MANIA - Katsuki Bakugou

the final supper ━

chapter 21

Shimamura wished to be alone more than anything in the world right now. But here... at this exhausting summer camp... she couldn't be more surrounded by people. They were her friends but she wanted nothing to do with them. Her mind fought with itself between wanting to curl up into a ball and wanting to just scream her heart out. It needed to just decide.

She rubbed her cheek with the side of her fist, groaning. She sat at the camp tables with her peers, eating the curry they had just made from scratch. Sure, it wasn't the best. But given they have all been fighting and training on empty stomachs for the last few hours, it was goddamn delicious. Shimamura didn't seem to have the appetite for anything though. She felt sick.

Sitting to the right of her was Ashido, talking to her about something irrelevant but she felt the need to tell Shimamura about it. Shimamura tried her best to listen to her best friend but it was all white noise. Everything around her just seemed beyond her reach. Ashido's voice was light years away from where Shimamura sat currently.

However, she knew exactly where Kirishima and Bakugou were. Sitting a few tables behind her, Bakugou was groveling down the curry they had made. Probably complaining about it. Kirishima was nearby him. She could feel Kirishima's sorrowful eyes staring at her through tired lids.

Kirishima felt terrible. He knew what Shimamura's quirk meant to her, especially after the Final Exams. She hated anyone knowing about it. And now that everyone knows? What more is there to fear? Kirishima couldn't tell. All he knew was that Shimamura was horrified to realize he and Bakugou had been snooping in on her quirk training with Aizawa.

He had to find a way to make it up to her... but first he needed to give her space.

Shimamura stood up from the table. Ashido asked her where she was going—a few words which Shimamura could only barely make out.

"I have a small headache... I'm just going to walk it off," Shimamura replied meekly.

Ashido frowned. "O-oh. Ok. Are you sure you're alright? I can get Mister Aizawa if you're not—"

"No need. I'm fine, really, Mina. Thank you."

Ashido nodded and left her be. The pink haired girl then turned to her opposite side to talk the ear off of whoever else was sitting by her.

Shimamura stuck her hands into the pockets of her black jacket and headed off towards the main cabin. Her head hung low. No one paid her any mind... but she preferred it that way.

She let her thoughts carry her mind to another place as her feet carried her towards the side of the cabin where she could be alone.

I should just quit while I'm ahead. There's no use training my quirk if nothing's working. I can hardly master it without it getting out of hand... Aizawa wants me to focus on extending it farther but what's the point?

If I extend it any farther I'll hurt my teammates. I hurt Miyata. I could've hurt everyone.

She didn't deserve to feel that. She didn't deserve to feel what I feel. What would mom think...?

Auntie said I did well. I knocked her down. So I did well. She must be joking. She must be testing me. She always is...

Shimamura pulled an orange pill bottle out of her pocket and tossed a few slender white pills into her mouth. She swallowed and put the pill bottle away again. She took a deep breath of the night's humid air. Her eyes closed and she exhaled, taking in the sounds around her.

The animals were silent. The wind whisked past trees, creating whistling noises against the leaves and branches. And—

Footsteps.