𝐇𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐢 『Bakugo Katsuki』

◆Chapter 30◇

Miyuki returned to the stands, her stomach a twist of knots as she sat down next to Tenya. She'd just sent Izuku off for his match against Shoto, it hadn't even started yet, but she was already feeling tense – from anticipation, perhaps, or just nerves about watching him fight against a strong opponent...

Whichever it was, she took a sip of the can of orange juice she'd bought for herself this time to help calm her down, as well as keep her vitamin D levels high. After her last match with Mina, she wasn't able to see them right away, but there were silver cracks around her nail beds.

Could Recovery Girl's hypothesis have been correct, then? She didn't know just yet, but something told her it probably wasn't too far from the truth.

Just then, Ochaco returned to the stands as well. Miyuki turned to greet the brunette –

"Kff!"

And almost choked on her drink when she saw how swollen the girl's eyes were, most likely from having cried a lot.

"Those two haven't started yet?" Ochaco asked as she joined Miyuki and Tenya in the front row of the stands. "I've got to watch!"

"Were your eyes hurt?" Tenya asked, as stunned by her appearance as Miyuki was concerned. "You must hurry to Recovery Girl!–"

"I already went!" Ochaco interrupted quickly yet calmly. "This is, you know... it's different."

"Different?" Tenya repeated. "Then in that case you must have really been frustrated earlier."

"Rather than feeling regretful right now," Fumikage spoke up, "you should use this match as a source of encouragement."

"I agree with Tokoyami-Kun, Ochaco-Chan," Miyuki said, trying to encourage her with a soft smile. "Look! – It's starting now."

"Thanks for waiting, everybody!" Present Mic said to a cheering audience. "The first match of the second round is a big one! The man who one a huge victory in the first round and literally left the audience frozen, from the Hero course, it's Todoroki Shoto! On the other hand, this guy barely made it past the first round! What kind of match will he show us this time? From the Hero course, it's Midoriya Izuku!"

Miyuki leaned forward immediately, eager, activating her visual Quirk as soon as both boys came to stand in front of one another.

"So, you're here," Shoto said when he faced Izuku.

"Todoroki-Kun..." Izuku replied, trailing off.

"Yuki-Chan?" Ochaco questioned when she noticed the other girl's posture. "You're really excited for this match, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Miyuki agreed, taking another sip of her drink while keeping her eyes on Izuku and Shoto. "Although, I just have this feeling... this match up... it's incredible."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, looking mystified at the girl's answer.

"Izuku is aware of Todoroki-Kun's 'stick-to-right' side strategy, so I have an impression he'll go for the left. But Todoroki-Kun's ice is far reaching. He won't let Izuku get that far." She paused, tapping her chin as she zoomed in on the green-haired boy's hand. Two fingers were bandaged. "Plus, considering the effects of Izuku's Quirk... the advantage lies with Todoroki-Kun's strategy because he will not have to change it so much."

"At this sports festival, both have shown top class performances!" Present Mic carried on. "It's like two great rivals fighting against each other! Now - Start!"

As expected, Shoto attacked with his ice - but Izuku quickly countered with a Delaware smash, shattering the ice before it reached him and sending out a blast of cold, icy wind over the stadium.