bunny love [k. bakugo x oc]

61. Umbrella

Droplets suddenly pinging against the windows in the long corridor made Kuri's head swivel, and her heart sank as she saw the dark clouds blanketing the sky above UA high school.

"Oh, no, it's raining..." Kuri lamented, pausing to gaze outside.

Old habits died hard. Even after living in Japan for two full years, Kuri still acted like she lived in drought-ridden California, so she was prone to forgetting the climate of her new home.

"Yeah, silly, didn't you see the news?" Mina asked with a small giggle. She, too, stopped to look at the water striking the glass. "There's a storm coming through."

And I didn't bring an umbrella...

"Guess that means heroics class will be inside," Ochako said, clasping her hands behind her back and standing beside Mina. "You think we'll be in the USJ?"

"Unless they say we need to practice combat in the actual rain," Kuri sighed, already hearing the excuses her teachers would make for shoving them out in a downpour.

"As if we need more of that," Katsuki grumbled. Kuri glanced at her boyfriend, who had tagged along to eat lunch with them, and examined his narrowed eyes and pouting lips. He definitely wasn't excited to go to Endeavor's after school.

Kuri linked arms with Katsuki and leaned in close to him with a smile.

"You should take a day off," she suggested, partially teasing. Katsuki received her idea with an incredulous half-smile. "Come by the tutoring room and help me out."

"I don't think you need help! Your students are doing great," a loud, unmistakable voice suddenly proclaimed from behind the four of them. Kuri and her friends turned their heads and saw the familiar wide smile of their English teacher.

"Present Mic, were you eavesdropping?" Mina asked, exaggeratedly crossing her arms and regarding him with feigned suspicion.

"No, I was just passing through and overheard you chatting," Present Mic said with a friendly laugh. He turned to address Kuri with a thumbs up. "Thanks for all your hard work!"

"It's nothing," Kuri insisted, shaking her hands in front of her, blushing slightly at receiving praise. "I'm glad that everyone is able to learn from me."

"Glad" was an understatement, but it was all she could say in response to this surprise attack of compliments. She wished she could express how much it meant to make a difference in other people's lives as an educator. That lost little girl inside her heart could look up at Kuri now and smile at her simple success instead of dreading a life spent at a knife's edge.

"Honestly, you put me to shame, because I was having a lot of trouble getting Yukio to work hard in class," Present Mic admitted, shaking his head. "There must be something about your teaching style that really speaks to him."

"Oh, really?" Kuri laughed stiffly, trying to cover up the awkward face she made at the mention of Yukio. "I wonder why..."

Though his effort in studying continued to pay off, Kuri worried about the energy Yukio kept investing into getting close to her. Like some sort of golden retriever turned human, Yukio was extremely affectionate and yappy during their tutoring sessions. Unfortunately for him, Kuri preferred cats.

She might've endured his behavior if it weren't for the fact that he knew about Katsuki. Despite being fully informed of her relationship status, Yukio hadn't backed off; in fact, he got worse.

Still, she didn't feel confident in determining whether Yukio had romantic intentions or if he was just like that. It wasn't like she could ask him, and Sora wasn't a great alternative. Maybe she should assume it was nothing. Kuri didn't have a magnetic personality or breathtaking looks, so unless Yukio was nuts and fell for her at the drop of a hat, she was simply mistaken.