It Can't Be Him... (Villain Kaminari Story)

CHAPTER 12: It wasn't a dream.

Todoroki, Monoma, Mina, Tetsutetsu, Kendo, and Yaoyorozu heard it loud and clear. Yaoyorozu said it before Todoroki had the chance.

"Jirou."

Kendo bolted out of her chair. "Where is her dorm room?"

"I know where!" said Yaoyorozu and she ran, "Follow me!" The last statement was not even necessary, for everyone was immediately on Yaoyorozu's heels.

Apparently, Jirou's room was on the second floor, close to the elevators. Yaoyorozu entered the password for the entrance to the girls' dorm rooms (they installed a password system so that Mineta can't get in) and they dashed inside the hallway. When they reached Jirou's dorm, Kendo frantically tried at the knob.

"It's locked!" she said, "Jirou! Open up, please! It's us!"

"Kendo, allow me," said Yaoyorozu, as she created a twisted metal tool from her skin (Todoroki assumes it was a lock picker) and inserted it into the knob. It may have been a little invasive, but they knew that Jirou would have been too scared to open the door anyway. There was a faint "click" noise and the knob on the door turned. What beheld the group was a messy bedroom, a fallen lamp, an unorganised desk, and a scarred, purple-haired girl. 

Jirou's eyes were wide open and she was sitting down as if she had fallen from a high distance Her right hand clenched at her chest and her entire body shaking. She looked paler than a ghost and her expression looked fearful of something terrible. It was like her worst nightmare had come to life.

Kendo immediately rushed to Jirou's side and Yaoyorozu followed suite.

"Jirou, what's wrong? What happened?" asked Kendo.

"K-K-Kaminari! Kaminari, he....he's r-real! H-he c-came......my room.....we talked! We talked! H-he was here! He―"

Kaminari?

"Jirou! Jirou, look at me," pleaded Todoroki as he placed a hand on the frantic girl's shoulder and turned her head towards him, "I need you to relax, alright? I need you to tell me exactly what happened. What did you see?" The moment Todoroki asked her the question, the more skeptical he became. His suspicions were rising.

Jirou caught his glance and Todoroki was shot with a pang of sympathy for her. Well, he always felt sorry for her, but seeing her face up close now was a whole other perspective. Her eyes were full of fear and sorrow, but at the same time...guilty. There were visible, baggy dark circles under her eyes―as if she's been crying all night. Her face shape seemed a lot more slim than when he last saw her. In a way, her current state reminded Todoroki of his mother when she was crying about her family and Endeavor.

This girl....Todoroki thought, She's become fragile.

Slowly, the white and red haired boy scooched himself closer to Jirou and wrapped his arms around her.

If she cries anymore, she'll break.

Jirou flinched from surprise, but she didn't move away. If you knew him well, you'd be surprised that Todoroki did this. But if you were Todoroki now, you'd feel just as helpless. This was all Todoroki could give her. This was all he had.

Then, Todoroki felt a pair of arms around his back and it took him a while to realize that Jirou had embraced him back. She promptly dug her head into his shoulder and sobbed quietly. For a moment, nobody moved or spoke. It was like time stood still to watch the fall of Jirou's tears. Todoroki realized that this innocent girl was Jirou Kyoka. The coolest gal in the class. The same girl that everyone always thought had a calm and collective nature. The same girl that always fights for the things she is passionate about and works hard to achieve. And now, she's skipping classes and crying in her bedroom alone everyday, like she's given up on everything.