ɪɴꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇ ᴠᴀʟᴏʀ: ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʀᴏ'ꜱ ᴛᴀʟᴇ

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ - ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱᴍᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴜɴɪᴛᴇ

-NEXT DAY-
-FRONT OF U.A's ENTRANCE-

Class 1A was quietly excited about their beach vacation, but the energy was low. There were no loud cheers or dancing, just a line of students waiting to board the bus.

"Come on, Bakugo, you're late," Iida called out, waving his hand as if to hurry him along.

"So what? Get out of the way," Bakugo snapped, his voice sharp as always.

One by one, the students climbed onto the bus. Izuku, who was one of the last, approached just as Iida made a snide remark.

"Unheroic people... even late for a trip," Iida muttered.

Izuku's heart sank. He dropped his gaze to the floor, the sting of the words clear on his face. As he made his way down the aisle, looking for a seat, he approached Uraraka, who quickly spoke up.

"Sorry, Deku, but Mina's going to sit here," she said, her tone apologetic but firm.

Izuku nodded, his voice barely a whisper. "Oh, okay."

He continued down the aisle, only to hear similar excuses from others. The message was painfully clear—no one wanted to sit with him. He knew it had everything to do with the incident from the day before. Feeling more isolated than ever, he wished he could just return to his dorm room.

Then, unexpectedly, Tsuyu’s voice cut through the awkward silence. "Wow, you guys are really something. If you don’t want to sit with him, just say it. No need for lame excuses." Her gaze landed on Kaminari. "And if you’re going to lie, at least try harder. Sero’s sitting with Ojiro, not you."

Her blunt honesty hung in the air, and some of the students looked away, embarrassed. "Izuku, come sit with us," Tsuyu continued, her tone softer now. "Todoroki and I saved a seat for you."

Izuku blinked in surprise, offering them a weak smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Thanks, guys."

He placed his bag beside the seat and sat down. "No problem," Tsuyu replied. "And don’t let them get to you. They might act all tough, but all they know how to do is bully."

At the word "bully," Izuku felt a chill run through him. His mind flashed back to middle school—back to the relentless taunting from Bakugo. Almost instinctively, his eyes flickered towards Bakugo, who was smirking at him from across the bus. The realization hit Izuku like a punch in the gut. Bakugo was trying to isolate him again, just like in the past.

Izuku’s thoughts spiraled until a soft voice interrupted them.

"Sleep," Todoroki said suddenly from his seat beside Izuku.

Izuku turned, startled. "Huh?"

"You should sleep. I can tell you didn’t rest last night," Todoroki explained, his usual calm demeanor in place. "Tsuyu’s right. Ignore them. You’ve got bags under your eyes. Get some sleep, and I’ll wake you when we get there."

Izuku blinked, surprised by Todoroki's concern. Normally, Todoroki was distant, reserved. Yesterday had been a blur of emotions, but now Izuku remembered—Todoroki had stood up for him against Bakugo. At the time, he’d been too mentally drained to notice or even appreciate it.

"Thank you," Izuku said quietly, his voice barely audible over the hum of the bus. "For saving me a seat... and for standing up for me yesterday."

Todoroki glanced at him, his expression still as composed as ever. "I just did what I thought was right. You’re not to blame for what happened. Even All Might and Mr. Aizawa couldn’t prevent it. Now stop worrying. What you really need is rest."