"You really gotta cheer up, man," Sero said, leaning forward across the table and angling himself sideways to try and catch a glimpse of Kaminari’s face. The blonde was folded into himself, forehead pressed firmly into the crook of his crossed arms as if he could disappear into the fabric of his sleeves. His frizzy hair stuck out in uneven tufts, and small, erratic sparks of static snapped through the strands each time he shifted. The faint crackle blended awkwardly with the steady roar of the cafeteria. Trays clattered onto metal racks. Chairs scraped and screeched across tile. A burst of laughter erupted near the windows, bright and careless, completely at odds with the heaviness settled at their booth.

  The only response Sero received was a low, muffled groan that barely made it past Kaminari’s sleeves.

  Sero exhaled through his nose and reached into his pocket, fishing around before retrieving a small wrapped treat. He slid it across the table with two fingers. It skidded over the smooth surface and bumped lightly against Kaminari’s elbow. When that failed to get more than a twitch, Sero leaned forward again and tapped his shoulder. The plastic wrapper crinkled sharply, a thin, artificial sound cutting through the cafeteria’s dull hum.

  Kaminari lifted his head slowly, as if gravity had increased overnight. His eyes were heavy, faintly shadowed, and rimmed with exhaustion that made him look older than seventeen. He stared at the candy for a long second, expression blank, as though debating whether he had the energy to care about sugar. Eventually he pushed himself upright and reached for it.

  "Thanks..."

  His fingers were sluggish as he unwrapped it. The plastic peeled back with a soft tear before he popped the treat into his mouth, chewing without any real interest. The static in his hair faded to a faint, intermittent buzz.

  Sero eased back into the booth, the vinyl creaking beneath his weight. He crossed his arms loosely and studied Kaminari’s profile. "You were fine yesterday when I called. What happened?"

  The light in Kaminari’s eyes dimmed a fraction more. He rolled the empty wrapper between his fingers, compressing it into a tight, jagged ball before letting it drop onto his tray. "I was... but seeing her today just felt wrong." He swallowed, his throat working visibly. His voice came out shakier than he likely meant it to, thin around the edges.

  Sero’s expression softened immediately. He hated hearing that specific tremor in someone’s voice, the one that meant the joke armor had cracked. "On the bright side, it's not like she rejected you or anything. Nothing's changed, right?"

  Kaminari looked at him for a long, silent moment. The harsh fluorescent lights overhead reflected in his eyes, making them shimmer faintly with something that looked like doubt more than hope. "I guess... you're right." He nodded once, slow and unconvincing, like he was trying to sell himself on it.

  A sudden movement in the aisle pulled both of their attention away. Bakugo stormed past their booth like a contained explosion. His jaw was set tight enough to show the line of his teeth, shoulders rigid beneath his uniform. The air around him felt charged, as if the space itself knew better than to get in his way. His leg clipped a stray chair without so much as a glance, sending it skittering across the tile with a sharp scrape that made a few nearby students flinch.

  Sero snorted softly, tracking Bakugo’s retreating form until it disappeared into the crowd. When he looked back at Kaminari, he caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his friend’s mouth.

  "See? You're not the only one. Bakugo's clearly upset over something."

  The comment earned a small laugh. It slipped out of Kaminari quickly and breathy, but it was real. His shoulders eased down from around his ears, tension unwinding just a little. The smile that followed was softer, tinged with something wistful, yet it lingered.

  A pair of footsteps slowed near the edge of their table.

  "Heyy guyyss."

  Reiko’s voice floated toward them in its usual airy cadence. Both Kaminari and Sero straightened almost automatically. Reiko stood at the end of the booth with her serene smile in place, though it stretched just a bit too wide, like she was trying to hold onto it. Yui stood beside her, posture perfectly straight, hands folded neatly in front of her. Her expression was neutral, unreadable rather than cold.

  "Hey, you two," Sero replied, lifting a hand in greeting.

  Reiko tilted her head, dark hair shifting over her shoulders. "There's a rumor going around that you two were involved in that villain attack a few days ago, is that true?" Her eyes gleamed with curiosity, sharp and unfiltered.

  Sero’s relaxed posture tightened almost imperceptibly. He shot a brief glance at Kaminari. The small spark that had returned to his friend’s expression flickered and went out, replaced by something duller.

  "Yeah, we were there," Sero answered, looking back up at the girls. "But we didn't do much, to be honest." He gave a sheepish grin, though it stayed confined to his mouth.

  Both girls reacted. Yui’s was the most noticeable. Her eyes widened slightly, her gaze sharpening with interest, though she said nothing. In the lull that followed, the cafeteria noise seemed to swell around them, filling the space where easy conversation should have been.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Sero cleared his throat and gestured loosely to the empty spots in the booth. "Wanna sit down?"

  Yui’s brows twitched upward, surprise flashing briefly across her face as if the offer carried more weight than it should have. Reiko, however, was already moving.

  "Sure!" She slid into the seat beside Sero, smoothing her skirt under her thighs before leaning forward. She looked up at Yui with that same unwavering smile until the quieter girl relented. Yui took the seat beside Kaminari, deliberately leaving a noticeable gap of space between them. She set her hands neatly on the table’s edge.

  Reiko leaned her elbows on the tabletop and shifted closer. "How come only Class A encounters villains? It's so boring in Class B." She slumped forward dramatically, cheek almost brushing the surface.

  Kaminari shook his head slowly. The faint humor from moments ago vanished. "Consider yourselves lucky... and it's not like it was just us there. Tetsutetsu was also involved." His voice carried a quiet weight that made Reiko’s posture stiffen slightly.

  "Yeah, he was, wasn't he?" she replied, straightening a bit. The playfulness in her tone faded before curiosity slipped back in. "So what was the villain like? I heard he was scary."

  Kaminari shifted in his seat, gaze dropping to the table. His fingers tapped once against the tray before going still. "I didn't really get a good look in..." He trailed off, eyes flicking toward Sero.

  Sero had gone quiet. His stare had drifted unfocused, fixed somewhere on the tabletop like it had become a screen. When he realized the others were waiting, he blinked and forced himself upright.

  "The villain?" He repeated the word as if testing it. "Yeah, he was terrifying."

  Even saying it sent a chill crawling down his spine. For a split second, the scent of smoke seemed to fill his lungs again. The metallic ringing from that night echoed faintly in the back of his skull before fading beneath the cafeteria’s constant noise.

  A long pause followed.

  Yui was the one who broke it. "That's not something to wish for, Rei." Her voice was calm, steady, stripped of any teasing.

  Reiko’s smile faltered, her gaze dropping to the tabletop.

  Yui continued without raising her voice. "It's a serious matter. Someone died that night." The statement landed flat and firm, leaving no room for the usual Class A versus Class B banter.

  The atmosphere around the booth shifted immediately. The cafeteria felt distant, as though the sound had been dulled by water. Kaminari and Sero exchanged a brief look, and the same heavy, unspoken guilt settled between them.

  "I'm... uhh sorry..." Reiko dipped her head slightly, fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve.

  Sero pushed back from the booth a little too quickly, the legs scraping against the tile with a sharp squeak. "Hey, the break's about to be over. We should start heading to class." His smile was forced, thin but intentional, meant to cut through the weight.

  They stood. Chairs scraped. Trays were gathered. The group naturally split at the cafeteria exit, Class A veering left and Class B right. The hallway current swallowed them up, students flowing around them as if nothing significant had happened at that table.

  "So when are you gonna ask him out?" Reiko asked as they walked, leaning toward Yui with a mischievous glint returning to her eyes.

  Yui looked genuinely confused. "Ask who out?"

  Reiko shook her head, lips curling. "Oh Sero, of course. You're head over heels for him, aren't you?"

  Yui stopped so abruptly that a student behind her nearly bumped into her shoulder. Her face went blank with bafflement. "What?..." she said bluntly. "You're horrible at reading people, Rei. I don't see him that way at all."

  Reiko kept walking, shaking her head and clicking her tongue softly in teasing disbelief. "Sure," she added, mostly to herself.

  They entered the classroom together, the sliding door whispering shut behind them. Yui still looked mildly exasperated as she made her way to her seat. Reiko settled behind Monoma, placing her bag neatly at her side before resting her chin lightly on her palm. Her eyes drifted toward Tetsutetsu.

  He sat to Monoma’s right, posture straight, jaw tight enough that a muscle ticked beneath the skin. Monoma leaned toward him, already mid-rant, voice animated as he complained about Class A’s constant spotlight. Tetsutetsu stared ahead, hands resting flat on his desk. He did not interrupt. He did not agree. He simply listened.

  Reiko watched him for a moment longer. He had not mentioned the attack once since returning. Not a single detail.

  The door slid open again.

  Ectoplasm entered with practiced efficiency, his prosthetic leg leading as he nudged the door wider before stepping fully inside. The soft mechanical thud of it against the floor echoed faintly. The class quieted as he moved to the front, his clones flickering into existence beside him in preparation for the lesson.

  From there, the afternoon blurred into equations and explanations. Chalk scraped against the board. Pages turned. A few students stifled yawns.

  Eventually, Ectoplasm paused mid-problem and glanced over the room. "We'll need a bit more space for this next demonstration," he explained. He gestured toward the desks. "I would appreciate some assistance moving these aside. As you can see, I am not ideally suited for heavy lifting."

  A beat of silence hung in the air.

  Then Tetsutetsu’s hand shot up so fast his chair legs screeched backward. "I'll do it!" he called out, voice bright and eager.

  Several classmates startled at the sudden volume. A pencil rolled off someone’s desk.

  Tetsutetsu was already on his feet before he was formally acknowledged, pushing his chair back with a sharp scrape. He stepped into the aisle and gripped the nearest desk with both hands. The metal legs groaned as he lifted and dragged it across the floor, the sound rhythmic and metallic.

  Monoma frowned deeply, cut off mid-complaint. He had been in the middle of a particularly detailed grievance and clearly had not finished. His eyes darted around the room before landing on Reiko. With exaggerated annoyance, he spun in his chair and hooked his arms over the backrest, leaning toward her.

  He did not bother easing into conversation. He simply resumed his rant exactly where he had left off, voice rising slightly in an attempt to compete with the scraping of desks.

  Reiko inched backward in her seat, maintaining a polite smile as she nodded occasionally. She shifted her chair a fraction of an inch away, trying to reclaim some personal space without making it obvious.

  Her gaze wandered toward the front of the room.

  Tetsutetsu had already cleared two desks and was stacking them neatly along the wall. He moved with quick, decisive motions, carrying more weight than necessary without hesitation. The muscles in his arms flexed as he adjusted one desk into alignment, making sure the legs were flush. He reached for another before anyone else had fully stood up to help.

  The metallic scrape of furniture against tile filled the classroom, layered over Monoma’s voice as he continued talking.

  Reiko’s attention lingered on Tetsutetsu a moment longer, her smile fading slightly into something more thoughtful, before Monoma raised his voice again, determined to be heard over the noise.