Chapter Text
Each morning signifies another day closer to graduation for Katsuki Bakugo.
That 'senioritis' or general laziness is apparent on mornings like these for some of his classmates. The classroom hums with idle chatter, exuding that unenthusiastic academic attitude.
They were supposed to do an exercise today...or at least that's what Mr. Aizawa—who just so happened to be teaching them for the third year in a row—had planned for today...and he seems to have picked up some of that laziness too given that he's running a few minutes late. Though none of Bakugo's classmates seem to pay Aizawa's tardiness any mind.
As the classroom buzzes, Bakugo can't help but find his gaze drift toward the clock. He can only really occupy himself with his thoughts considering his friends aren't nearby him and he'd be cooked if Aizawa walked through that door.
It leaves him no choice but to keep himself busy by other means. His crimson eyes begin to scan the room, taking in the usual faces in front of him.
Midoriya, Uraraka, Todoroki, and Iida seem to be deeply engaged in a discussion. One so serious (or comical) that the four of them have no spatial awareness. Some other classmates he pays no heed to huddle in a group, also having a conversation just more lively and joyful—apparent by the constant laughter.
His friends Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero, chat away in a group too. Their discussion is also lighthearted and cheerful, but they're surprisingly quieter than the other groups, which is an anomaly within itself. Ashido taps the shoulder of a girl and she turns, hugging the back of her chair as she leans over it.
Ashido thumb-points to Kaminari and utters something, to which Kaminari gets the girl's attention. He says something to her that makes her slap her hand to her mouth and look away, shoulders twitching. It looks like she's...laughing? Or crying? No, it's laughter. She throws her head back with a smile on her face. The others chuckle in response.
The sound of the door sliding open wakes everyone up to the time. Within a milisecond, everyone is in their seats as if they weren't just goofing off a second ago. His classmates probably just set a world record.
Mr. Aizawa steps through the doorframe with a bunch of folders. Twenty-one to be exact. Looks like they're doing something special for training today.
"We're going to the USJ" He states blankly, placing the folders down gently on the podium.
The mood in the room darkens. They hadn't been to the USJ since first year and...well, everyone knows how THAT went. It was their first encounter with villains up close and personal. That experience marked the making of the war that would plague Japan in the following months.
Mr. Aizawa notices the grim tension in the room, but doesn't comment on it. He understands their reaction to the news.
"During your first year, you missed out on a key lesson: how you should navigate natural disasters and hazardous terrains" He explains, "When I call your name, step up to the podium and grab the folder with your name on it then return to your seat—except for five of you: Ashido, Kaminari, Kitagawa, Uraraka, and Todoroki. When you all receive yours, stand by the board."
His instructions are clear and the class gives him a good "Yes, sir!". One of those names stands out to Bakugo though—who the hell is Kitagawa?
Names are called one after the other and eventually everyone has their folders.
The group priorly mentioned stand by the board with their folders in hand. Ashido, that one girl, and Kaminari stand next to eachother and quietly chat away before further instructions are given. Bakugo didn't realize that those two were even that close of a friend to that girl. He hardly ever noticed them talking—maybe he's never noticed because he never even bothered to look.
"These five are the hazards; they'll be constantly causing trouble for you all. Ashido is acid rain, Kaminari is an electrified terrain, Uraraka will be given debris and rocks to hurl at you, Todoroki is a hailstorm, and finally Kitagawa is whatever storm she wants to impose on you. Whether it be a tornado, hurricane, tsunami, and/or thunderstorm—completely up to her. Admittedly, this exercise entirely favors her, hence why she's the final obstacle"
Ashido jumps up and down at this news, grabbing the 'Kitagawa' girl by the shoulders. "OMG, Y/N, LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE IN THE SPOTLIGHT! FINALLY!!!!"
"THIS IS A MOMENT IN HISTORY!" Kaminari hypes her up. "TAKE A PICTURE!!!"
Kitagawa buries her face in her hands, obviously trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. Uraraka smiles sweetly at her, knowing her well enough to understand that she is WAY overdue for her time to shine. Todoroki claps silently, confused by all of the commotion but picks up on the fact that this is a celebratory moment for her. The other girls in class cheer for her too—especially Hagakure, who at this point in time is completely visible.
Wow. A lot of people seem to care for this girl.
It makes sense for Kitagawa to be close with the other girls—the girls have always been a tight-knit group considering there's a small amount in the class, so it's not surprising in the slightest—but other people in the class, people that Bakugo knows, seem to be hyped for her too. Like Kirishima, Sero, Midoriya, and even that mind-control guy.
So why's he never paid attention to her before?
Aizawa clears his throat to get the class's attention. He pushes down a slight smirk at their reaction to the news.
"The rest of you will be put into teams of four. I'll explain more of what you're doing when we get on the bus. For now, read the contents of your folder. It'll give you your role for your team. We'll be heading toward the bus in five minutes." He finishes his lecture and the rest of the class immediately open their folders.
He instructs the 'hazards' on what's going to happen at the USJ so they can get a headstart on their plans. That leaves the rest of the class to worry slightly.
They engage in their conversations again, livelier than before but also cautious.
Bakugo opens his folder and a small, white sheet of paper in a Times New Roman print falls out of it, waiting to be read.
-----
KATSUKI BAKUGO
ROLE: FRONTRUNNER
LEAD THE CHARGE; CLEAR THE PATH. CANNOT TOUCH DUMMY BY ANY MEANS.
----
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He remarks, putting the paper down.
Judging by the paper, they must be doing rescue work alongside these disasters if the dummy part wasn't clear enough. He isn't too upset about not being able to touch it though. Record goes to show he's not the greatest at being gentle with things...or people.
Soon enough, five minutes fly by and its time to board the bus. Little did Bakugo know that those last five minutes would mark the end of his obliviousness to her—something he wouldn't grow to miss.