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9. Place of Peace

I have a busy tomorrow so enjoy this a day early!

Rule 45: Exploration and curiosity are good, just not when taken to extremes.

Otsuka was awake early the next day, even after the insane events of the day before. She groaned as she remembered the dinner conversation from last night— that was going to make for an awkward morning. She checked the time and got herself ready for school, toasting some bread for her breakfast. The ginger kept one eye on the time as she tried to imagine what they'd be doing today but it could be anything really. Besides the two days where the lessons before lunch became Hero Foundational Studies, they experienced the normal Japanese education.

She frowned suddenly and checked the door into Aizawa and Yamada's room. The pair should be waking up pretty soon, they had to teach after all. As time continued to tick by, Otsuka was slowly getting more concerned that neither of her guardians had appeared. She considered maybe knocking on their door and, as the time for them to be leaving got closer, she even took a few steps towards their door.

She hesitated there though. What if they weren't supposed to be getting up? If they had good reason to still be sleeping they'd probably be mad if she woke them. She turned around just as another minute ticked by.

But what if they were supposed to be awake? If they slept through their alarm because of everything that happened yesterday and they did actually have to be awake right now, wouldn't they be mad that Otsuka hadn't woken them?

It was not a good situation.

She moved back to the door as the clock showed another minute had passed and raised her arm. The silence was agonising and she knew it would make her knocks all that much louder. Ok, any minute now, any minute she'd get it over with and just knock, just-

The door opened inwardly to reveal a sleepy Aizawa in bright pink pyjamas. The two blinked at each other for a few painfully long moments.

"School's cancelled today."

Otsuka's let her fist fall away from the threshold, nodding. That made sense, and here she was all dressed and ready to go. She moved back to let Aizawa walk past her so he wasn't trapped in the doorway anymore as Yamada— wearing his own yellow merchandise as pyjamas— stepped forward too.

"Sorry we forgot to tell you, lil' listener. We still have to go in so we're gonna have to leave you alone for the day. That ok?" The blonde seemed apologetic about having to leave her. Maybe that was just leaking over from his apology for not mentioning the cancelled day last night though. She could've slept in, theoretically.

Otsuka nodded, pretty used to being self-sufficient when it came to staying entertained. "I guess I'll go get changed," she muttered to herself, already turning around to enter her room.

"Have you had breakfast?" Yamada checked. "Got to eat to be a strong hero!"

Otsuka held back the urge to roll her eyes at Yamada's Matsui-esque childishness. "I had some toast so I'm all good, thanks."

He nodded and she disappeared into her room again to pull on some casual clothes but she paused about halfway through changing as she recalled what Aizawa was wearing over all his bandages. She'd sort of expected him to have, well, black pyjamas, just like everything else he wore, and just like he'd been wearing when she helped Yamada wake him up before, but no, today his pyjamas were pink and bright and just a little bit... frilly? She was also pretty sure they were covered in cats. Surely she'd hallucinated that part.