Shota’s POV
I can still feel the lingering heat of Mizuhana’s gaze long after she’s been led out of the room. My chest tightens as I try to push the moment away, but the tension won’t leave. I shake it off, shoving my hands deep into my pockets, and turn back toward the classroom.
Big mistake.
The entire class is dead silent, but I don’t need to hear them to know what’s going on. Every single one of my students has their eyes trained on me. And not in the focused way I usually command during lessons. This is...different.
There’s a smirk on Kaminari’s face that tells me all I need to know. Even Bakugou has raised an eyebrow, arms crossed, like he’s sizing me up.
“Alright,” I mutter, trying to drag the attention back to the lesson. “Where were we?”
But of course, they aren’t going to let it go.
Midoriya’s hand shoots up. I can practically hear his brain whirring with curiosity.
“Um, Aizawa-sensei...” he begins cautiously, and I already know I’m in trouble.
“What?”
“That woman—Mizuhana-sensei—is she...someone important to you?”
It’s such a simple question, but the implications of it feel far from innocent.
Before I can answer, Kaminari jumps in with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. “Ohhhh, did you see the way Aizawa-sensei looked at her? It’s like he got struck by lightning or something! There was a spark there!”
Jirou nudges him with an elbow, her lips quirking upward. “If by ‘spark,’ you mean Aizawa-sensei couldn’t take his eyes off her.”
I grit my teeth, narrowing my eyes at the growing smirks. This is getting out of hand fast.
“Sensei looked like he was going to faint!” Mina giggles from her seat. “I’ve never seen him like that!”
“Shut it,” I snap, though the command holds little weight with how quickly they ignore it.
Uraraka leans forward, grinning ear to ear. “No way, I’ve gotta see this for myself! Aizawa-sensei, how long have you known Mizuhana-sensei? You two looked like...I dunno, like you had some history!”
“History?” Sero wiggles his eyebrows. “You mean like romantic history?”
I feel my eyebrow twitch in annoyance, but there’s no stopping them now.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I mutter, my voice a low growl. I glance at the clock, willing the seconds to tick faster. Anything to get away from the sheer glee written on their faces.
But Kaminari’s not done. “C’mon, sensei, that was intense! You both looked like you’d just seen each other for the first time in years! The way the air got all...charged!”
Even Todoroki, typically quiet, looks intrigued. “The tension was palpable,” he adds, as if stating a fact in a textbook.
“Palpable?” Bakugou scoffs. “You mean they looked like they were about to explode.”
Kirishima jumps in, a little too eagerly, “Was it like a reunion after all these years? Someone you hadn’t seen since U.A.?”
I grip the edge of my desk, my patience fraying. “We went to school together. That’s all.”
But the students are not satisfied with that.
“Wait, wait, WAIT,” Kaminari exclaims, eyes wide with realization. “She was your classmate?! Oh my god, it’s totally like one of those old high school romance stories where you drift apart and then meet again years later and—”
“Enough!” I bark, voice sharper than I intended. The class falls silent for a moment, but it’s clear they’re not done speculating.
Sighing, I rub the back of my neck. I’m never going to hear the end of this. Kaminari and the others are still whispering, eyes darting toward me, trying to stifle their grins.
“I don’t have time for your gossip,” I mutter, knowing full well it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
“Gossip? We’re just curious, Sensei!” Mina says with a laugh, leaning toward the edge of her desk. “I mean, you don’t exactly look at people like that every day!”
A groan escapes my throat before I can stop it. Why does Nezu always show up with these grand entrances at the worst times?
“Back to your studies,” I finally manage, voice strained. “Now.”
The students grumble, but I know the teasing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The whispers start up again as soon as I turn my back, and I catch bits and pieces of the ongoing conversation—words like “chemistry” and “tension” float through the air.
Mizuhana. I bite the inside of my cheek. This day couldn’t get any worse.
YOU ARE READING
Ripples of Fate
RomanceAt U.A. High School, aspiring heroes are trained to fight, protect, and heal. For Mizuhana Mailin, her dream of becoming a hero is not about power or fame-it's about saving lives. With her water-based quirk that focuses on healing, she stands apart...
