x
The air still crackled with tension long after the final numbers flashed on the leaderboard. Bakugo had to be restrained by a teacher—his palms smoking, eyes wild—after Hikari stepped between him and Midoriya. He wasn't angry at losing. He was angry because it had all slipped out of his hands. Her, the moment, and whatever pride he had left.
Hikari didn’t look back at him.
She walked beside Midoriya, her hand cradling his as if it were made of glass, slowly channeling the soft glow of her healing quirk into his broken finger. He winced but smiled through it.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WGYjOiTWY
“You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve waited for Recovery Girl.”
“You’re not waiting on anyone while I’m here,” she muttered. Her tone was light, but there was fire behind her words.
She glanced over as a few students watched curiously. One of them asked,10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMFeaANbMp
“Wait, is healing your main Quirk or something?”
Without looking up, Hikari replied coolly,10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡea534weZu0
“One of the main ones, yeah. I’ve got… several. Comes with the territory.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8g6tTzNCv
She didn’t elaborate. She never did.
The rankings appeared on the large screen one last time. It's showed that Midoriya was second to last and Hikari is dead last.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgcwmZ61p5
A small silence fell over the class. Todoroki stood with his arms folded with an expression unreadable as he glanced toward her. Hikari could feel it, the weight of his eyes. Not disappointment exactly but something just as sharp. She looked away.
They had been training together in secret for weeks—after the exam, in the quiet hours when the city was still. The two of them would be found sparring, meditating and pushing each other to their limit. All without the watchful eye of their fathers. And now? She’d sandbagged the test.
Again.
From the shadows of the bleachers, a quiet conversation unfolded.
“Still stubborn as hell, I see,” Aizawa said, eyes fixed on the students.
All Might stood beside him in his skeletal form, arms crossed, posture slightly slumped.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ECmMoNoKi
“She’s always been like that. Since she was a kid. Doesn’t like being watched. Doesn’t like people knowing she’s bleeding.”
Aizawa grunted.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsnarRQey9
“Geez, All Might. That daughter of yours hasn’t changed one bit since the last time I saw her. Back then, she barely reached my knee. Now she’s biting through her tongue just to keep others from knowing she’s in pain.”
All Might didn’t answer right away. His gaze lingered on Hikari.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPo2kQc4VJ
“She doesn’t let me in much,” he said finally. “I missed too many years. She doesn’t trust easily anymore.”
Aizawa tilted his head.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUP0HSJJop
“And what about you?”
All Might blinked.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOacnnJxiNQ
“Me?”
“Do you even know what she wants?”
The rest of the day passed in a haze.
By the time Hikari changed and left the building, she found Todoroki waiting by the gates. He didn’t say anything. Neither did she. They walked in silence through the streets, their footsteps in sync on the quiet pavement. It was a chilly late afternoon—long shadows cast across storefronts, the hum of distant traffic filling the spaces between them.
Finally, she spoke.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lnkP0OZTU
“You’re mad at me.”
Todoroki didn’t stop walking, but his head tilted slightly.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEKeP4TIB1
“No. Just… confused.”
“I didn’t want to win today,” she said softly. “I promised our dad I’d get into UA. I never promised I’d stand out. I don’t want attention. Not yet.”
He stopped then, turning to face her.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHB7tcGMFqo
“Why are you really here, Hikari?”
Her lips parted, then closed. The wind tugged at her hair.
“I’m not here because I want to be,” she said finally. “I’m here for Midoriya. I’m here to help him become the number one hero. That’s always been the plan.”
Todoroki’s gaze didn’t waver.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEuWljeDk3
“And you?”
“I don’t need to be a hero,” she whispered. “Not for the world. Just for him.”
The silence between them thickened. Hikari expected him to mock her. Or scold her. Or worse—turn away.
Instead, he nodded once, slowly.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wuzV02ZdD
“I understand,” he said. “That’s why I’m here too. To prove something. Not for the world… but for someone.”
They didn’t say who.
They didn’t need to.
Dinner was quiet.
Todoroki sat at her tiny kitchen table, quietly spooning rice into his mouth. She sat across from him, fiddling with her chopsticks, barely touching her plate.
“You cook better than I remember,” he said suddenly.
She blinked.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBW24S2PWj
“You remember how I used to cook?”
He glanced up.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99NoXOOcvA
“You used to burn rice just to see if the smoke alarm worked.”
She laughed—a soft, surprised sound.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TEd8ItrNu
“I guess I’ve changed a little.”
He looked at her, his eyes soft.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwGB5ifNaw
“You haven’t changed that much.”
And for the first time in a while, she didn’t want to go home either.
Not without him.
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