My Old Hero

41: Shall We?

After the two of them finished eating, they went to the train station and were heading back home. The train came to a stop and Katsuki quickly started walking off, Izumi had to rush to follow. She looked at which stop this was and recognized it right away. 

'This is the stop that me and Kacchan took going home from school. Does that mean we're walking through our old neighborhood before I go back home?' Izumi thought. 

"Hurry up." Izumi looked up at him. 

"You're so slow." Izumi rushed to walk up to him and walked next to him.

The night was still young, they walked through the calm streets of their old neighborhood. The sun was starting to set and the air smelled sweet. No one else was around to see them, but both of them felt their hearts beating faster. 

'Are we going to his parents place again? But they did say they would be out of town, so then why is Kacchan making us take this route?' Izumi thought. Katsuki took his hat and mask off since there was no one else around them to see. 

'I only went this way, because it's a longer walk to get her back home... I don't want her to leave...' Katsuki thought.

Izumi looked around and could recognize the area they were in. She turned her head and was surprised at what she saw. 

"It's still here?" 

"What is?" Izumi looked up at Katsuki and pointed at what she saw. He looked up to where she was pointing and froze. It was the same playground they used to go at when they were kids. That was a time when Katsuki would always protect Izumi from getting hurt. 

The same time he didn't get his quirk yet, when they were so close. 

"Race you to the swings!" Izumi nudged and then ran. 

"What the- hey, come back!" he yelled and ran after her.

Izumi reached the swings first and turned around to face him with a tired expression. 

"Looks like I beat you, again!" Izumi said, with a bright smile. Katsuki felt himself blush again and he gritted his teeth. 

"You got a head start, that's all." Katsuki said. Izumi sat down on one of the swings and looked up at him. 

"Take a seat." Izumi said. 

"Tch-" He walked up and sat down on the swing next to hers. Katsuki looked in the corner of his eye to see Izumi was looking up at the sky. He admired her soft expression and her warm smile.

"Are you counting them again?" Katsuki said. 

"Huh? Counting what?" 

"Tch- counting the stars." Katsuki said. 

'Counting... the stars... he remembers that I used to do that?' Izumi thought. 

"How do you know that?" Izumi asked. He felt his chest tug again, he wanted to know the truth and he wanted to know it now. 

"When are you gonna tell me the truth?" Katsuki said. 

"T-The truth? Of what?" 

"That you're Izuku, the same person that was my childhood friend and classmate." Katsuki said, she froze. 

'So he finally came to ask me that... should I try and dodge the question? No, he'll only get mad.' Izumi thought.

She took a deep breath and held her hands together to collect herself. 

"Yes, I am Izuku..." Izumi said. 

"You think I wouldn't have figured it out sooner or later, huh? So why did you hide from me?" Katsuki said.