Chapter 4
November 15, 2024 at 8:51 AM
Fortunately or unfortunately, from early in the morning, Sei and Kohari had to leave their apartment and head their separate ways: classes and work could not be canceled even in such delicate circumstances. Contrary to Kohari's predictions, the "guests" had no intention of leaving, and pressing them to do so seemed impolite even after everything that had happened. Only by looking at Izuku's familiar face across from her did Kohari give in, and there was no more talk of expelling the guys. Sei, as usual, was engrossed in her phone and, with very little time left before they had to leave, was preparing for university. The assigned material had not been learned, her appearance was scruffy, and her mood was lackluster. Inoti completely ruled out the possibility of a potential robbery upon her and Kohari's arrival. Moreover, she was incredibly sleepy, as it would have been far more preferable to analyze the entire conversation between her and the strange cosplayer (she was starting to have doubts about him being just that). Even considering the fact that she could have spent that time at university. Maybe she could at least get some sleep.
The bags under the blonde's eyes also indicated his lack of sleep throughout the night. Katsuki, the one she knew, would not have engaged in such thorough self-analysis. After all, he wasn’t chatting with All Might. Sei, horrified, caught herself thinking that after some crazy conversation she was comparing him to an anime character. Definitely madness.
“Deku, I told you. There's no way we're getting in touch with them.”
“We should have at least tried, Kacchan,” replied a sadder Deku, not making an effort to dismiss Todoroki.
Katsuki huffed in annoyance, as if he weren’t the one who first messaged Kirishima for help and nearly howled when he realized that he couldn't get in touch with him. Where had they even ended up?
Taking out his phone, he habitually checked the chat with Red Riot. Nothing new; the message still hadn’t been delivered. Exhaling slowly, he turned his head toward the bespectacled girl who was watching them.
She knows about the League of Villains, but hasn’t heard about us?
That thought had plagued him all damn night. He had been tempted to tell Deku about it, but he understood that it would be pointless. One prisoner of anxious thoughts was quite enough.
And why didn’t she reply to his last question? What was there to hide from those whom she was seeing for the first time? Or… Wait. Not for the first time? How had he not come up with such an obvious nonsense after an entire night of analysis?
“Kacchan? Kacchan! Can you hear me?”
“What do you want?” he grumbled in response, barely keeping hold of his train of thought.
“Kyoki-san is calling us to eat. You look tired, Kacchan. Didn’t you sleep?”
Katsuki silently stood up and approached the kitchen counter, where the source of his sleepless night was leaning against it. That was yet another reason to dislike her.
“Is there coffee?”
“Yeah. I’ll brew some now,” Sei muttered, finally tearing her gaze away from her phone screen.
“Kacchan!” Izuku shouted from the living room, still sitting on the couch. “You can’t drink coffee on an empty stomach!”
Katsuki’s eye twitched at that, and upon witnessing this scene, Inoti smirked and agreed with Deku, after which she offered Katsuki some toast. He tiredly nodded and finally sat down at the counter.
“Um... what’s your friend’s name?” Inoti asked him again.
“Can’t you remember two last names?” Kacchan arched an eyebrow, almost smirking at the frozen, surprised face across from him. Deku heard this and lamented:
“Who are you to talk, Kacchan!”
“Shut up!” The sleepy mood vanished, and the next five minutes were consumed by arguments between Katsuki and Izuku.
“I’m Midoriya Izuku,” the green-haired boy smiled brightly after finally waiting for silence from Katsuki. “I heard you were asking Kacchan for my name,” he continued, shaking his head. “Where are you headed?”
“Nice to meet you,” Inoti replied almost sincerely, “I’m off to university, and Kohari is going to work. Will you manage here without us?”
“Don’t underestimate us; we’re not little kids!” the blonde retorted instead of Izuku, making the girl stare at him with a bemused expression.
Maybe they just happened to be born with those names, learned about that anime, and created such detailed cosplays. Well, why not? There are plenty of crazy fans; it’s just that these two guys lead the pack. Nothing unusual. They changed their hairstyles, added some scars, and adopted a certain way of speaking. Just that. With every thought, it felt like a nail was being driven into the coffin containing her good opinion of them. It was creepy, but they didn’t seem dangerous. After all, even if their clothes, hair, names, and even scars were a facade, maybe they just didn’t want to reveal their identities?
Shrugging as if to shake off the intense gaze of “Katsuki Bakugou,” Inoti set down a plate of toast and a cup of coffee for the guys, wished them a good appetite, and headed to her room to put on some makeup.
“The remote for the TV should be under the pillow on the couch; I can dictate the Wi-Fi code now, and there are fresh portions of takoyaki in the fridge,” Kohari commanded as she abruptly entered the living room, briefly glancing at the guests having breakfast. Stopping in front of them by the counter, she also began to have her share of breakfast, simultaneously typing something on her phone. Izuku curiously looked at the girl and asked what she did for a living.
“A cook,” Kyoki replied, tearing her gaze away from her gadget.
“Is it a cafe or a restaurant?”
“A restaurant. A fairly popular establishment. You can visit it if you want,” the artist smiled.
“We’ll definitely check it out, won’t we, Kacchan?” Midoriya said happily, and as soon as Bakugou said something, he nudged him with his foot, suggesting he should be more careful with his words at least while they were living with them. Bakugou ignored these provocations and simply preferred to remain silent. After finishing his meal, he briefly thanked them for the food and returned to the living room, texting Kirishima again.
After a while, Deku joined him, struggling with the remote, pressing completely the wrong buttons. Growing increasingly annoyed, Katsuki snatched the remote from his friend and switched channels until he found something interesting.
“Guys, we’re leaving,” Kohari’s voice could be heard. “We hope for your good judgment,” she added as the door slammed shut behind her.
There was absolute silence for five seconds, except for the sounds coming from the television, before Katsuki spoke up:
“Well, Deku, should we rummage through their apartment?”
“What are you talking about?” Midoriya asked, sensing something was off.
“Deku, listen to me carefully,” and before Izuku could feel deja vu from those words, he quickly continued, “We are technically in an unknown universe. Isn’t this the quirk of that bastard?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“Deku,” Bakugou insisted, “I’m going to search this dump with or without you. You’re not stupid, and you understand why I’m doing this. I can’t sleep peacefully in a place that isn’t safe for us! Do you even get what’s going on?”
“I understand everything, Kacchan!” Unfortunately, Izuku's composure was starting to falter. “I know you’re worried! But it’s unsafe for them to be around us — how do you not understand? Despite all the potential threats two strangers might pose, they saved us! Do you realize we were lucky enough to end up in this universe and to be saved by these girls?”
Bakugou's expression turned so dark that Midoriya almost felt like retracting his words. But not today.
“You really don’t get it. Do you not know there’s a concept called ‘self-serving motives’?”
“What could they possibly get from us, two ragamuffins? At most our phones, but I doubt they even want those,” Deku couldn't help but inject some sarcasm, staring into Bakugou's crimson eyes.
“Are you joking, Deku? One of these 'saviors' knows the League of Villains,” Katsuki smirked, finally laying down his trump card and inhaling deeply. Izuku, however, didn't feel quite as confident as before. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish stranded on dry land, he merely found the strength to ask where Bakugou had gotten that information and if he was sure about it.
“I’m sure. And you know what’s the funniest part? I asked her if she knew Dynamight and Deku. She, damn it, ignored it! And do you know what that means?”
Suddenly, Deku made such a pitiful face that Katsuki almost abandoned his theory. But he had really wanted to teach him a lesson. Which he was about to do urgently, but Deku interrupted him:
“Wait. Fine, let’s check the rooms. But I’m not sure it’s right to go through someone else's stuff.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes and grabbed Izuku by the hand.
“Deku, you’re being a coward as always. We need information to figure out what’s happening. Let’s just quickly check the rooms and find clues.”
Izuku hesitated again but understood that Bakugou was right. They really needed to figure out where they were and how to get back home as soon as possible.
“Okay,” he sighed. “But let’s try not to touch too much. Only what’s absolutely necessary.”
Katsuki nodded in satisfaction and released him. Stretching his shoulders, he considered which room to search first. They didn’t know for sure when those idiotic girls would return, so time was limited.
“Deku, it’s best to check their bedroom.”
“Kacchan, this is an invasion of personal space…”
“Stop whining already! We’ll arrange everything as if there was no search. Let’s go.”
***
“You seem really down, bro,” Kaminari complained, looming over Kirishima’s shoulder. “How about we go for a walk? It’ll clear our heads. I think we have a lot to discuss.” Kaminari’s concern was evident to everyone: usually cheerful Kirishima was silent and sat gloomier than a storm cloud. After the heroes made their speculations about where Bakugou and Midoriya could have ended up, he seemed to completely lose it and volunteered to leave a little early. Fortunately, the meeting ended right after he left, and Kaminari, catching up to him, was trying in every possible way to comfort him. “I don’t know, Kaminari. It happened so suddenly. I…” Kirishima tried sincerely to hold back a single manly tear, but it didn’t work. “I text him whenever I get the chance, but the messages aren’t going through!” “Kirishima,” Kaminari said, sitting the thoroughly worried friend down on the nearest bench, taking a seat next to him, and carefully examining Eijirou's face. He had read somewhere that, according to psychology, it’s best to speak calmly and softly so that others would pay attention to your words. He had read this to avoid being seen as an idiot by Bakugou and Jirou (even if Kyouka didn’t seriously think he was stupid), but he hoped it would help now too. “Okay, I completely understand your worries,” Denki began, watching Eijirou's reaction. The latter stubbornly avoided looking at his friend, and Kaminari, with a heavy heart, noticed traces of tears on his cheeks. To hell with those psychological tips! Kaminari understood how hard it was for Kirishima right now and decided to express all his sympathy and support: “Kirishima, I know how much you’re hurting right now. Losing a friend, especially so suddenly — it’s awful. But you’re not alone in this fight. We are all here beside you, and we’ll do everything to bring Bakugou and Midoriya back.” Denki placed a hand on Eijirou's shoulder and squeezed it, trying to convey the strength of his words. “Listen to me carefully. I believe we’ll get through this. After all, we’re heroes! And I know that Bakugou won’t give up either; he will fight until the end. And you need to stay strong for him. Together, we will definitely find them and bring them home.” Kaminari looked straight into Kirishima's eyes, hoping his gaze would radiate confidence and determination. “You won’t abandon them, will you? Kirishima, you and Bakugou are best friends. He needs you now more than ever. So let’s do everything we can to save them!” Denki tightly hugged Eijirou, wanting with all his heart to instill hope in him and restore his fighting spirit. He knew that Kirishima was one of the most resilient and courageous guys, and right now, he just needed the support of his friends. The red-haired boy sniffled and then burst into tears, and Kaminari simply comfortingly patted him on the back, knowing how hard it was for him. Lately, things had not been going well at his agency; crimes had been particularly brutal, and Bakugou’s disappearance had broken him. Katsuki's death felt like a poisoned arrow piercing the boy's mind and slowly driving him insane. Katsuki and Eijirou had tried not to discuss this topic: Katsuki because he didn’t want to appear weak, and Eijirou simply didn’t want to pressure him. In the end, the unspoken words only worsened the situation. Eijirou wanted more than ever to turn back time and just talk with his best friend. With Kaminari, it was emotionally easier since he wouldn’t be spouting something like “stop crying; we’ll get through this.” What was happening now was proof of that. Sometimes, he just wanted to cry his heart out like a girl without caring what others would say. Why should he be ashamed of tears over losing a friend? "Kirishima didn’t want to believe in Katsuki’s death. He sincerely believed in only one thing: his indestructibility. Yes, Katsuki was a damn indestructible victory machine, saving their country. He was the main figure of inspiration. The best friend and hero." “Well, do you feel any better?” Chargebolt's worried voice asked as he peered into the eyes of the Red Riot, who was almost resting in his embrace. “Dude, I love you, of course, but my girlfriend wouldn’t understand this at all,” Denki jokingly added, finally releasing a smiling Kirishima from his grasp. “Thanks, bro.” “No problem, bro.” “You’re unusually eloquent, though,” came the familiar tired voice of Shinsou from behind. “Shinsou?” Denki responded, surprised. “Didn’t you go home?” “As you can see, no,” he rolled his eyes. “That damn Aoyama cornered me and tried to start a conversation about how comfortable I was replacing him during training.” Kirishima and Kaminari laughed simultaneously, and Shinsou noted in the back of his mind that the smile on Red Riot's face looked harmoniously brighter than ever. “Remind me, why did he even come to the meeting?” the red-haired boy suddenly recalled. He had missed that part while he was pondering Katsuki’s fate. “Oh, it was because of Deku. He delivered quite a fiery speech; you should have heard it.” “That will haunt me in my nightmares,” Kaminari complained. “I didn’t like him during those moments when he was feeding Midoriya cheese. It looked terrifying.” “And with good reason,” Shinsou echoed. A tolerable silence settled among those present. However, it didn’t last long. Kirishima suddenly jumped up and said in an unexpectedly energetic voice: “Kaminari, we need to visit Bakugou’s mother and father. Shinsou, how about you join us?" He nodded and followed the two rather strange but supportive friends. Kirishima always felt a strange and slightly selfish pride in being Katsuki's only friend who was always welcome in his home. There had been many occasions when Katsuki himself invited him, albeit in a rather roundabout way: “Why are you hanging around here? Come over if you have the time.” Who knew he would drop by uninvited due to such a sad reason? The door was opened by Masaru — looking gaunt and with a puffy face. It was clear that the news had reached their home too. How Kirishima wished he could protect his friend and his family from all the sorrows. “Oh, Kirishima?” Bakugou immediately recognized him. “Come in, guys.” “Hello,” the boys greeted. Upon seeing Mitsuki enter the hallway, Kirishima immediately lost his smile: she looked very bad for someone who had a quirk that rejuvenated her skin, as far as he remembered from Katsuki's words. “Come in, don’t stand on the threshold,” the way she tried to smile caused Kirishima almost physical pain. He had grown so attached to this family that it felt strange to him. “Have a seat,” Masaru gestured toward the couch in the living room. His already calm voice came out quieter than usual, almost taking on a “grave” quality. Eijirou felt shivers running down his spine. Mitsuki led the friends into the living room and offered them tea. Her movements were sluggish, and her eyes were red from crying. It was evident that the woman had shed many tears during these difficult days. “Thank you for coming,” she sank into the armchair opposite the boys. “We need support so much right now. Katsuki…” Mitsuki closed her eyes, trying to hold back a new wave of tears. Masaru placed his hand on her shoulder, barely holding back his emotions: “Katsuki went missing in the portal while trying to stop that villain. We don’t know if he’s alive…” the man’s voice quivered. Kirishima felt his heart clench in pain for his friend and his parents. He understood how hard this must be for them. “We came to offer you our help and support,” Kirishima squeezed Masaru's hand in sympathy, hoping to find Katsuki. Mitsuki looked up at him with tear-filled eyes: “Thank you, children. We’re so glad that Katsuki found such wonderful friends…” All three exchanged faint smiles. Mitsuki continued: “Aizawa, your teacher, called us. He promised to come by today as well. I think it will be in about an hour, right, Masaru?” He nodded, and she exhaled loudly in a manner reminiscent of her son. “We really hope that there are universes that will be kind to Katsuki and Izuku’s fate.” “I read about different types of universes,” Shinsou chimed in. “There’s something called an ‘alternative’ universe; it’s just like ours, but there are no quirks. I don’t know how accurate that information is, but let’s hope they ended up in one of those.” After finishing their tea, the boys prepared to leave, citing their reluctance to disturb them and their desire to find a solution to this problem as quickly as possible. Tears welled up in Mitsuki's eyes again, but not from sorrow, and Kirishima felt a little bit happier.***
Initially, things weren’t going smoothly for Katsuki and Izuku. However, as time passed, things only got worse, but let’s go through it step by step. Despite Bakugou’s arguments, Midoriya absolutely could not convince himself to step over the threshold of the girls’ room. He couldn’t help but wonder how it was such an easy task for Katsuki until he remembered who he was with. What if there are too many personal things in there? Trying to reason with Katsuki and dragging him by the hand, he wanted to appear as convincing as possible in his eyes. “Kacchan, please, don’t do this! I’m sure we can find plenty of information in the kitchen. Let’s go!” “And what are we going to find there, idiot? What do they like to eat? I’m not interested,” Katsuki said, shoving Deku aside and tugging on the doorknob, which creaked open, much to Izuku’s horror. “So, what’s up, Deku? Scared? Boo!” Bakugou mocked until he saw what Izuku had been staring at so intently. “What the...?” “W-What is that?” Izuku interrupted, completely forgetting himself, as he crossed the threshold into the room first and gazed around in shock. “What the hell is this?!” Bakugou exclaimed, utterly baffled as he shoved Midoriya aside, surveying the room from floor to ceiling. Then again. And again. And with each look, the blond’s expression grew more drawn, and his face turned increasingly bewildered. “Calm down!” “Seriously?! You’re telling me to calm down?! I’m about to have a heart attack here!” “Wait, wait... There’s a logical explanation for all of this. Um... Just fans? We’re heroes!” “What was the point of them staring at us like we were aliens yesterday, then? And what about the League of Villains?!” “That’s a good point... It doesn’t add up. So, they know us, but...” “What could the ‘but’ be?! They acted like they didn’t know us and dragged us in here! I knew something was off with them from the start!” “No, but... What about what happened on patrol last night?” “Haven’t you heard of acting?!” “That didn't look like acting. I’ve learned to tell real emotions from a performance.” “Then what other explanation do you have, genius?” “The most logical thing right now is to wait for the girls. We just need to ask them about it directly,” Izuku replied after thinking for a moment. Katsuki obviously wanted to chime in, but Izuku interrupted him sharply: “And we’re not going to yell at them or demand anything, got it, Kacchan?!” Katsuki snorted and crossed his arms, turning away. “I’ll do the talking; otherwise, you’ll scare them with your outburst,” Izuku stated matter-of-factly. “Do what you want.” “Since we’re here, we should investigate the room,” Deku said to Katsuki’s satisfaction. “Kacchan, look: one half of the room is filled with your figurines, while the other half is filled with mine.” “I see,” the boy grunted. “Damn it, I need to find out which of them is into me. That’s...” “Kacchan!” Izuku cut in, his voice booming in a way that was uncharacteristic of him. “Don’t say nonsense. Don’t touch anything that isn’t related to those figurines and posters, or else...” Izuku was clearly ignored while Katsuki recorded a hilarious voice message to Kirishima about the fact that aside from his figurines, there were also Kirishima figurines and even Kaminari's. “Kirishima, a breakthrough of the century: even the idiot Kaminari has fans in this universe!” Holding up a Kaminari figurine and quickly inspecting it, he laughed so uncontrollably that Izuku momentarily forgot all his warnings. A laughing Kacchan was a rather rare sight, at least for him. “Kirishima, even Kaminari’s face is all swollen here, and he looks like a total idiot. In a way, everything is accurately portrayed,” wiping away the tears that had appeared from his uncontrolled laughter, he sent the voice message, which also didn’t reach its recipient. Frowning slightly, he turned to Izuku, who was not looking at the figurines but at him. Questioningly glancing at him, he sat on one of the beds. “The message didn’t reach Kirishima, did it?” the green-haired boy suddenly asked. Katsuki shook his head negatively, turning off his phone. Silence fell, and the boys continued to inspect the contents of the room. “There are posters here too,” Midoriya added, surprised. “Um... is the whole class here? And there’s the League of Villains. What is going on?” “I don’t remember having those posters in my merch,” Bakugou chimed in. “And I do too,” Izuku nodded in agreement. “It’s so strange…” “We’ll ask them about everything when they get back. We’ve seen enough for now.” To Inoti’s great relief, the pairs finally ended, and she hurriedly gathered her things in order to return home as soon as possible. Casting a quick glance at the clock, she realized that classes with the students were supposed to start in half an hour, but it was not really for that that she needed to rush. No, the true reason for her haste was clearly something else. Finally arriving at the apartment door, Inoti eagerly turned the key in the lock and quickly made her way to the living room, where, just as she expected, both boys were seated. Their tense postures and frowning faces did not go unnoticed by her. “Hey, guys,” she greeted them, trying to sound as calm and friendly as possible. “Have you eaten yet?” Katsuki tore his gaze away from the television and looked at her so fiercely that it genuinely made Sei feel as if she had appeared before him completely naked. “We’re stuffed,” Bakugou replied tersely, and before he could elaborate on what exactly, Izuku nervously interrupted, “Thank you for your concern, Inoti-san. Your tokoyaki was simply delicious! Thank you so much!” “Alright,” Sei said, bewildered, turning her gaze away from the odd boy and retreating back to her room. Let Bakugou embody his role for as long as he wants; no one could outdo him. It was wiser to avoid getting involved with the crazy. “Tell me, Deku,” Katsuki began feigning a friendly demeanor as soon as the door closed behind the girl, “are you an idiot or a jerk? Or has amnesia grown due to your stupid brain?! Have you already forgotten what we discovered?!” Izuku sighed loudly, not wanting to continue this pointless conversation any longer. Katsuki, who was used to ignoring others and not tolerating such treatment himself, frowned discontentedly and declared: “Deku, I can talk to her myself, you get me?” “Really?” Midoriya couldn’t help but let out a nervous chuckle. “Don’t believe me?” Katsuki scoffed, a defiant smirk on his face. “Let’s find out.” Confident of his victory, he marched toward Inoti, who was calmly scrolling through her social media feed and nearly jumped in place at the loud, uneven knocking on the door. Izuku mentally praised all the gods for the fact that Kacchan at least thought to do this. “What is it?” the brunette asked, slightly opening the door and looking at Bakugou with displeasure. “Just a few words,” Katsuki replied coldly and somewhat calmly. His tone was drastically different from the forceful knocking he had made. It seemed this was not as urgent as she had thought. “My students are coming over soon; we can talk later,” Inoti replied tiredly, somewhat irritated by the concern over trivial matters. “What the hell do you mean, students?” As if on cue, the doorbell rang. “Those,” Sei said, opening the door to what appeared to be seventh graders. “Please, Midoriya, could you ask your friend to wait an hour and a half?” And without waiting for a reply, she threw in a quick, “Thank you.” “Did you hear that?” Bakugou returned to the living room with a twitching eye. “She…” “Don’t say anything you’ll regret, Kacchan,” Izuku warned. “Shut up! You think you’re in charge, you damn genius. I haven’t slept all night because of this mess that’s going on! And what about you? You just pretend everything is fine, while, damn it, we don’t even know where we are! I’ve been trying to contact Kirishima for over an hour, I have no idea what this universe is, and you’re acting like everything’s just peachy! Oh right,” Katsuki grimaced at the end of his tirade, “you’re the Symbol of Peace! Strong, unwavering, and impossible to catch!” “And what do you think I should be doing?!” Izuku shouted back. “You think this is easy for me? Do you think I could sleep that night?! Someone has to stay calm, Kacchan!” Bakugou narrowed his eyes, glaring at the fuming Midoriya: “Calm, huh? You’re just a coward! And you’re holding me back instead of figuring out what’s going on!” He jabbed his finger into Izuku's chest, continuing passionately: “Where’s your ‘everything will be fine’? Where’s your heroic fire, Deku? Or have you just gone soft being in another world?” Izuku gritted his teeth, suppressing his irritation. He wanted to retort that Bakugou wasn’t doing anything but throwing tantrums, but he held back. “I’m trying to keep a clear mind to figure out what’s happening!” he snapped. “We need to act carefully if we want to go home!” “Oh you…” Bakugou started, but was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Inoti returned and looked at the boys with obvious irritation. “What part of ‘wait an hour and a half’ do you not understand?” “What are you shouting about…” Katsuki started but didn’t finish due to the green-haired boy standing next to him: “Sorry for the interruption, Inoti-san,” Izuku bowed. “It won’t happen again,” he promised, looking seriously at the girl. Locking his gaze on Deku, Kacchan muttered something under his breath, and from experience, Deku knew it was some sort of curse. To Izuku’s surprise, Sei, lowering her head in apology, also said sorry. “I understand you’re in a difficult situation. I’m sorry for lashing out. It’s incredibly hard with one of my students, and I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you. In the future, if you have any disputes, just lock yourselves in the living room, okay?” she added in such a friendly tone that Katsuki was taken aback. The tension in the air seemed to vanish like magic, and Izuku, beaming, thanked the girl. “Kacchan,” Izuku suddenly turned to his friend when Inoti returned to her lessons in the other room, “even if they know us, they don’t pose a threat. They’re really nice. I thought about your theory, Kacchan. There’s a category of fans — stalkers — and they…” “They really remind me of them, don’t they?” Katsuki said thoughtfully, resting his hand on his chin. Izuku blinked in confusion and tried to clarify that he meant the complete opposite, but Katsuki was already on a roll: “Just think about it, Deku,” he lamented, seeing that Izuku again didn’t want to understand his thoughts. “I already have enough of one idiot in Kaminari; use your brain! They have a ton of figurines of us, even though we’ve never appeared in this universe before. Plus, that idiot girl even asked me if my name was really Katsuki. Obviously, she’s trying to throw us off the trail.” “But where did these figurines and posters come from, Kacchan?” Izuku suddenly questioned. “Someone has to be making them. And it’s not just us; there were other heroes too. Who is behind all this?” Each word made Katsuki feel worse on a moral level. He understood that Deku’s words carried weight. However, he said something entirely different aloud to process what he had heard. “Don’t ever use your stupid brain again. You’re talking complete nonsense.” Izuku simply shook his head and finally settled onto the couch. Despite all the challenges they had faced in the past, their friendship would have to endure many changes. The main thing was that they were coping. Izuku was confident that everything would eventually be alright. As the Symbol of Peace, he knew what he was getting into by saving his friend. And he was certain they would return. “Deku, I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You’re the only person I can trust here,” Katsuki said, scratching the back of his head. “We really need to be more careful.” “Kacchan...” Izuku said, surprised, not knowing how to react to this. “You’re right, Kacchan. It’ll be a lot easier to deal with the situation if we have a roof over our heads.” Katsuki nodded in agreement and sat down on the couch as well. Suddenly, Izuku smiled and remarked, “Is this because of Inoti-san, Kacchan?” He chuckled. “You’re not exactly known for apologizing.” “I could care less about her, got it?” “I’m not talking about that,” Deku waved off. “You just felt embarrassed about our apologies to her, didn’t you?” “Deku, you’re getting bold,” Bakugou warned him. “Just because I admit my mistake doesn’t mean you should be shocked. Now shut up and let me watch TV.” “Okay, Kacchan,” Midoriya smiled widely. Still, Katsuki had no intention of backing down from the idea of a serious conversation with the girls. Meanwhile, after the promised hour and a half, Sei hastily prepared to meet up with her friend, eager to avoid the strange guest who was once again giving her a suspicious look. Sei: I'm coming to you soon. The boys caused quite a ruckus.Kohari:
What happened?
Sei: The guy pretending to be Bakugou argued with the other one and then snapped at me when I asked him to be quieter. Sei: His audacity knows no bounds.Kohari:
He's gotten too into character.
Sei: I'm on my way. He also wanted to have a word with me. Sei: I'm afraid of him; I’d rather listen to him later tonight.Kohari:
Alright, I’ll be waiting.
***
“We need to talk!” Kohari and Sei heard as they opened the door, confronted by a determined Katsuki standing before them. “Kacchan, I told you to leave this to me!” Midoriya interjected, sensing something was off as he hurried up. “While you're coddling them, they’ll come up with some other nonsense to mess with your head with their ‘innocence’!” Bakugou snapped, ignoring the confused looks from the girls. “What the hell is going on? Can we at least take off our shoes?” Kohari rolled her eyes. “What’s with all the fuss at the door?” Sei asked tiredly. “Well, we just—” Midoriya started to explain, but was cut off by Katsuki: “What the hell is this?!” he exclaimed, holding up one of the figurines he had hidden behind his back. The girls fell silent and looked at each other, unsure of what to say. “Well, figurines?” Sei replied unflustered, leaving Katsuki at a loss for words again. “I don't understand your complaints,” Kohari said, dramatically eyeing Bakugou’s “cosplay,” hoping to convey to him how ridiculous it looked. Unfortunately, this tactic went over Katsuki’s head. The girls turned away and whispered about something among themselves, driving him to a boiling point. “What are you whispering about?!” Kyoki couldn’t hold back: “Enough yelling! Yes, we're obsessed with anime characters, and so what?! Look at yourselves, you've all dressed up and even put scars in the same places; what nonsense is this?!” Izuku and Katsuki stared at her in confusion. “Characters? What?” “What nonsense are you spouting?!” “We're talking about your cosplays,” Inoti helpfully interjected. “Which cosplays, for crying out loud? Do you even hear yourself?” “I thankfully have no problems with my hearing,” she replied, smiling at Bakugo’s twitching eye. “Okay, I’m completely lost,” Izuku said, looking bewildered. “Can you please explain this step by step?” "No, you explain,” Kohari interjected. “Why are you so stubbornly denying the fact that you’re cosplayers? No one is going to hurt you for it.” “Are you embarrassed that we’re interested in the same anime as you? It’s quite popular, by the way,” Sei added, looking at Deku’s utterly astonished expression. “Wait just a damn minute,” Katsuki snapped. “So you’re saying we’re cosplayers?” “Yes,” the girls answered in unison, impatience evident in their voices. “But... who are we cosplaying as? This is our clothing, our hairstyles... Maybe we have doppelgängers in this universe, Kacchan?” Midoriya turned to his friend, utterly confused. Kohari and Sei exchanged glances filled with increasing perplexity. It appeared they truly didn’t understand what was going on. “What? You seriously don’t know who you’re cosplaying as?” “What are you even talking about? We’re not cosplaying anyone! This is our regular clothes!” Bakugou replied irritably. “Then what do you call this?” Sei said, pulling out her phone and showing a bunch of screenshots of Katsuki and Izuku, looking straight into the blond’s stunned, horrified eyes. “I’d blow you both up for such a ridiculously stupid joke, but I don't have the energy for that,” Katsuki spat, stepping back. “Deku, even if this is edited... where would they get the material?” “I’ve lost the thread of the narrative,” Midoriya stated monotonously, like a zombie. If we’re anime cosplayers... then we don’t exist in this universe? Or wait... who are we if we’re not cosplayers? What do they think we are? “I don’t understand one thing: why deny that you’re cosplayers when it’s so obvious? From the very first minute we met, you’ve been dressed as Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku,” Inoti said, bewildered, throwing her hands up. “Why do you keep repeating this nonsensical garbage?! Where did you get those photos?!” Bakugou thundered, nodding toward her smartphone. "Screenshots from the anime.” “Do you need to be taken to the hospital? A concussion, maybe, or something like that?” Kohari suggested. “I’ll give you a damn concussion if you don’t shut up!” “Kacchan!” Izuku shouted, suddenly silencing everyone in the room. His voice trembled with anger, lightning flashing in his eyes toward Katsuki. “We just need to... talk. Sit down and talk. Calmly, got it, Kacchan?” he emphasized each word, looking at a thoroughly shocked Katsuki. It seemed he wouldn’t be granted even one peaceful day while in this world. Sighing in irritation, Katsuki soothingly rubbed his head to finally clear his thoughts. And ideally, the situation too. Heading to the kitchen, they all looked at each other awkwardly, not having any idea what to say. Kohari clapped her hands, calling everyone to begin the tedious conversation for the night.
