Teachers pet (COMPLETE)

Chapter 14: The Noonday Break and the Cheerleader Scheme

The announcement of the noonday break comes as a relief. After the intense Cavalry Battle, my body aches, and I feel drained. My telekinesis is powerful, but maintaining that level of control and energy for so long is taxing. As I step away from the arena, I can’t help but glance over at Todoroki and Midoriya. There's something intense brewing between them, a kind of rivalry that I feel lingering in the air.

But I’ve got my own things to worry about.

I sit down on one of the benches in the waiting area and close my eyes, trying to clear my head. My thoughts drift to Aizawa-Sensei. He’s probably watching from somewhere, even though he’s still bandaged up from the USJ incident. The thought of him seeing me perform makes my heart race.

What does he think? Is he proud of me? The idea of him watching my every move sends a shiver down my spine, but I quickly shake my head, pushing the thought away. It’s just a silly teenage crush, Mailin, I remind myself, feeling the warmth creeping up my neck. He’s your teacher. Focus.

I shift uncomfortably, trying to suppress the fluttering feeling in my chest. You have more important things to think about. Focus on the festival, focus on proving yourself. But even as I try to push the feelings down, the thought of him keeps sneaking back into my mind.

No, no, I mentally scold myself. Get a grip, Mailin. It’s just a crush. You’re being ridiculous.

Just then, Momo’s voice cuts through the small chatter. “Wait, what’s this?”

I turn to see her holding up a bright, frilly cheerleader uniform. My eyes widen in shock. There’s a pile of them, each with our names on it, waiting for us to change into.

“What the—” I start, but before I can finish, the rest of the girls are staring in disbelief too.

Denki pops his head around the corner, grinning ear to ear. “Hey, we thought you girls could help boost morale!”

Mina, always quick to catch on, narrows her eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Momo, usually so composed, looks livid. “This is utterly ridiculous! I can't believe we’ve been tricked into this!”

I’m caught somewhere between mortification and anger. The idea of parading around in a cheerleader outfit during the festival feels humiliating, but before I can react, the girls start reluctantly pulling on the uniforms, trying to make the best of it.

As I pull on the uniform, I feel my face burning with embarrassment. Great, just great. This isn’t how I imagined I’d be spending my break. The thought of parading out in front of the crowd in this ridiculous outfit makes me want to disappear, but there’s no avoiding it now.

We walk out into the arena, and the crowd erupts into cheers and whistles. I feel my face burning, even more, when I realize just how many people are watching us. We’re being paraded around like some kind of sideshow attraction, and I catch a glimpse of Momo, her face still red with indignation.

But then I catch sight of him—Aizawa-Sensei, sitting in the stands, his bandaged arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on the field. My heart skips a beat. Even though his expression is unreadable, I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking.

And then, for the briefest moment, our eyes meet.

Aizawa-Sensei's gaze lingers on me, his usual indifferent expression shifting ever so slightly. There's something there—something in the way he looks at me that makes my heart race even faster. A flicker of... appreciation? His eyes widen just a fraction, a look that seems almost out of place on his face.

Then, as quickly as it appears, it's gone. Aizawa-Sensei’s face flushes slightly, and I swear I see his eyes widen in alarm before he turns his head away sharply, running a hand through his hair in a tense motion. He looks like he’s mentally kicking himself, his expression now a mixture of frustration and mortification.

I see him shake his head, clearly scolding himself for the thought. What was that? I wonder, my own face heating up even more as the moment replays in my head. Did he… was he...? No, that couldn’t be. He’s Aizawa-Sensei—he’s always calm, collected, and never flustered.

As I try to make sense of what just happened, I catch him glance back at me briefly before turning his attention back to the field, his face set in his usual stoic expression. But now I can’t help but feel a nervous energy buzzing inside me.

Focus, Mailin, it’s just a silly teenage crush, I remind myself again, my heart pounding in my chest. He’s your teacher. He probably didn’t even—

But the memory of that flicker in his eyes won’t leave me.