The Realist(Shoto Todoroki x reader- Bakugo's twin sister)

Chapter 40

The days leading up to the hero license exam were... exhausting, to say the least. Between training, and my secret sessions with the teachers, I barely had time to breathe.

Every night, I worked with Aizawa, Midnight, and even Vlad King at times- trying to understand this thing with Ophelia.

The first time, it had felt overwhelming, like I was drowning in power I didn't understand. Now? It was frustratingly inconsistent.

Small sparks of energy would flare up, but nothing close to what happened before.

It was like trying to catch smoke with my bare hands.

Aizawa kept saying, "Don't force it. If it's there, we'll find a way to control it." Midnight was a little more... 'optimistic'. "Maybe it only comes out when you're in danger. Maybe you just need the right push."

I didn't like that idea.

The first time Ophelia's power showed, I felt like I wasn't the one in control.

The voice in my head- whoever she was- wasn't just helping me. She wanted something. And I needed to figure out what before she decided to take over again.

Meanwhile, outside of training, things took a ridiculous turn.

At some point, the girls- Mina, and Hagakure- started asking Todoroki where I was. Even though he keeps telling them it was a lie so I could 'sneak out', that didn't stop them.

No, it only made things worse. Suddenly, I was dodging loaded questions left and right.

"Sooo, do you like Todoroki?" "You spend a lot of time with him, huh?" "You could tell us, you know. We wouldn't judge~."

It was infuriating.

Even worse? Katsuki was starting to get suspicious. Not of the rumor- thankfully, no one was dumb enough to bring that up in front of him- but of me sneaking around.

He hadn't called me out yet, but I could feel his eyes on me whenever I slipped away for training.

It was only a matter of time before he confronted me.

And honestly? With the hero license exam coming up, I didn't have the energy for any of this. And I was feeling all the heat from my classmates due to their intense sweating.

~~

The bus ride had been long and uneventful, the steady hum of the engine lulling me into a tired daze. My headphones rested snugly over my ears, drowning out the murmurs of my classmates as I stared blankly out the window.

The sun was relentless, casting a golden haze over everything, making the streets shimmer with heat. Even with my sunglasses shielding my eyes, the exhaustion clung to me like a second skin.

As the bus came to a stop, I shifted, gripping my bag and phone tightly before stepping out onto the pavement.

A slight breeze rolled through the air, tugging at my hair, offering a brief moment of relief from the overwhelming heat.

Almost immediately, I noticed the shift in atmosphere.

Nervous whispers rippled through the crowd, tension hanging thick in the air like humidity before a storm. My gaze followed theirs, landing on the building in front of us. Its red and yellow structure was striking, but what caught my attention was its twisted roof, a strange and unsettling design.

I exhaled sharply through my nose, lowering my headphones to rest around my neck. A scowl tugged at my lips as I muttered under my breath, "I can feel your body heat, and it's already pissing me off."