「CURSE'S VESSEL」bnhaxjjk

23: Emotional Support Buddy

__________________

The awarding ceremony wasn't as great as they expectedㅡ at least to the three students standing on the podiums. The air around them was tense and awkward, though they simply chose to ignore it and not make eye contact with each other.

Bakugou stood in third place, an obvious scowl on his face with his head wrapped in bandages from the injury and concussion he sustained after hitting the wall. Todoroki stood in second, being the only one unharmed thanks to the barrier Satoru put around them both earlier.

Then there was Yuju, standing in first place with bandaged arms and, with permission from Aizawa and the other staffs, wore her long, white padded coat and some gloves. After she woke up in the infirmary, Recovery Girl reported that Yuju began crying, stating that she was emotionally and mentally unstable due to whatever happened in her match with Todoroki.

Todoroki, after hearing the condition she was in, immediately started to run to check up on her, believing that the reason she was acting oddly was because of him. Though before he could even open the door to the infirmary, Panda had stopped him and said that it was best that Yuju didn't see him at that moment.  "Leave it up to us." Panda said with a nod as he puts a paw on the boy's shoulder. Todoroki, though hesitant, nodded in response before walking away from the infirmary, the cries and screams of Yuju from the other side haunting him until now.

After Yuji had calmed Yuju down, the girl became practically numb and unresponsive. Her eyes were red and puffy from her earlier crying and she didn't fight back when Nobara and Maki combed her long hair and had put on her coat and gloves or when Satoru, Megumi and Yuji led her to the podiums underground. Toge and Panda attempted to make her laugh but their efforts proved futile, not even Nanami and Junpei promising that they'd take her to her favorite dumpling restaurant make a single emotion come out of the girl.

Now Yuju stands in first place, unresponsive and disattached with everything around her. Sukuna didn't even try to talk to her, thinking that what she needed right now was space.

Even when All Might made a suprise appearance to give the top three their medals, Yuju didn't reactㅡ it was as if she didn't even know he was there. She was emotionally and mentall drained.

The muscular blond male stands in front of Yuju, a gold medal in hand with that same smile that seems to be permanent on his face. "You did well, young Itadori." All Might says with a nod as he puts the medal around the girl's neck who didn't give any sort of reaction which made the hero sigh.

Todoroki and Bakugou looks up to look at Yuju, her eyes so dull it looked like they were only seeing a shell of her, no soul occupying her body, it honestly suprised them how she was still able to stand.

All Might pats the girl's head lightly, in hopes that at least that simple gesture would wake her up. Yuju, almost in a lazy manner, turns her head and looks at the blond who smiled down at her, happy that he was able to get a response. Good to know she wasn't dead.