Flower of two worlds

14.- Villains (part 1)

When one repeats the same thought over and over in a short period, time seems eternal. That journey was a harsh reality check that made me realize I shouldn't let my guard down. It marked a before and after in my life

The night had finally arrived, and with it, the most anticipated moment for most of the students: the test of courage.

"Is this really safe?" Sakura asked for the third time in the last five minutes since they had arrived. She didn't have a problem with Class B trying to scare her; she could handle many things, but ghosts were one of those things she had never liked. To her, they represented the unknown, beyond what the mundane mind could comprehend. Unfortunately, some of her classmates, the most malicious ones, had learned about this fear and saw it as an opportunity to have fun before the event began.

"We can't promise anything," Mineta said with a mischievous smile. "The other day, I overheard the Pussycats say that the last time people got lost in this forest, they weren't found until days later, and when they were found, they weren't the same."

Despite their fear, both Sakura and Ochako were intrigued by the story, so they approached Mineta to hear more.

"And then what happened?" Sakura asked. Both of them felt a knot in their stomachs when he left them in suspense.

"The ghosts kidnapped them!" Sero yelled from behind the girls.

They both screamed at the same time. Ochako, due to her training with Gunhead, punched him in the nose, while Sakura jumped and clung to Kaminari's hand. Excited, he pulled her towards his chest and boasted of his bravery.

"Don't worry, Sakura, I'll protect you with my—ah!" he exclaimed when he felt the bones in his hand crack under Sakura's scared grip.

Jiro, who was next to them, covered her mouth to avoid laughing openly at Kaminari's failed attempt at being gallant and was now doing her best to free her hand from Sakura's grasp.

"That wasn't funny!" Sakura said resentfully once she realized it was Sero who had scared them. "You deserve that punch and more for making fun of other people's fears."

As soon as she released Kaminari's hand, he shed a tear of relief. He almost lost his hand.

"Come on, don't be scared, it's a test of courage!" Mina exclaimed excitedly. Beside her, Sero, Kirishima, Sato, and Kaminari joined her enthusiasm.

"Before that, I'm sorry to say this, but the extra class students will come with me," Aizawa announced as he appeared behind the five kids and used his scarf to catch them before they could attempt to escape. "Your training today was unsatisfactory, so we'll use this hour to work on it."

The last thing they heard from the five was a chorus of screams and lamentations as Aizawa dragged them into the forest.

"Don't be afraid, the ghosts aren't real," Tsuyu said, patting the backs of her two friends as she guided them with Pixie Bob to collect their assigned numbers for the game.

"How do you know? There's a lot of talk about ghosts," Ochako replied with a pout once she took her number. Next to her, Sakura nodded vigorously. It wasn't impossible to believe in the existence of ghosts, especially after everything she had witnessed in the Fourth Great Ninja War, including the battle against what were practically zombies, facing a goddess, a founder who had lived beyond human limits before his death, and she was evidence of the existence of dimensions.

"Coward," Bakugo taunted.

"Yeah, so what?" she responded, trying to feign indignation. She didn't feel like arguing with Bakugo; it wasn't because of her fear of ghosts but because she still had the memory of the burst of anger she had released at him and Todoroki a few hours ago fresh in her mind. Both had acted maturely by ignoring her outburst when they woke her up to head to the test of courage. Embarrassed by her behavior, she did the same as them. Now, she just waited for the right moment to apologize, even though she still felt angry at her own actions.