65: 𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚞𝚙
Lunch was almond over anyways. So while it was obvious Nova left because of something Midoriya said, the rest of the group wasn't too worried about looking for her.
Even when Midoriya stood up to go after her he was convinced not to.
"Give her some space." Shoji said, turning to him with his usual stoic expression.
"Oh I um-"
"If you guys really want to be her friend... It's a good idea to leave her alone sometimes. If that's what she wants." Shoji advised. "Just... Keep including her. Without making it obvious you're doing it for her specifically. It makes her feel singled out. Which makes her uncomfortable."
"Did she tell you all this?" Uraraka asked with a tilt of her head.
"No, we don't talk often. But I can tell when she's uncomfortable." Shoji looked at Midoriya fully, his mask still pulled up. The other boy just realized that he hadn't even seen Shoji eat. He had just been conversing with Todoroki this whole time.
"What did you say?" He asked Midoriya with a pointed look. He didn't seem angry, but Midoriya still was nervous. Slipping his book back into his bag.
"W-we were just talking about her quirk... I was asking questions." He admitted. "I asked... If she thought she'd ever um... Be as strong as her father was..."
"Why would you ask that?" Iida said with a frown, the space that separated the two boys was now empty. Because Nova left.
Iida had been vaguely paying attention to the two's conversation. Until their voices were pushed in secret. But Iida saw the page that made Nova hesitate.
A page dedicated to Rikko Kurayami? It left a poor taste in Iida's mouth. He understood research and even admired Midoriya's note taking. But praising the quirk of a villain like him? It just didn't seem right. Memorializing him in the same book as heroes and his very classmates seemed worse.
He was a murderer. And murderers deserved death. Iida wished he could track down every villain and wring their throats.
Kurayami... Stain...
They were both the same; Hero killers.
They needed to die. Stain needed to die in the same way Kurayami did. If they caught Kurayami why couldn't they catch the hero killer? He was no more powerful than Rikko. Why weren't they stopping him?! He was just one man.
Just one man.
Kurayami had been just one man too. But he had the strength of an army. He was an active villain on and off for six years. How long will this villain wonder the streets without consequence? Another year? Three years? Six years?!
Iida sat there seething with a burning passion. One he had been trying to soothe ever since he learned of what happened to his brother.
"It would be wise not to bring him up, she hasn't said a word about him since we met. And I don't expect her to." Shoji said standing up to leave. He looked down at them, there was a softness in his eyes. Almost pleading.
"Just.... Don't give up on her yet."
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
Nova walked slowly to class.
Her eyes were looking everywhere. She didn't think about it until she was alone in the hallway... But she suddenly felt unsafe. Very unsafe.
She was alone. Just like she had been on the way to her match. What if someone trapped her again? More students, more thirdyears. More people who hated her, who wanted to get rid of her.
She shook her head, trying to forget about all that. She was fine, even if that did happen she could fight back. What was the likelihood of someone else having the ability to erase quirks? It didn't seem probable... But it also wasn't impossible for her to be attacked again. By someone stronger than her. By someone who hated her. By someone-
She heard footsteps behind her and quickly spun around, Her fear made her jumpy. If someone was attacking her she wanted to be able to see them. Last time she couldn't, last time she was grabbed from behind. It was terrifying, not knowing what was happening. She'd rather see it coming than be left in the dark.
But Nova's fear wasn't necessary. Turning the corner was a familiar group of kids. But Nova's nerves were still on edge. Her heart was still beating faster than what Nova suspected was normal.
"Heyyyy Kurayami!"
Mina was the first to see Nova. Friendly as usual, Nova hadn't really talked to the girl much. Not since her and Jirou and Uraraka apologized for gawking at her the day she skipped school. But the pink girl had never been mean to Nova, she just seemed to... Keep her distance.
Preferring the company of another group of students.
The same group that seemed linked to Bakugou. Following him around like the middle school bully groups Nova had grown accustomed too in her years of changing schools. Every school has one, at least Nova assumed they did.
Not every member of the group tended to be mean, but they followed the one who did.
Nova was almost sure this was one of those groups.
"Oh h-hi." Nova stammered, biting her lip nervously. They were all there, Mina, who seemed friendly enough. Kirishima who had been nice and defended Nova on multiple occasions, Denki and Sero who Nova didn't know much about. But they often cracked jokes, occasionally at the expense of others. Nova sometimes couldn't tell if they were light-hearted or not.
Then Jirou, who Nova was sure hated her. Not in a mean way, in a way that made Nova feel guilty for even existing.
And finally Bakugou. Who just stood there with a glare directed at her specifically, to be expected after she bested him in the sports festival. She hoped he wouldn't corner her and call her a villain again, especially not now that Shoji wasn't here to make them stop. Now that Nova was stressed to the point of possible tears.
"Hey Kurayami! That final take down in the festival was like... Hilarious." Denki said with a bright smile.
"Yeah! Like when Todoroki just fell flat on his face! It was gold. I would feel bad for teasing him but he completely humiliated me during our match." Sero said with his usual grin.
This was what Nova expected of the two. Jokes that she simply couldn't figure out if there was some sort of hidden meaning. Like when the girls at her other schools 'complimented' her hair only to laugh in her face for a reason she couldn't understand.
But then again maybe there was no meaning at all. And Sero and Denki were just complimenting her on winning the fight.
"Ugh it was so awesome! I mean a girl hasn't won the sports festival in years!" Mina nodded, suddenly Nova was walking in their group towards the classroom. Like they simply joined her. "If it couldn't be me... I'm glad it was you."
"Oh... Thanks..."
"Also I like your hair. It reminds me of mine." The pink girl added. She had a point, it was a similar length. Although Minas was fluffy due to volume and not curl like Nova's.
Nova's face heated up slightly. There was another one. Was she teasing?
No she seemed genuine. Her lighthearted smile and the bounce in her step. This compliment wasn't backhanded, but it still made Nova uncomfortable. The mention of her hair put her even more on edge.
"Yeah it's totally manly!"
Yep there it was. Nova glanced up at Kirishima who was smiling down at her. The smile was so convincing, it looked so bright and genuine. But now Nova was sure they were picking on her.
Kirishima has royally fucked up. He looked down at Nova in a friendly manner. But the moment she glanced back up all his good intentions melted into confusion.
Why did she look so sad?
A solid three seconds passed, Kirishima looked at Nova's expression. From the slight tremble of her bottom lip to her big sad grey eyes. Practically gleaming with unshed tears.
He felt like he had just kicked a puppy.
Completely unintentionally. Because he had no idea what he did wrong.
And then those three seconds were up and what happened snapped together.
"No w-wait!!!" He stammered, eyes wide. He shook his head frantically and waves his hands like he was trying to stop a toddler from breaking down via distraction.
"KIRISHIMA YOU MORON!!" Mina said, hitting his arm.
"NO I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!!-" Kirishima said, suddenly on the edge of tears himself.
Nova had no idea what was going on. But this whole interaction, like every other was completely stressing her out.
"No he just says that!" Sero said, trying to explain to Nova in the chaos that Kirishima wasn't insulting her.
"Even I'm not that dumb." Denki mumbled.
"WOMANLY! Or ladylike? I mean cool! It looks good! Feminine! Shit- I'm sorry! You look so sad-" Kirishima was spouting off nonsense and Mina has wrapped her arms around Nova protectively.
"YOU'RE ALL MORONS!" Bakugou snapped, leaving the group in annoyance.
"You're beautiful!!! And I'm dumb okay?! Don't take it personally please! Please I am so so sorry!" Kirishima was practically begging and Nova was looking at him with a baffled but still teary eyed expression.
"He just says things like that. He's dumb, manly means like... Cool or awesome to him." Jirou said calmly, putting a hand on Nova's shoulder. "You don't look like a man."
The group seemed to calm down and Nova wiped her eyes. Catching the tears that were threatening to fall before the could. Her nerves were calming down slightly. Everyone here seemed to be genuine and nice.
"Yes I'm dumb! So so dumb. You're very very pretty." Kirishima said in pure distress. "Please don't be sad."
"I'm not! I-it's okay." Nova said, even though she very clearly was upset. Kirishima's heart clinched at the sight of her wiping her big teary eyes. Because of him. It wasn't very manly at all on his part.
"You need to start using that word only in the proper context." Kaminari whispered very loudly to Kirishima who wiped his own eyes.
"I know." He sniffled. "It just slipped out. I'm sorry... You're really cool Kurayami... I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's fine really... I understand..." Nova said. Now she felt bad.
Manly because she had completely misjudged all of them. They weren't bullies or mean at all. She just thought they'd be like the kids she was used too. The ones that bullied her in middle school. It was unfair of her to think that though.
"Are you sure?! I'll do anything to make it up to you- want me to carry your bag?! Or um... Give you something- I don't have any money but I think I have a granola bar-"
"Dear God Kirishima! Stop it, she said it was fine." Jirou crossed her arms.
"I just feel so bad..." He whined, granola bar in hand. Calling a woman appearance manly in the first place wasn't very chivalrous...
But saying it to a girl that was physically attacked and had her hair forcibly cut? That was just evil.
"I'll take the granola bar... I-if it makes you feel better." Nova offered. As though it was now her job to make him happy.
"Okay sure!! And don't worry about me! I'm a moron!" Kirishima nodded frantically giving her the granola bar without hesitation.
"No you're not! Don't say that!" Nova argued.
"Okay okay!" Jirou stepped between them. "That's enough with the people pleasing! He's sorry and she's accepted his apology and his granola bar." She said as though she was trying to keep the order of a kindergarten classroom. "You can both end this circular conversation with clean cconsciences."
Both people pleasers nodded. Though Kirishima still seemed to be guilty and Nova still a little shaken from the interaction.
This was the reason she didn't socialize.
A/N: I've actually wanted to do a scene like this for awhile...
Because of how often Kirishima misuses the word 'Manly' I thought it would be funny for him to say it to a girl (who doesn't know him very well) and feel bad.
And it fits well with both their characters.
Also this chapter definitely highlights Nova's social anxiety and almost... PTSD. Because she's so used to everyone hating her that she automatically expects it. This is course could lead to her misjudging other people's characters.
So though it may have seemed like it from Nova's perspective. The 'bakusquad' isn't a group of mean kids in this fic. They are loveable and we'll meaning.
But occasionally idiots.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: ZingTruyen.Xyz