MANIA - Katsuki Bakugou

clues! ━

chapter 35

THE NEXT MORNING

Shimamura sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the ground. Tears had stained her cheeks and her eyes were all puffy from a night of crying... but she had to look presentable for the day. She still had class to attend.

It was a dream. It had to be.

Shimamura shook her head. She refused to believe that Midoriya knew her secret. She knew it was true but... she just couldn't fathom it. Denial was far easier to accept.

Convince him he made a mistake. That's all.

She took a deep breath and stood from her slouch. Her feet carried her across her room as she began getting ready for the day ahead.

Shimamura decided there and now that she would act as if her confrontation with Midoriya never happened. As if he didn't know the one thing she feared the most to be revealed.

Shimamura walked down the wide hallway of the dorm, heading towards the kitchen and living room to grab breakfast before leaving for school. Most of the class was already there. Some were just rolling out of bed in these early hours of the morning.

Ding

She turned to the sound of the elevator doors opening and closing slowly. The figure that had exited the little box of the elevator stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing Shimamura. The white haired girl waved with a small smile, but the figure stood as still as a pole.

"Sayuri..." Shimamura greeted.

The student with the dark blue hair smiled meekly and walked slowly towards her friend, as if treading on ice that might crack at any moment. Her hands were sweaty and her eyes were brimming with tears before she even started talking to Shimamura.

In truth, it had been a few days since Uchiha last spoke to Shimamura. Actually, they hadn't had a real conversation since before Shimamura was kidnapped. Any interaction the two had since then was just Uchiha talking to a wall. Shimamura barely even gave her the slightest glance. But it wasn't her fault... Uchiha knew that.

Just like Todoroki said. She needed to give Shimamura time.

"Teeks. Hey!" Sayuri donned a brighter smile, trying to conceal her emotions.

Shimamura squinted at her and cocked her head to the side. In an instant, Shimamura recognized there was something wrong with her best friend. It hardly took words to convey it.

"Are you ok?" She asked kindly.

Sayuri held her eyes open for as long as possible—but she couldn't help it anymore. She blinked and let crocodile tears stream like rivers from her sad eyes. Shimamura almost jumped in alarm.

"I'm so sorry!" Uchiha lamented. "I should have been there for you! I wasn't watchful enough! I should've known that you were gone gone and not just gone, or sick... or anything normal! I should've been the one to find you and get you out of that scum bucket of a hideout! I should've—"

She choked on her words, sobbing into her hands. Shimamura's expression saddened as she watched her best friend crack at her expense. She bit her lip and immediately drew Uchiha into a hug, letting her sob into her shoulder.

"You shouldn't have done anything... It's ok. I'm ok."

Uchiha sniffled against her uniform shoulder. "But you could've died..."

Shimamura laughed a bit. "So I keep being told."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. You did nothing wrong."