three
CHAPTER 3: YOU FUEL ME
"Hello... My name is Shuzenji [f/n]."
The girl from earlier came forward and took your hands, squeezing them a bit too harshly.
"[f/n]-chan, then. What's your quirk?"
You freeze up. "I... don't have one."
"Ehh?! You're joking right?"
"That's so lame."
Hazaki from behind walks up and takes the girl's hands off yours.
"Let's all play ball now," he says, saving you and the mood from being ruined.
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But eventually, everyone found out.
Everyone.
This lead to you being alone every day, everyone avoiding you, and deeming you insignificant. There would also be bullies, who took pleasure in humiliating you. They would take your stuff, verbally abuse you, and use their quirks against you.
And yet, you still went to school.
You couldn't believe that you've held up this far, but it's all thanks to Hazaki. Whenever he is nearby, he would do his best to stop things from getting too serious, always settling things peacefully and quite easily due to how much respect he has. He may be saving everyone he finds, but when it comes to you, you felt special. He was known for his charming cloud-like quirk, good looks, personality, and his exceptional grades. He practically took over elementary. To you, and probably to everyone else too, he was perfect.
You had a 'crush' on him.
That term, you weren't very familiar with, but you've heard a few girls talk about it in the restroom. It was what you used to explain what you felt for him. Fuzzy and warm, he makes you really happy, but you could never look at him or be near him for so long. Especially when he saves you, when he's kind to you, you can't help but think that he likes you somehow.
He was the one who befriended you when you first arrived, so you thought, that has to mean something, right?
Yet the two of you quickly grew distant, leaving you to admire him from a distance, never finding the confidence to approach him yourself.
It did hurt, to never talk to him, and for him to not acknowledge you as a friend anymore, but you get what you are given, and that was what helped you live through each day.
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"I'm home," you whisper, and the door behind you closes with a click.
You take off your shoes and left your socks on. The familiar texture of wooden boards eased you, they sounded with your steps. You could hear the sink running, telling you that she came home early. Your [e/c] orbs meet with hers. She held a teapot in her hands and was still in her costume, you assume she soon had to go back to work.
"Where are your bandages?" She asks.
You brought a hand to your throat, not feeling the white strips of cloth that should be there.
"I... I forgot to put them on, I think." A lie.
Those girls must've ripped it off... You thought.
"Well, go put on new ones then."
"Okay."
You go into your plain white room then the bathroom, straight to the medicinal cabinet. With the roll in your hands, you used the mirror to help you cover your neck in a single and not-so-tight layer of bandages. You trim off the rest and secure it with a safety pin. The procedure came naturally to you, so you could do it without a mirror, but it always felt better with it.
Somehow you liked seeing the light scars you had on your neck, they glittered sometimes. You only noticed it after you were rescued, the doctor said something about... strangulation? Not sure, but it didn't matter to you. You were only told not to strain your vocal chords until they were fully healed.
"[f/n]! What do you want for dinner?" You hear Recovery Girl ask.
You quickly went out the room to answer.
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School went by fast.
Everyone grew, developed personalities, and became mature. They weren't the same people from elementary.
The first day of junior high just ended. Students met up with friends and newly made ones so they could walk home together. The sun's merciful rays covered their ways home in a soft yellow light, and the trees with leaves varying in colors red, yellow, and brown, it appears that autumn arrived early.
But some things just don't change.
You stood hiding in a corner, watching Hazaki talk to one of his friends. On the inside, you were celebrating that you ended up going to the same junior high as him. You liked to think that it was fate, that you two were meant to be...
As he laughed to a joke his friend told him, the wisps around his soft white hair slowly dissolved, showing that his mood lifted. His sky-blue eyes brightened, and the two started their way home. When he was happy, you felt happy too.
This year... This year for sure!
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"And finally the last pair, Shinsou Hitoshi and Shuzenji [f/n]."
You met eyes with a male with purple hair and orbs. He doesn't look like he is in your other classes. You walk up and sat on the empty stool next to him.
"Now that you're with your lab partners, I want you all to know that you'll be with them for the whole semester."
The students groaned and breathed out complaints.
I wish I was Hazaki's partner... You thought, as you sadly looked over to the lucky girl next to him.
Shinsou glanced to his side to see you nervously fiddling with your fingers, not paying attention to him at all. He notices the bandage wrapped around your neck, noting that he probably shouldn't ask about it.
Shuzenji... So this is the quirkless girl everyone talks about...
"And that's it for today. Get to know your partner before class ends!" The science teacher instructs, before he sits back down on his chair and reverts his eyes back to his computer monitor.
It hurt for you to watch your crush to talk to another girl, so you looked away and to your partner.
"Hello, Shinsou-san. It's nice to meet you." Your tone was dull and empty.
"Nice to meet you too, Shuzenji-san. I believe this is our only class together, right?"
"...I guess."
Ouch, so lifeless. He thought.
"I'm not interesting but, I bet... you know that I don't have a quirk," you say.
He puts a hand to the side of his neck and slowly looked away, slightly embarrassed that it was true.
"People talk," he confirms.
"Then tell me about your quirk," you say firmly.
He frowns with his teeth gritted. "You probably won't like it."
You quietly look at the floor.
He realizes what he said and felt guilty. "Sorry, I don't mean to mock you."
He proceeds to explain his quirk and the details.
"That's an amazing quirk. Are you planning to be a hero?" Your expressions start to gain life.
Shinsou eyes slightly widen in surprise. "Yes..."
She's not afraid of me..? He wondered.
"You have such a powerful quirk—" you put your index finger to side of your head in thought— "I wonder what Hero Name you'll have..."
He was shocked to hear someone think that his quirk was suitable for hero work.
He hesitantly opens his mouth to ask something, "Do you really think—"
R I I I NG!
"You're all dismissed!"
You grabbed your bag and waved goodbye to him before running out the door.
CHAPTER 3 END