Blossoms of the Dark

CLVI Shouto: Heart

Today's lesson is going to drain me.

Not physically, but mentally.

Endeavor texted last night that he would attend my remedial training session to watch how I was doing. It would help in coordinating his private training regimen, he said. All Might-sensei and Present Mic-sensei dropped Bakugou and I off at the site because of suspected movement from the League of Villains. They were going to stay the entire duration of the session. An unknown girl by the name of Camie is joining as well. Her vigor is tolerable. But Yaorashi, with whom I used to have bad blood, greets me over-enthusiastically. I think I understand now how Selene feels when she's surrounded by energetic people. Should it concern me that out of everyone here, Bakugou is the only one who does not feel like a vacuum sucking my energy? Especially when he is the most rambunctious person I know.

However, said overenthusiastic person tries to make conversation with me. He talks about the similarities between udon and cold soba while I adjust the belt around my hero costume. Yaorashi may not hate me as much as he used to - and likewise, I may not perceive him as much of a nuisance - but forcing a friendship between us seems too much. Just being compatriots with similar ambitions is more than enough.

The hallway leads to a massive gymnasium. The haggard speaker from the exam drones about announcements. I strain my ears to discern the relevant stuff from the irrelevant stuff when dear old Dad hollers my name from the top of his lungs. As though I'm chronically deaf. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE STUMBLING AROUND A PLACE LIKE THIS! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!" he continues. "NOW GET OUT THERE AND SHOW THEM THAT YOU'RE IN A CLASS OF YOUR OWN!" I am in a class of my own. A class dissociated from you. You embarrass me like this, and I have to salvage my scraps of dignity. Solely because of that, I do not turn around to look at him.

And from what happens next, I do not regret my decision. The other examinees present pass hesitant, confused statements about Endeavor's presence. But when they notice All Might beside him, they release exuberant compliments. This contrast is not lost on me.

Finally, the sleep-deprived corpse of an announcer says the most important thing: Gang Orca will be conducting today's lessons. The guy and his lackeys whom Yaorashi and I combatted. And the group most disappointed in us.

Orca makes no effort to conceal his distaste. "That exam was such a walk in the park and you all still got eliminated! You're nothing but worthless dropouts, the lot of you!" I've heard worse from Dad, so I don't have to try much to not take Orca's words to heart. "YOU ALL ARE LOWER THAN BENTHOS, LET ALONE HEROES! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT GOBY FECES!" And he orders 'the lot of us' to agree. One by one he scolds each of us, and when we counter, we are tossed aside unceremoniously. Literally. Like rag dolls.

This should feel humiliating, but after Endeavor's outburst, nothing feels as mortifying as that. Bakugou, Yaorashi, and I regain our balance and sit, awaiting more inevitable beratement like schoolchildren. And that is exactly what happens. Gang Orca details all our shortcomings from the exam and points out that we all lack the concept of 'heart.' Our presumption that everyone will comply with us willingly is a mistake. That is when the main entrance doors to the gymnasium creak open. Orca concludes, "SURVIVE THIS BATTLE OF LIFE OR DEATH! PROVE TO ME THAT YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THEM THROUGH YOUR HEARTS!"

The boys and I brace ourselves for whatever awaits beyond those doors. I'm expecting a scenario much like the one from the exam: irascible rescuees and a preempted villain attack. But expectation and reality do not always match. What actually happens it the complete opposite. A horde of kindergartners passes through the gates. Unsure and dismayed, the three of us become rigid blocks. The children poke and prod at us while we try to comprehend just what is going on. This was the life or death battle? Bakugou voices my exact thoughts, which makes one child cry and another snark.