Technical Support

Chapter 53

"I'm going to I-Island."

The ensuing silence was palpable. Ayano forced herself to look at Bakugou. She was slightly afraid of what she would see, but he deserved a face-to-face conversation.

His expression was nothing short of utter shock. Of course, that was most certainly not the response one would expect to get from their girlfriend of all people. Especially for a moment like this.

He had just shown her his provisional hero license, and he got this bombshell in return?!

Ayano never really adhered to expectations and Bakugou rarely ever knew what she was truly thinking, but that declaration was hardly an appropriate response in this situation...right!?

Not only that, but they hadn't spoken to each other civilly since their fight.

He was shocked but surprisingly, his shock didn't fade into anger.

It faded into defeat, and now it was Ayano's turn to be shocked. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting from him. Her fingers tightened their grip on his hero license in anticipation of his words.

"...So you decided..." He breathed out, barely above a whisper. It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. It was as if he were trying to convince himself of what he just heard.

Bakugou let out a shuddering sigh, tearing his gaze from Ayano's. He slowly walked over to her bed to sit on it, his elbows leaning on his knees and his head bent over into his hands. Ayano's head turned to follow him, her hands still tightly holding the license.

After a few moments of silence to collect himself, Bakugou spoke again. "When did you decide?" He asked.

"Just now."

His head jolted up at that, directly meeting Ayano's eyes. Unusually, they didn't hold the typical fire in them that they always did. She didn't look away from him, but her eyes showed guilt – they were apologetic even.

"I decided when I saw your provisional hero license." She immediately began explaining, knowing he was going to ask anyways. "You are getting closer and closer to your goal...meanwhile, I am just wasting my time."

Her brows furrowed in frustration and she grit her teeth. "Seeing you in that joint training battle with Class 1-B...I saw how far ahead you had gotten when you saved Jiro-san. You finally weren't a hero that just wins. You became a hero that saves and wins."

Ayano smiled a bit, but it disappeared into a frown soon after. "In that moment, I was so proud of you. More than you could ever know. Then, my insecurities decided to surface. Perhaps that word may be a bit much given my personality, but I can't seem to think of a better one to describe my feelings. Seeing you come so far, develop so much...I couldn't help but think that I'm basically just where I started to begin with."

"The Hero Course and Support Course here are fundamentally structured differently. Our classes don't dedicate time to undergo our licensing exams like yours do. We don't have as many opportunities. There are just so many laws that it makes it difficult to have an aggressive and progressive program in the Support Department no matter what school you go to." She shook her head, as if berating herself.

"I know that...I know that...But that doesn't mean I don't feel like I'm not going anywhere. That's why I need to do something now. I received many offers from various support companies in Japan, but that's not good enough. If I were to work for a major support company, I may end up stuck in their shadow forever. I can't let that happen. I need to catch up to you."

Bakugou wanted to interrupt. He really wanted to, but he couldn't. Not when Ayano looked like that. He had never seen her look so defeated before. Her state after her kidnapping was one thing. Anybody would be mentally scarred after that.