HE WAS GOING TO BLOW SOMETHING UP IF THAT GIRL NODDED ONE MORE TIME. He wouldn't have been as annoyed if she was brave enough to make eye contact. But she just gazed out the window, spoon poking at white rice that was long past cold. Of course, the others at the lunch table continued talking to her.
Her silence ticked him off.
The day before, she embarrassed him in front of everyone, and now she was too scared to say anything? Coward. He'd show her. She was the extra, not him.
"Hey, Bakugo!" He glanced at the spiky-haired boy next to him. "What weird stuff can you do with your Quirk?"
"Huh?" He hadn't been paying attention. They were the ones that sat at his table. He didn't seek company, they were just there, so he felt no obligation to listen to them. Although, the question was kind of intriguing. Pulling his gaze away from the irritatingly quiet American, he turned his scowl to Kirishima. "What's that supposed to mean, Hair-for-Brains?"
The redhead's grin didn't falter, but his eyebrow twitched a little. "I meant, we've all shared what we can do with our Quirks. Like, I found out I can grate cheese!" Kirishima activated his Quirk, wiggling his sharpened fingers.
Ashido waved her hand in the air. "And I can melt Crayons to make candles!" Crayons? What are you, five?
"I sawed a boat in half and taped it back together," snickered Sero. You've got to be kidding me. Nobody cared about those old Flex Tape memes anymore.
They automatically looked at Smith, waiting to see if she would add to the pool of oddities. To his annoyance, he found himself wondering if she could do anything cool. Stop that! This girl was nothing, nobody, and he was better than her, so it didn't matter if she had any cool tricks up her sleeve.
Smith just shrugged, expressionless. Surprise, surprise. He growled, rolling his eyes. The group's excitement began to fade as the others realized that their new "friend" wasn't any fun. If they seriously think that we're here to make friends, then they must be dumber than they look --
"Muscle damage." His head whipped around before he could try to hide his surprise. He wasn't expecting Smith to speak any time soon, and apparently the rest of the table's occupants were thinking much of the same thoughts, as Kaminari began to choke on a noodle and Sero had to pound on his back.
"What'd you say?" Kirishima leaned forward excitedly, eyes wide. He had to admit, he himself was curious as well, but only a minuscule bit.
Smith finally looked away from the windows, dull green gaze settling on their group. "My shields work differently depending on their solidity. When they're firm --" She held out her palm. A blue disk formed in the air above her hand, expanding outwards until it was the size of a small plate. He flashed back to the day at the mall, when she blocked his hand. "-- injuries are transferred to my skin. But when they are soft, malleable ..." The disk visibly softened, taking on a gelatinous form. "It affects me on a cellular level. I can target the muscles in my arms, legs, anywhere really, and the force of an attack will be transferred to those targeted areas."
Smith flicked her finger, and the shield faded away. "Muscle fibers tear, cytokines repair the torn tissues, and the muscles grow stronger." She sat back, now seemingly comfortable in the presence of the others, though her features gave away no emotion.
A collective "Ooh!" filled the air. That's ... actually pretty smart. And that explains what she was doing at the gym. "My shields are also good for sneaking into the house, but I don't think that would classify as 'cool'." Before any of them could ask what that meant, Smith looked directly at him. "What about you, Cauliflower?"
This time it was Sero who choked on his food.
Blood rushed to his face as he slammed his hands on the table. "What did you just call me, runt?!" The wood beneath his palms began to smoke, his anger growing as the girl only raised an eyebrow.
"You call me 'runt'," she said, sarcasm slowly leaking into her voice, "so I call you 'Cauliflower'." In a flash, the girl was on her feet, bag in hand and making her way to the cafeteria exit. "I'm going to class. Foundational Hero Studies, right?" He growled, lunging forward because there was no way he was letting her get away with that, but white tape wrapped around him, pulling him back to the table.
"Get back here, runt! I'll beat you, right here, right now!"
"Dude, chill out ..."
"Let go of me, Tape Arms! I'll blow your face off!" He burned away the restraints and dashed out of the cafeteria, tore through the hallways, until he reached the 1-A classroom. Ramming the door open, he raised his hands, reading to explode --
It was empty.
That runt ...
A small part of him was just the slightest bit impressed by her nerve, but Katsuki Bakugo quickly pushed that small part back into its corner.
