AMV_WEAKLY
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[13] Growing Closer
🕑 Added 2025-05-30 16:31:25 +0000 UTC(Kata POV – Ground Beta Monitoring Room)
As I walk back to the monitoring room, my own words linger in my mind.
'Did I say too much?'
It was something that always bothered me about Mina in the manga. She stood against Gigantomachia when elseone was too scared to even move. But instead of seeing her own strength, she blamed herself for being scared and feeling weak.
'She’s not weak.' I scoff internally. 'She at least stood up when she was powerless. If she's weak, then what am I?' Images from my childhood briefly flash through my mind as my jaw clenches, before I calm down again.
Hopefully, my words helped.
A quick glance behind me shows Mina and Shoji keeping up, though Shoji looks a little dejected. We pass Todoroki, who falls in step beside us, silent.
'I'm not surprised.' Losing was probably a bigger shock for him than anyone else. He thought he was the strongest.
He is strong. But he’s still an ass for now. Izuku will help him work through his trauma much better than I can.
I shake my head slightly. I’m not a therapist, and I don’t want to be.
There are bigger problems ahead. Like the USJ attack. And right now, I doubt I’m strong enough to handle it.
We step into the monitoring room, and almost immediately, Kirishima leads the charge toward me. "Damn, man! That was awesome! The way you demolished everything was super manly!"
Around the room, the girls flock toward Mina, showering her with praise for holding her own against Shoji. Ojiro and Tokoyami check on Shoji, murmuring reassurances. Ida, probably disapproving of my tactics, attempts to console Todoroki, but the icy student ignores him entirely and walks away.
I take it all in while nodding at Kirishima’s enthusiasm. "Thanks."
"I can’t believe you beat Todoroki so easily!" Kaminari chimes in. "His attacks looked crazy strong, but you just brushed them off like nothing!"
"Yeah, but didn't you say your quirk could make forcefields and enhance your strength?" Sero adds, a hint of curiosity in his tone.
"And your shield looked insanely strong," Kirishima finishes. "But you said it weak."
These dreaded question.
I suppress a groan. "I didn’t beat Todoroki easily. He was tougher than I expected."
Most of the class rolls their eyes, clearly not believing me.
"As for my Quirk," I continue, "I can move objects and people without touching them."
Just that. Nothing more.
For now.
That seems to satisfy them, though a few in the room—Momo, Tokoyami, and Ida in particular—exchange looks. I doubt they fully believe me, but I also doubt they'll press the issue.
Before the conversation can continue, All Might gathers everyone and leads us toward the exit. "Well done, everyone!! No serious injuries apart from Midoriya’s. Great teamwork!" His booming laughter fills the space, but as he turns to leave, his gaze flickers toward Bakugo, who's been eerily quiet.
For once, the explosive blonde doesn’t say a word.
After changing back into our school uniforms, the rest of the afternoon classes go by peacefully.
As soon as class ends, I notice two people approaching my desk—Todoroki and Momo.
'This looks troublesome.' I expected Todoroki, but Momo too? That’s unexpected.
Todoroki reaches me first, his expression unreadable but his posture tense. "Why did you hold back against me?"
Behind him, Momo hesitates a few steps away, fidgeting slightly as if unsure whether to stay or leave.
"What do you mean?" I ask, even though I already know.
"You could have knocked me out at the start," Todoroki says, his voice sharper now. His hands clench into fists. "But you didn’t. Were you just toying with me?"
The classroom quiets down. People keep talking, but their voices lower. They’re listening.
'I was testing my abilities on you, but I probably shouldn’t tell you that.'
"Winning instantly wasn’t the point of the exercise," I reply, keeping my tone even. "I underestimated you at first and I genuinely struggled to take you out later on."
Todoroki narrows his eyes. He’s still not satisfied, but he’s less angry... and more determined now.
"Fine," he says after a pause. "But I will beat you. Mark my words."
Without waiting for a response, he turns and leaves the classroom.
I let out a quiet sigh. 'Well, that could have gone worse.'
When I look toward Momo, she seems hesitant after what just happened. I decide to break the silence first. "Did you need something?"
She blinks, surprised that I engaged first.
I can’t keep getting seen as a monster. Maybe it’s best to make an effort to be more approachable.
Momo takes a deep breath, visibly calming herself before stepping forward. 'Am I really that scary?'
"Hello, my name is Momo Yaoyorozu," she says formally. "I was wondering if I could take a few minutes of your time to ask you some questions?"
I stare at her in confusion. 'She’s being really polite about this.'
"Hi?" I respond, a little amused. "I’m Kata Okada. Nice to meet you. And yeah, what questions do you have?"
I flash her a small smile. 'Best to seem friendly.'
A few classmates who catch it look genuinely shocked. Momo, on the other hand, seems to light up, smiling brightly back.
'Right… she had confidence issues.' She probably worried about making friends still. So that reaction makes sense.
"Thank you for indulging me." She gives a small bow, then pulls out a notebook. "Pardon if this sounds rude, but… I’ve noticed that you give off an imposing aura. Do you not want to be bothered by others, or is it something else?"
The class falls silent.
Her question clearly caught everyone off guard. I can see a few heads turning our way, their expressions ranging from curiosity to shock.
Momo tenses slightly but holds her ground.
'Wow… never thought someone would just drop a question like that.'
I raise an eyebrow at her, which for me, is practically a huge gesture of surprise.
"I’m sorry if that offended you!" she blurts out, suddenly panicked. "I just… I wanted to become friends with you, and I wanted to understand where you stand."
I blink.
The entire class is staring now, some of them looking at her with pity, others looking at me like I’m some kind of villain.
'If I don’t answer quickly, it'll only reinforce their bad perceptions of me.'
I sigh, making sure my tone is calm but clear. "…It’s just how I look."
Silence lingers.
'Do they think I’m mad?'
I decide to clarify. "I’m just not used to talking to people. I missed my chance to introduce myself on the first day, and things just ended up like this. I took no offense, so don’t worry."
I see eyebrows raise across the class. The tension in the room eases slightly.
Momo studies me for a moment before nodding. "I see… I had a feeling it was like that. I struggled to make friends before too, so I understand."
Silence descends once again.
'What else did I expect when two awkward people start a conversation?'
I clear my throat. "So… did you have more questions, or has your curiosity been sated?"
Momo frantically flips through her notebook, eyes scanning the pages. 'She probably didn’t expect to make it this far.'
Before she can say anything, another voice cuts through the silence.
"Oh! Me! I have a question!"
Mina raises her hand abruptly, practically bouncing toward my desk. "Do you guys have any hobbies?" She looks between Momo and me, her usual energy on full display.
I guess she’s asking both of us.
Momo immediately perks up. "I enjoy reading and drinking tea. Studying is beneficial for my quirk, so it helps with that too."
Then both of them turn to me expectantly.
I pause, thinking about it. "...I like exercising and reading manga. What about you?"
It’s the truth. Exercising and training are the only things I’ve been doing. And in my last life, reading manga was one of the few things I actually enjoyed.
'After the USJ attack, I should find some new hobbies.'
"I like dancing." She says, flashing a grin.
Before the silence can settle again, two more classmates approach.
The first is Sato, who offers a friendly nod. "I’m Rikido Sato. I also like exercising, baking... and sweets. It also helps with my quirk." He gives Momo a quick smile, probably referring to her earlier comment about her hobby alsl helping with her quirk.
Shoji follows, his calm presence contrasting with the more energetic students. "I, too, like working out. My name’s Mezo Shoji."
And just like that, more people start gathering around my desk. One by one, they introduce themselves properly—sharing their hobbies, interests, and little details about themselves. Even those who had been distant before seem more comfortable.
'…Somehow, I’m meeting them all properly this time.'
A small smile tugs at my lips as I listen, joining the discussion instead of just observing from the sidelines.
For the first time since coming to this world, I start seeing my classmates beyond what's stated in the manga.
The chatter halts for a moment when the classroom door opens, revealing an injured Izuku, his arm bandaged up.
He barely has a chance to react before he’s pulled into the energetic crowd. Everyone bombards him with introductions, along with a wave of compliments about his match against Bakugo.
I watch as Izuku nervously scratches the back of his head, overwhelmed by the attention.
'This is… nice?'
The feeling is unfamiliar, but I decide not to question it. Instead, I let myself enjoy the moment.
I notice Bakugo leaving the classroom, his expression dark. Not long after, Izuku follows.
'I guess this is the part where he tells him about One for All.'
I sigh and push the thought away.
About an hour later, with the conversations winding down, I decide to leave. As I step out into the hall, my mind shifts back to what really matters—preparing for the USJ attack.
I have a few days before the news that All Might is a teacher gets out. Then the break-in happens where they steal the schedule. Finally, the attack itself will take place not long after.
Walking home, I quickly change into my workout clothes.
'I need to increase my shield's strength and work moving objects while it's active. I also need to develop Telekinetic Sensing. After fighting Todoroki, I realized I’d need that ability as my weakness is much greater than I thought.'
Without wasting any more time, I get to work.
I activate my forcefield. No delay and no instability. Good.
Next, I focus on a small pebble nearby. At first, it trembles slightly, but within moments, I lift it with ease. Surprisingly, it takes less effort than before.
'Did fighting help improve my control?'
It makes sense. Combat forces me to stay hyper-focused, reacting under pressure. Training alone doesn’t replicate that kind of intensity.
I gradually increase the challenge. From pebbles to small objects, then to heavier appliances. Within hours, I’m moving the couch effortlessly—even with my shield active. By the time I collapse into bed, exhaustion creeping in, I estimate my lifting limit to be around a ton while simultaneously keeping up my defenses, which was considerable progress.
The next few days at school pass in a blur. With my classmates warming up to me, everything feels… easier. More enjoyable.
One thing of note: I bought Momo and Mina a gift.
Momo’s rich, so something expensive wouldn’t mean much. Instead, I focused on the thought behind it. A personalized notebook—something that reflected her meticulous nature and appreciation for learning.
She lit up instantly, a bright, genuine smile spreading across her face. She ran a hand over the cover, as if testing the texture, before clutching it close to her chest. "This… this is wonderful. Thank you, Okada." The way her eyes gleamed told me she truly liked it.
For Mina, I got a portable Bluetooth speaker. She loves dancing, so by extension, music. Sure, she could use her phone, but playing music out loud on a speaker? A completely different experience.
The moment I handed it to her, she gasped in excitement. "No way! This is perfect!" She practically swiped it from my hands before flashing me a mischievous grin.
"You're the best, Okada!" she said before bolting off, already fiddling with the buttons, probably looking for a good song to test it out with.
I blinked, watching her disappear down the hallway.
…That was a pretty strong reaction.
Still, I felt oddly satisfied by their responses.
Then, the morning the news about All Might being a teacher broke, I had already made progress on the next stage of my training.
Now, my shield is strong enough to resist forces equal to what I can generate, which means I won't have to constantly keep practicing as my quirk gets stronger. And more importantly, I can use my quirk normally while it’s active.
'Tomura won’t be able to sneak up behind me and decay me while I’m distracted by the Nomu.'
My Telekinetic Sensing has also improved. Right now, I can detect movement within a 10-meter radius—if I concentrate fully. It’s not much yet, but by the time we head to USJ, I plan to expand it to 100 meters. And more importantly, I need to make it second nature.
No blind spots. No surprises.
I won’t be caught off guard.
