𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗠, 𝗌. 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝗈𝗋𝗈𝗄𝗂

𝖽𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇

after the intense battle, the four teens reunited with iida, todoroki, and yaoyorozu. together, they silently escorted a shocked bakugou to meet the police for questioning. once that was done, it was finally time to go home.

miyuki woke up with a long yawn, stretching as she stumbled out of bed. she'd slept through the entire day after they returned. her eyes narrowed at the clock on her nightstand, 1:00 am.

she rubbed her eyes and slipped on her glasses and panda slippers. shuffling out of her room, she noticed mei sitting on the couch, a mug in hand, eyes glued to the tv screen.

"why are you up?" miyuki asked, wandering into the kitchen and shuffling through the fridge.

"couldn't sleep, so i came out here. what about you?" mei turned to look at her sister.

"i just woke up randomly," miyuki shrugged, closing the fridge with nothing to show for it. "hey, what are you drinking?"

walking over, miyuki peered into mei's mug, her eyes lighting up.

"is that...hot chocolate?" miyuki's jaw dropped in surprise.

mei nodded, grinning.

"what? is there more?" miyuki's excitement bubbled over, and mei pointed toward the stove.

without hesitation, miyuki grabbed a mug from the cupboard, washed it quickly, and poured herself a cup of the warm drink. she took a sip, only to wince as she burned her tongue.

"can i ask you something?" mei's voice broke the momentary silence. miyuki raised an eyebrow, still trying to cool her scalded tongue.

"mmhmm," miyuki frowned as she gestured for her sister to go ahead.

"did anything else happen at the training camp?" mei asked, her tone both stern and gentle. "you've been acting strange. and i know it's not just because of katsuki. don't try to brush it off."

miyuki froze, unsure of how to respond. should she tell mei the truth? her sister had never liked himiko, and miyuki never really understood why.

after a moment, she let out a deep breath and sat down next to mei on the couch.

"himiko was there," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "she's part of the league of villains."

mei's gasp was sharp. she quickly set her mug on the table.

"i never liked that girl! now she's a villain? i knew it. it was obvious she'd always go down that path."

miyuki's jaw tightened, her hands curling into fists. "what's your problem? don't talk about her like that. she's not a villain—she's just... she..." her voice faltered as she struggled to find the right words. how could she defend someone she cared so much about, yet was labeled a villain?

mei sighed, shaking her head. "she's what, miyuki? she is a villain. she's part of the league! why are you defending her? do you even remember what she did to you?"

miyuki blinked, staring at her sister, confused. "what are you talking about? himiko never hurt me. she wouldn't."

mei's face darkened with concern. "two days before we left, remember when mom and dad weren't home? you had a sleepover with himiko. i came to check on you guys at 2am, and i found her sucking blood from your arm. how do you not remember that?"

miyuki's world seemed to tilt. how could she have forgotten something like that? she stared down at the mug in her hands, the hot chocolate long forgotten.

the memory flooded back all at once. the image of mei yelling at himiko flashed in her mind. she recalled waking up to find himiko beside her with a grin on her face as she held her bloody arm. yet, there was no malice in himiko's eyes. no hatred. no evil. just...something else. something that looked like love.