A Bolt of Hope

Chapter 56 - A Moment to Unwind -

[A/N]

Wow, 16k reads! I'm sorry that I keep acting this way but it's still a lot to me even now lmao. I hope to get some new stuff out to y'all soon art wise! Either way, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

"I feel like I want to pass out..."

Leizcio just got back from training and was feeling worn out. It was his 3rd day of training and it still felt like he was dragging himself through hell and back. But at least now he was home and could rest. It was still slightly early in the day so he had plenty of time to relax.

'Shower...' Leizcio thought as he walked upstairs. His body needed to refresh, mostly for hygiene purposes but also because he needed a moment to just stand around and do nothing. He still had some bruises from sparring as he acted like a punching bag for one of Yaoyorozu's new techniques. While he obliged, he certainly regretted it now.

Grudging his way to his room to quickly toss down his bag and grab some clothes to change into after, he went into the bathroom almost ready to head in. Before he did, he took a moment to look at his own body in the mirror. Still well toned and fit. Sure there were the bruises but those would go away in about an hour or two. But those weren't the things that bothered him. Rather it was still the gaping scar at the lower left of his abdomen.

It was not big but it wasn't small by any means. He knows how he got it and doesn't regret what he did, but the memory of it was still fresh in his mind. Even if the moment of it was short, it still had its way of being a grim reminder. That and the scar on his face...

It irked him. He knows how he got it and refuses to think of it any further. While he considered himself lucky that his class, friends, and even Lavania and Blink didn't judge him any differently for having that scar, he felt extremely conscious about it. In the short time he's had it, he's gotten multiple judgemental looks. He does his best to not let it get to him but after so much, it just starts to settle in a bit.

Back in UA, some dirty looks from some random students, not to mention the blonde kid from 1-B. Then during the festival, there were some people who he could see were talking about him when he was out with Jirou. Even some of the patrons of the cafe tried to hide their judgment but didn't do it that well. That's when Leizcio just looked at himself in the mirror, tired. From training or from the thoughts he was having, he couldn't differentiate.

'I don't have the time to be thinking about this...' Leizcio told himself, ignoring his own feelings. He just wanted to relax, not be worrying about trivial things like this.

He stepped into the shower, letting the ice-cold water fall down on him, washing away the thoughts and relieving the pain he had in his body. It was a peaceful moment that he needed right after his thought tangent.

As he finished, he started to dry himself off with a towel. Changing into some new clothes, he heads back into his room and lays down on his bed for a bit just blankly staring at the ceiling.

'I'm bored... I'm gonna go see what Hisako is up to.' Leizcio decided, getting up from bed, ready to bother her.

Walking over to her room, he saw the door was open but knocked. He didn't get a response the first time so he tried again. Again, he failed.

'What's got her so focused?'

Looking from where he stood, he saw a sketchbook on Hisako's desk that had sketches of something that he couldn't quite tell what it was. Curious, he decided to walk in to get a closer look. And upon that, he could see a clean sketch of what looked like a woman dancing in a field of flowers. Even though it was just a sketch it already looked like a work of art.