
"The hell are you talking about, you fake-ass used car salesmen?" Monoma smirked through the insult, though it was a creative one.
"Oh, I've just stated facts! After all, to disobey a direct order from All Might. You must be the bravest or the dumbest person I've ever met." People started to whisper at that, as they knew All Might was a teacher-who didn't at this point. Still, they were asking who would go against his instructions. Many were siding with his assessment that Bakugo was just an idiot, which clearly was getting on his nerves as his raged-filled eyes seemed to somehow grow worse.
“You want me to knock your teeth out?” Bakugo threatened him, forgetting that he showed up to beat some answers out of Midoriya.
Monoma’s lips curled as steam started to leak from them, having copied Midoriya’s quirk. "Am I the one that came here to pick a fight? Though if you like, I'll happily trade barbs with you all that if you have the intellect for that, as I don't speak barbarian."
That set off Bakugo, who marched forward to show him what had happened to extras who didn't know their place, but Midoriya wiggled free of Monoma's grasp and shoved Bakugo back, the taller boy surprised that Midoriya would even touch him.
Staring him down, Midoriya was firm. "Enough, this isn't middle school, Kacchan. I just won't let you say and do terrible things. You want to pick fights? Wait for the festival, but know that everyone in my class is going for the gold, even if that means facing you." His gaze sharpened, his pupils narrowing into a more reptilian shape. “Especially if it means facing you.”
The tension was thick between the two, one looking like he would attack them there and there, the other two ready to counter while Kendo enlarged her hand. She would have preferred this didn't get messy, but this unwelcomed guest seemed like he came here just to antagonize them. She wasn't the only one, as others in class B were preparing for a fight. As Shishida removed his reading glasses, Shiozaki's hair started to wiggle, and Kamakiri's blade extended.
Bakugo didn't care that he was starting a fight with 20 or that they were in a crowded hallway. He seemed ready to show them why he was the top dog and why they were all sent to class B.
“Hey there! Nice to meet you, class B!” But mercifully, the tensions were broken by the arrival of another student. This redhead seemed much friendlier than Bakugo, though that was quite the low bar. The newcomer wrapped an arm around Bakugo's shoulders to keep it in place, even as Bakugo glared at him for daring to touch him.
"Just wanted to wish you luck at the festival and keep this one from causing trouble!" He told them as he started to drag Bakugo off, who went kicking and cursing at him to let him go in sight was quite…unusual even for U.A. standards. But with him gone, Midoriya could finally take a breath and then fall to his knees, white as a sheet.
“Midoriya/ Hebemi!” Tokage and Kendo were already at his side, and Midoriya was taking deep breaths to try to control himself.
“Dammit, that punk did something, didn’t he?!” Tetsutetsu yelled, ready to chase after those two and teach them a lesson as Midoriya turned to Tokage, tears in his eyes.
“Why did I do that?! Now he’s going to murder me!” Midoriya asked of her, shaking her for answers. He didn’t stand up to Bakugo because that just made him worse, so why oh why did he just do that?.
Monoma only laughed at how freaked out his friend was as he helped him to his feet. "Maybe you should start saving those brave points, as that was pretty bold." As they calmed the snake lover down, in the crowd watching them, a purple-haired boy silently watched them, thinking that perhaps it was class A that was the arrogant ones. Still, arrogance often meant that he made mistakes, so maybe his chance would be with them.
“(Kero) I just saw Bakugo being dragged off by Kirishima, so I can only assume he did something bad.” Asui noted as she appeared, followed by two friends from class A, Iida and Uraraka, who were curious about meeting her friends in class B.
“Tsu!” When he saw her, Midoriya rushed her and wrapped her in a hug, which the girl took in stride. “You gotta help me, I picked a fight with Kacchan and now he’s gonna murder me!”
“He picked the fight.” Monoma corrected that.
“Okay, who is she?” Kamakiri asked, as this was getting annoying.
"She's a friend from class A. She warned us about Bakugo a while back." Tokage explained, with Tsunotori nodding along while Asui handled Midoriya's freak-out.
"How is it that he goes from a ferocious serpent to a timid garden snake at the drop of a hat?" Awase asked, as this was quite the site.
“That’s unfair, Kacchan is scary!” Midoriya yelled back.
Tokage wasn’t so sure about that as she scratched her chin. “I don’t know, I think he’s just compensating for something.” She laughed when Midoriya turned, horrified at her statement. It was clear he still feared this Bakugo guy. So, as his friends, they'll break that hold on him, and if that meant roasting Bakugo every chance they got…well, that was just a nice bonus.
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And that is that! As I was working on this, I thought I had more stuff, but then I reached the end of my notes for this chapter, and I want…'Well, looks like that's all I planned.' Again, I love writing Midoriya since he's still himself. He can defend others without thinking but still has a heart comparable to Amajiki's, so whenever I think of scenes between them, they just end up awkwardly silent. Another factor is that I'm adding some of that playful chaos that Chika brings to Kaguya-sama, both here and in the villain path, which makes him quite the gremlin sometimes as he just does what he thinks is fun, damn the consequences.
