[ Learn to be Happy, ]

CH 7- The mock battle (edited)

'Don't push your tendencies on them, All Might. They shouldn't have to be like you.' Izuku thought back to his past self and felt a tight, unbearable knot in his stomach.

'...Your life...is really sad.'

And that's why, Izuku couldn't truly blame All Might.

No matter how much he wanted to.

. . .

"One of them will probably come to distract us and keep us away from the nuclear weapon." Uraraka, the girl who was Hitoshi's assigned partner for the mock battle, started with furrowed eyebrows. "Maybe Iida, since he is the faster o–"

Hitoshi stopped walking and gave a glance to the brown-haired girl, looking as if he was contemplating something, before he blinked and looked forward again.

...

His brows furrowed.

Uraraka pursued her lips, as if sensing the mood shift, "what's wrong?"

"Shh" Hitoshi put his hands forward, "...I hear explosions."

At that, Uraraka grimaced before paying more attention to the noise around her, "I don't hear anything–"

BANG!

The loud explosion cut through her sentence, and Hitoshi instinctively raised his hands to the scarf loosely wrapped around his neck, positioning himself in a combat stance.

Heavy footsteps.

"..."

Uraraka's frown worsened, "It won't be good for us to immediately face Bakugo-kun when the battle's just star–"

"Go find the nuclear weapon. I'll distract him." Hitoshi whispered, just in case Bakugo was close enough to hear their conversation.

Uraraka looked at him for a long second, her thoughts running, as if that was really a good idea.

Step, step. The heavy footsteps sounded as if they were close by, as if urging her to quicken her decision.

"...be careful, Shinsho-kun." Uraraka finally turned away and started running in the opposite direction.

...

...

...

...

Hitoshi relaxed his posture. He looked behind himself, before reaching his hands to his ear.

...

Click.

Hitoshi turned his microphone off.

'...She was quite easy to fool.'

Step, step– the footsteps sounded were closer.

'It almost makes me feel guilty.'

Honestly, Hitoshi imagined that the explosive boy would come violently at him, not these slow prolonged footsteps.

When Hitoshi finally saw Bakugo – who had a rather angry and dangerous look in his eyes – he thought again, 'almost.'

"There's...something off with you, extra!" Bakugo started, fastening his steps towards Hitoshi.

When he was in front of the boy, he raised his head and looked down at him. Bakugo's posture was relaxed, but his arms were tense– hands twitching with the instinct to use his quirk. "I mean, who deliberately leads themselves to the enemy?"

The atmosphere tensed, and when faced with silence, Bakugo continued talking, "You think I haven't noticed?"

"you've been watching over me since the first day of school–" His face darkened with a scrowl, "–like some freakish stalker !" Finally, Bakugo asked, "Just, what is your problem ?!"

...

...

...

"Pathetic."

...After the long silence, Hitoshi only let out one word leave his covered mouth.

Bakugo felt his head boiling, and suddenly, his hands were burning outbursts with his anger. He pushed his hand next to himself, not moving too close to Hitoshi, but enough for the boy to feel the heat of the explosions.

...

"...Hm, is this how you treated Izuku-san in the past?"

Bakugo froze, his explosions ceasing.

"How....how-how do you know that?!" A violent burning hand grabbed Hitoshi's collar, his personal space invaded as Bakugo immediately grasped the purple-head's words.

...

Bakugo's red eyes shook intensely, his vision misting as if mocking his feelings. Hitoshi's face became blurrier, but even a fool would notice the sarcastic glare on his face. "Answer ME!"

Desperation seeped into Bakugo's voice. He recalled the last and only request Izuku made of him. 'I promised...to keep the past a secret!'

If he couldn't even do that–

"I didn't know." Finally, an answer came, but it only left Bakugo with more questions.

"Wha...?"

Bakugo's body stopped, his eyes dulling, and consciousness faded.

"Faint."

His body first leaned towards Hitoshi, but Hitoshi tilted the body off belligerently, and Katsuki thudded to the ground.

THUD.

'I don't have to spend more time tolerating idiots.' Finally. Hitoshi glared down on the unconscious body.

'...I've already gotten what I needed.' Hitoshi walked away, the evidence he desired flowing in his mind.

"How....how-how do you know that?!"

Hitoshi remembered the confused look on Bakugo's face when he said that he didn't know. 'I didn't know.'

...And knowing that information...didn't feel as pleasing as he thought it would.

'....I truly didn't know.'

...

...

...

...

[ " Bakugo Katsuki has been captured by the hero team. " ]