-Beyond the illusion-

Video games

May 12
Monday
3:00pm

The last bell of the day rang, signaling the end of school. Finally. I wasn't used to the strict structure yet; the whole day had felt like an eternity. Packing my things, I glanced around at the other students who were just as relieved to be done. As I swung my bag over my shoulder, Mina caught my attention, bouncing over to me with her usual enthusiasm.

"Hey, Y/n! Are you staying at the dorms too?" she asked, practically glowing with excitement.

I gave her a small smile. "I don't know, honestly. My mom's pretty strict about me being home every night. I'm not sure she'll be cool with it."

"Awww, it would've been so much fun if you could stay! It's the first day, so there's not much homework. Me and the guys were planning to hang out and play some games," she said, linking her arm with mine as we walked out of the classroom.

That got my attention. "Wait, what kind of games? I love video games!"

Mina's eyes lit up even more, if that was possible. "OMG, we play everything! Mostly fighting games though. Those are the best! You know, stuff like Smash Bros and Tekken."

"I KNOW, RIGHT?!" I exclaimed, matching her energy. "Hey, maybe I could ask my mom if I could stay for a little while. I probably won't be able to stay the night, but a couple of hours is better than nothing."

"YAY!" Mina shouted, almost jumping. "Ask her right now!"

I pulled out my phone, already dialing my mom. It only rang twice before she picked up. "Hey, Mom. Some friends from school invited me to hang out at the dorms for a little while. I'll be home before sunset, promise."

There was a brief pause on the other end before my mom sighed. "Alright, but I expect you home by six, okay? No later."

"Thanks, Mom! I'll be home by six, I promise."

As soon as I hung up, I turned to Mina, grinning. "She said yes!"

"YESSSS!" Mina squealed, grabbing my hand and practically dragging me toward the dorms. "This is going to be so much fun, Y/n!"

As we made our way down the hall, talking about games and what we wanted to play, Bakugo suddenly walked up beside us, hands stuffed into his pockets. He had that usual scowl on his face, but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Tch, you play games? Bet you're trash," he said, giving me a sideways glance.

I smirked, not backing down. "Oh, you think so? Wanna bet on that?"

Bakugo raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the challenge. "Oh, I don't bet unless I know I'm gonna win. And trust me, I don't lose."

Mina giggled, nudging me. "You're in for it now. Bakugo's super competitive."

"Well, so am I," I said confidently. "Let's play then. We'll see who's really 'trash.'"

Bakugo's grin widened, his competitive side clearly sparked. "Fine. Don't cry when you lose."

"I could say the same to you," I shot back, feeling the energy of the challenge surge through me.

We reached the dorms, and Mina led the way to Denki's room, where everyone was already hanging out. The dorms were spacious, with comfortable couches and a large TV set up in the center of the common area. Sero, Denki, and Kirishima were lounging around, controllers in hand, when we walked in.

"Hey, Y/n, I didn't know you were comming!" Denki greeted me, tossing me a controller. "You in for some games?"

"Definitely," I said, catching the controller and plopping down on the couch next to him. "By the way, nice setup."