Secrets [Todoroki]

*Chapter Fifty-Five*

The courtroom was an uproar. Officers from every corner of the room tried desperately to calm the people while Judge Mathers slammed his gavel.

Miri was beside herself on the stand. 'I lied!? I don't understand! I-' Her eyes widened as she realized the lie. 'I said I didn't help her with anything, but I technically did. My whole reason for attending U.A. is built on that lie...' She held her face in her hand. 'Oh my god...I have to tell the world the whole truth...' She hyperventilated. 'If this trial doesn't ruin my reputation, then what comes out of my mouth here in the next few minutes will.'

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" There was a massive crack of the gavel. Everyone jumped and immediately fell back into their seats, quiet. "Thank you!" Judge Mathers turned to Mirianne, a scornful look in his eyes. "Lying on the stand is a dangerous thing to do, Miss Shotomoto. You aren't in the position for those."

"Y-yes! I understand!" Miri took a deep breath, wiping her face. "I answered faster than I allowed myself to think. I deeply apologize, but if I may, can I explain?"

"The floor is yours." His gaze never left her.

Miri felt everyone's eyes on her. She could feel their judgement. She could feel their hatred. It was suffocating. It made talking nearly impossible.

Her gaze flicked up to the few people she could rely on to support her. Her teacher and friends were seated in the front row, nervous smiles clear on their faces. Each of them gave their own cue of encouragement to Miri, except Bakugo, who was staring down at his shoes. When her eyes found Todoroki, his soft eyes made everything wash off of her. She felt a sweet breath of air fill her lungs and her body seemed to relax. He nodded his head at her, giving the go-ahead to tell her story.

"My mother and Endeavor are sworn enemies. Until recently, I never knew why. It was just a law in my house to never say his name. When the time came for me to choose my high school, my mother pushed me to attend U.A." Miri took a deep breath. "I was confused. Why would my mother, given who she was, want me to attend the greatest school for superheroes around? When I received my acceptance letter in the mail, I was hesitant to share the news. Why would my mother want me to attend U.A. other than she had something to gain out of it?"

Miri paused, her voice crackling. She hated what she did. She loved the school, loved the friendships she made, but it was so hard to accept that for over half of the year she told everyone a lie. That she wasn't there to be a hero, but a spy. "Shoto Todoroki, the son of Endeavor, was in the same class as me. I had strict orders from my mother to gather any information I could find about him and his family. My mother wanted a spy to help her take down Endeavor." The courtroom was buzzing.

"She's telling the truth." The lie detector stated.

"Not all of it." Miri's voice was clear, strong. The gavel was unnecessary to quiet the room this time. "I never wanted to do it, and I tried my damn hardest to avoid it. I never wanted to be like my mother."

The room was silent, waiting for someone else to say something.

"This is also the truth." The lie detector's voice cut through the silence.

The courtroom was calm.

The judge sat back in his seat. "Well, if you're done, Miss Shotomoto, I'd like to get this trial back on track."

A bud of victory grew inside Miri. The truth was painful, but it calmed the room. Thank god for the lie detector, otherwise Miri would have fingers pointed at her for the rest of her life.

She knew she still would, but she felt a lot more confident knowing that she could walk away today, having answered for her wrong-doings in an honest and legal setting.