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40. Just Keep Swimming

Rule 52: Take things one step at a time.

Her suspension was over, there was nothing they could do to keep her from her classes anymore, but they also weren't sure they needed to. Her class had been given the official line, the same one Otsuka had no choice to give if anyone asked:

Otsuka's last school went on a trip, to Hosu. They did not make it out.

They hated that she had to lie, but she hadn't complained, she never complained really. Since meeting Matsui's parents she'd been opening up, in quiet, small ways, so maybe now she'd be more willing to speak up if she was uncomfortable or wanted something.

First thing that morning, Yamada found a warm mug of honey and lemon on the table waiting for him. He'd mentioned the beginnings of a sore throat last night and he hadn't been wrong, it felt like death to even whisper this morning. Finding the warm mug set out for him when he got to breakfast was enough to make him smile through the pain. It cast a much warmer light over the day he was going to have to push himself through.

He'd have thanked her then and there if she wasn't already in her room, getting her uniform on for school. He hoped she'd had breakfast— most important meal of the day for an aspiring hero.

There wasn't a spring in her step when they walked her to her classroom, but she walked with her shoulders back and her head held high, ready to take on the world again. That alone was more than they could ever ask of her. Despite the escort to 1-A, her first stop this morning was not her own classroom. 

She leaned against the wall by the 1-C door, eyes watching the world go by outside the window opposite. Or that was how it looked to anyone who saw her. In reality, Otsuka was more intent on glaring at the dirty marks on what was meant to be a transparent screen. There were grease marks from grubby hands tracing the cold surface, there were water marks from years of rain, she knew it had to be quite high up for cleaning the outside surface, but the inside was easy enough to clean, surely? She'd do it herself if she had the equipment, maybe she should mention it to someone.

If she said something to Aizawa and Yamada, they could probably pass it on to Nezu. She could just imagine Aizawa getting all of class 1-A involved in cleaning all the windows in the entire school— insides only for safety's sake. She could bet he would find a way to spin it as part of their hero training, and the class would no doubt believe every word of his lie.

"Are you seeing something I'm not?"

Otsuka jumped at least a foot into the air, adrenaline piercing her veins. Even as her muscles tingled, she managed to muscle together all her self-control so as not to throw a fist at them; letting TT teach her his weird, little, made-up martial arts style (which was, admittedly, a highly efficient mishmash of a hundred techniques Otsuka had never even heard of) was good and all, it would help keep her safe and he knew it, but that meant he was making every move she learned instinctive. It was bound to lead to some mishaps somewhere down the line.

"Aki," Otsuka uttered once her lungs remembered how to function outside of the panic. "Hi."

Just like that, the brightest grin spread across Aki's face. It was like all the flowers in the world had suddenly bloomed, wars had ended, chocolate was free, colour and light and beauty were everywhere. Aki ducked to wrap their arms around Otsuka's waist and twirled her in the air, ignoring the squeak that burst from her mouth and the hands gripping their shoulders tighter than a vice. They were still smiling like the sun itself when they put Otsuka down, standing so close she could see faint flecks of silver swirling in their wide, golden eyes.

Aki leapt back, realising their sudden and dramatic display of pure, unadulterated joy. Their head sunk into their shoulders as they coughed into their hand, a faint blush over their cheeks. "Sorry, just um-" They were smiling so wide, it was a wonder they could get any coherent words out. "Hi!"