Beginning of a New Spring (MHA/PJO crossover)

Chapter 31

Ophelia glanced back at Todoroki as he stared at his left hand contemptuously before clenching it into a fist. She had a feeling what his other quirk was, considering he was Endeavor's son, but she hadn't seen him use it, and it reminded her of Leo. They didn't use their powers for a reason, and she wondered what Todoroki's reason was. He seemed innocent and ill-prepared for anything outside of being a hero. She knew the latter well enough, but she also had people there for her. She doubted Todoroki did, but she hoped he would find that in their classmates, at least.

"What?"

She tilted her head at Katsuki as he glanced at her. "Nothing. It's just... different."

"You're gonna see all kinds of crazy different," Katsuki retorted.

She smirked over at him, "I got the best kind of crazy right next to me, though."

Katsuki stopped walking and turned to her, "Fuck off."

Ophelia laughed as she kept walking, hearing his footsteps follow behind her before his stride caught up with her. Katsuki placed his hand over her mouth before she could speak. She stared at him curiously as he pulled her to the edge of the wall—it was then she could hear Todoroki's voice talking to someone down the corridor.

At first, none of what Todoroki said made sense as she listened. Midoriya overwhelmed him in the same way he felt All Might's power and why he used his left side when he defended against Midoriya's attack. If Katsuki didn't have his hand over her mouth at that moment, she was sure she would have given away that they were there when Todoroki asked if Midoriya was All Might's secret love child. Oh Gods, did she love that innocent side of him. The things their minds could come up with to explain some phenomena. She at least knew Midoriya wasn't, but she also wanted to know what his quirk was.

"Since you said, 'that's not how it is,' that means there's a connection between you two that you can't talk about, right?"

She felt Katsuki tense against her at Todoroki's words. There was a piece to that puzzle, he knew. She didn't hold it against him since she kept what she knew because she didn't think it mattered too much, but in the end, it probably did. Like most things, even the most minor information helped. Not only were Katsuki and Midoriya after the number one spot, but so was Todoroki. Some things always got interesting when festivals or games went on.

If Ophelia didn't have a burning hatred for Kronos and Hera, she was sure Todoroki's father would be at the top of people she would loathe in that world. They might not be as different, but at least their Godly parents actually cared for them to a degree. Gods running around doing as they pleased, smiting those who pissed them off or turned them into animals, was one thing, but a mortal who didn't seem to have a conscience on other people's feelings topped what she knew. To be born solely to surpass another hero was outrageous.

She leaned her head against Katsuki's shoulder as they continued to eavesdrop. A lone tear streamed down her cheek, only to be wiped by Katsuki's thumb. The world was a cruel place; she just didn't expect that, that someone would have a Pro Hero for a father.

Their footsteps retreated away, and Katsuki removed his hand from her mouth but still held onto her waist.

"That's..." She didn't have words to form for what they listened to. On the one hand, it was wrong, but on another, they didn't mean to. They could have walked away or stopped listening at any point, but they didn't.

"There's shitty heroes too, pollen-head."

"I know that. I know that better than anyone. It doesn't make it any better to hear, especially when it's some mortal that's supposed to protect its people."