Red in Different Shades

16. A Brief Vacation

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Edited 16.MARCH.2022

Edited 16.OCT.2024

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The next day of classes was when the exam results were released. Five students had failed the practical exam. Mina, Sero, Kirishima, Sato, and Kaminari. Yet despite their shortcomings in the practical, they were still allowed to attend the summer training camp since everyone had passed the written exam.

The days rolled on smoothly after that. If 'smoothly' included a chaotic visit to the mall that ended with a shutdown after Midoriya ran into that handsy villain from the USJ incident.

The final day of class arrived with the closing ceremony, where Niwa slumped dramatically across her desk in boredom, kicking Bakugou's leg to get his attention.

"Wanna play Chinese Chopsticks?" she whispered, shooting him a sideways grin.

Bakugou didn't even bother to look at her. "No."

"C'mon, it'll kill some time."

"Go bother someone else."

She clicked her tongue in mock annoyance but didn't press him further. Despite how blunt and difficult he could be, she felt more comfortable around him now. Enough to let these small, teasing moments unfold without overthinking them. Just months ago, she would've hesitated to pester him like this at all.

After that day, summer vacation kicked in full force

There was some time off before summer training began, and Niwa spent the break the way she enjoyed most.

"This... Really is the best," she sighed, stretching out her arms as she lay in the shade of a large tree. The steady murmur of the river brought a rare calm, the kind she'd learned to treasure.

"You said it," Fukushia agreed, reclining lazily on the grass beside her.

"It's been a while since we actually got to relax properly, right?" she mused aloud.

"Yeah," Fukushia's voice carried both fondness and fatigue. "Between our brother and his girlfriend always bossing us around, work keeping me busy, and school for you, there's barely any time for a real break."

"How's work, anyway?" Niwa rolled onto her stomach, stretching before letting her limbs go limp.

"It's going well. Easy stuff," he replied.

There were some legal loopholes involved regarding Quirk regulations, but given that their Quirk was impossible to turn off, the government wasn't about to draft new laws just because one or two individuals could effortlessly lift several tons. There had once been talks of setting a weightlifting limit, but the discussions fizzled out, deemed unnecessary by officials who recognized that enforcing such a restriction would be more trouble than it was worth.

"Do you ever miss our homeland?" Niwa asked. It was a question that had lingered in the back of her mind for a while.

Sometimes..." Fukushia's gaze softened as he stared up at the leaves swaying gently above them. "I had a lot more freedom back there. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without a second thought. Life was a lot more exciting, and I got to beat up assholes every other day."

Niwa laughed, picturing him causing chaos in streets she could only imagine.

"But..." Her brother's voice grew distant, his eyes tracing the sky beyond the leaves. "When I saw our brother in that dark alley, holding this tiny little bundle in his arms with the most terrifying expression I've ever seen... I don't know what it really was, but suddenly, I was tired. Like there was this weight pressing down on me."