HOPELESS ᵈ·ᵏᵃᵐⁱⁿᵃʳⁱ

ch. ─── eight

[08] WAVERING FEELINGS

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EVER SINCE TODOROKI bumped into her that day in the hall, he noticed how she always stuck to him, as if she was afraid to be left behind. He also noticed the sweet smile Hajime had, a characteristic he pointed out instantly when he first met her. Of course, despite her docile demeanour and pretty face, her lacklustre goals were somewhat strange. Nonetheless, what Todoroki didn't expect was to become friends with Hajime, the occurrence sort of sneaking up on him.

He was never the type to get along with others, and his social skills as Midoriya once put it, were difficult for him to grasp. But her constant hovering, her kind acts, and the subtle words of reassurance caught up to him. The past few weeks of hanging out after school or lunch, they've been with each other almost every day when Hajime wasn't doing her own thing. Her interest made him glad he realized, being able to see Hajime get along with her friends was an added bonus.

But then, Hajime started acting weird.

It all started a few days ago when she had disappeared during lunch. He checked the library and asked some students if they saw her around, but alas Todoroki didn't get an answer. Although, as he turned into the hallway where their homeroom was, he was drawn in by the faint sounds of shouting. Before he could reach the door, Hajime had stepped out. He didn't catch what she said, but he did get a good look at her face afterwards.

And it broke his heart.

It was the first time he ever saw such an expression on Hajime's face; Her brows knitted together in distress, her eyes brimming with tears. It was concerning. This cheerful and sweet girl who always smiled at others despite any given situation was now completely torn down and vulnerable.

At the time he should've gone up to her and simply been there for his friend, but instead, he stayed put, watching idly. When he looks back at it now, Todoroki regrets his decision, especially when Hajime pretended like it never happened. It was why he reacted he did when she collapsed during hero training.

At this exact moment, all he saw was Hajime, nothing else. He moved on extinct, already enraptured by the use of her mysterious quirk. His heroic act surprised everyone, his strong arms catching Hajime before she hit the ground. Todoroki looked princely as he saved her, Kaminari watching him with a clenched jaw.

Todoroki didn't understand her relationship with the blonde, nor did she ever mention anything about him. But now it was obvious that the two of them had something going on, and he was going to ask Hajime once she woke up.

It's been a few hours since Hajime fainted, the sun now setting in the distance making the warm rays of the sun stream into the nurse's office. Since Todoroki was the one who managed to carry her here, he was also given the reason for her questioning condition.