The air in the room grew heavy with the tension. No one dared to speak for a moment as the group of students stood at the door, their eyes shifting between Jiro and Izuku. The shock of seeing Jiro so close to him—so comfortable in his presence—was hard for them to process. It was as if their class had split into two worlds, and Izuku and Jiro had drifted to the other side.
Uraraka was the first to speak, her voice small but filled with confusion. "Jiro... what's going on? You've been avoiding us for weeks."
Jiro pulled away slightly from Izuku, biting her lip as she tried to form an answer. She knew this moment was coming, but it didn't make it any easier. "I... I don't know how to explain it."
Kaminari stepped forward, frustration in his voice. "What do you mean you don't know? You've been hanging out with Midoriya and his crew like we don't even exist!"
Jiro's gaze faltered as she looked at them. She didn't want to hurt them, but being around Izuku and his friends had given her a sense of freedom she hadn't realized she needed. "It's not like that..."
But before she could say more, Izuku stood up from the bed, his posture relaxed but his presence commanding the room's attention. "Why does it matter?" he asked, his voice calm but sharp. "She can hang out with whoever she wants."
Bakugo, standing in the back, narrowed his eyes. "This isn't just about who she's hanging out with, Deku. You've been acting like you don't give a damn about UA, about being a hero, or about any of us."
Izuku's expression remained unreadable. "Maybe I don't."
That statement hung in the air, and it stung everyone in the room. The boy who once idolized heroes, who fought with everything he had to prove himself, now didn't care. It didn't make sense to them.
"Why are you even still here then?" Kirishima asked, his voice edged with disappointment. "If you don't care about UA, why are you sticking around?"
Izuku looked at him, then glanced at Jiro before giving a shrug. "It's not that simple. Just because I'm here doesn't mean I'm playing by the same rules as everyone else. I have my reasons."
"Reasons?" Iida questioned, his brow furrowed. "What kind of reasons could make you abandon everything we've been working toward?"
Jiro could feel the eyes turning back on her again, and the weight of their stares made her shift uncomfortably. She wanted to explain, but Izuku wasn't one to justify his actions. He just did what he wanted, and that was part of what drew her to him in the first place.
Uraraka's voice trembled as she spoke again, her gaze focused on Izuku. "This isn't you, Deku. You were always the one who cared the most... who tried the hardest. Why did you change?"
Izuku met her gaze, and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something like the old Izuku—but it vanished just as quickly. "Maybe I got tired of trying so hard. It's not worth it if it's not for me."
Jiro, sensing the growing tension, gently touched his arm, trying to calm the situation. But Izuku remained unfazed, his stance unshaken.
"Look," he said, addressing the room. "You don't have to get it. You don't have to agree. But this is how it is now. If Jiro wants to hang with us, that's her choice. Stop acting like I'm the one who has to explain everything to you."
Bakugo stepped forward, his temper flaring. "You think you're too good for this now, Deku? You think just because you've got some crew outside UA, you can turn your back on everything?"
Izuku turned to him, his nonchalance unbroken. "I didn't turn my back on anything. I just chose what matters to me."
Before Bakugo could say anything more, Jiro stepped between them, her hand still resting on Izuku's arm. "Just stop, okay? Izuku doesn't owe anyone an explanation. And neither do I."
The rest of the class looked at her, stunned by her sudden defense of him. They had never seen her so protective over anyone, especially not Izuku.
As the silence thickened, Kaminari sighed, lowering his head. "So... this is how it's gonna be now?"
Izuku, without missing a beat, nodded. "Yeah, this is how it's gonna be."
Jiro, though conflicted, stayed by his side, feeling the pull of loyalty to both her old friends and this new version of herself she was discovering with Izuku. It was a messy situation, but she couldn't walk away now.
One by one, the students began to leave the room, their expressions filled with confusion, anger, and hurt. As they filed out, Uraraka glanced back at Izuku, her heart heavy. She didn't know if she'd ever understand this new side of him.
Once the door closed, Jiro exhaled, the tension leaving her body. "That was... intense."
Izuku shrugged, already pulling his phone out, as if none of it had really affected him. "People always make things a bigger deal than they are."
Jiro looked at him, her admiration growing even more. Izuku didn't care about what anyone thought, and somehow, that made him even more magnetic. She didn't know where this path would take her, but right now, it didn't matter. All that mattered was staying by his side.
