His Transparent Angel (An Ojitoru Story)

Part 3

Several Months Ago

Bakugo had finally been returned safely to the dorms of UA following his abduction by the League of Villains. Furthermore, All for One Himself had appeared on the scene, only to be defeated by the Legendary Symbol of Peace and the students own teacher, All Might, and sent straight to the secure prison Tartaros to live out his final days in captivity. But had he really been defeated? Certainly, the cost of his defeat had been high. While All Might won the battle, he might well have lost the war on his health. His days as a Pro Hero were now indisputably behind him, and all Japan had to face the reality of an eventual future without him, as did his students.

Few could deny no one at UA took the aftermath of these events harder than Bakugo and Midoriya. But the girls were looking pretty down too, and perhaps Toru Hagakure in particular (at least Mashiro Ojiro thought she seemed down from what he could tell). And so that evening, he found himself (nervously) on the girls' floor, walking towards the Invisible Girl's door. When he finally got there, he stood there a moment transfixed by the door while hearing music (and what sounded like cats mewing in time) coming from inside. Gulping bravely (he hoped) he knocked on the door. "Hagakure, it's Ojiro." The music stopped but for a moment, there was no further sound. Ojiro stood there awkwardly, beginning to wonder if this was her way of saying she wanted to be left alone, when he heard "door's open" come from inside. Gulping again, he let himself in.

Hagakure was sat on her bed in a short-sleeve white shirt with a Sailor Moon motif emblazoned across the front (A/N: 'Sailor Moon' belonging to Naoko Takeuchi and Nakayoshi Magazine, which I do not own!) that didn't entirely cover her middle. Under that she wore bright pink leggings that rose just above her ankles. The sheer girliness of her entourage suited her room accordingly. He wasn't sure why he felt a tiny blush rise to his cheeks as he couldn't see anything of her anyway. Nevertheless, he pretended to do arm and tail stretches over his head, hoping she wouldn't notice. He however noticed her phone and a paused cat music video which she had clearly been watching and hastily put away though not very well, but he decided to ignore it. A moment of awkward silence passed between them before she spoke up. "So what's up?"

Her voice sounded flat and devoid of her usual bubbly enthusiasm and vigor. It worried him hearing her sound so upset. "Um, Ojiro?" she continued. Embarrassed he had spaced out for so long, Ojiro fumbled with his words a bit before he just managed a complete sentence. "I.. uhh.. I just... wondered how you're doing (Real Smooth Mashiro)? The others have been noticing you haven't really been...acting like yourself lately... since Bakugo came back." Hagakure seemed to flinch at the mention of his name, which he found odd. Regardless he continued, "Sooo, I guess like.. um .. you've been talking to the other girls and stuff, but, you know, if you.. uh.. need someone else to talk to, about anything, I'll always make time for you, 'kay?" If she could feel the embarrassment he was currently radiating, she didn't show it (as if she could). She replied a little more cheerily, "Thanks, will do!"

Another painfully awkward silent moment passed between them. Ojiro considered he might have overstayed his welcome. "Well, goodnight!" he said with a smile before turning to leave when her voice stopped him. "Ojiro.." her voice came, sounding a lot like a plea. Her left short-sleeve moved and the space beside her on her bed sank a bit, as if she was patting the bed inviting him to sit, "Please, stay a bit?"

Obediently, he walked towards her and took a seat beside her on the bed. His earlier embarrassment faded slightly as he realised she had more to say.

A/N: Part 4 coming in 2022 😉 Stay tuned!