Fɪɴᴅɪɴɢ Hᴏᴘᴇ [Bᴏᴏᴋ 1] | 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙞 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙤 𝙓 𝙊𝘾

28

The trip back home took more than half a day.

"Welcome back!" My sister greets me at the front door as I was changing my shoes to slippers. "It's crazy out there, Shouto. You didn't return any of my messages after you went to see Mom! I was worried!"

Right . . . I forgot that I lied to her.

"I'm sorry, nee-san." I need to tell her about Kyryan sooner or la-

Loud noises are coming from somewhere in our house.

"He came back a while ago . . ." She tells me. I know damn well who's he. "He's been like that ever since."

I walk to the source of the noise to check on him. All Might couldn't stand on the front line anymore. The number one position should be . . .

I peek into the training grounds to see the whole room is on fire. The sports equipments are also burning. The window is shattered and the walls and ceiling have blacken from the soot. I see him sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, his back facing me.

"Not like this . . . I can't accept it . . . Like I could accept it. I can't allow myself to accept this!" He mumbles a lot.

I left and went to search my sister. I found her in the living room reading the news on her phone. I take my seat next to her.

"Kyryan is founded and has been brought back to safety," I tell.

"I've heard." She switches off her phone and faces me. She smiles but there were tears in her eyes. "And I'm glad." I lean in and hug her. She is surprised by this as I don't usually show affection but she appreciates it. She gives in and wraps her arms around me. I rub circles on her back as she cried. I can see that she really loves her student.

Once she has calmed down, she pulls away and thanks me. She wipes the tears away with her hand. "How about we visit her tomorrow? And bring some snacks? Like how she did when you went to the hospital."

My face warms remembering that time, but I hum in response, agreeing the suggestion. My sister beams. She couldn't wait to see her, it seems.

-

As the two of us are inexperienced bakers, we simply baked the easiest cake we could. I had suggested that we should make strawberry flavoured as it seems like it's Kyryan's favorite. My sister didn't say anything but only gave me that annoying smirk. I only rolled my eyes at her.

After the cake is finished, we keep it in the refrigerator then I assist my sister with dinner next. We eat but father doesn't join. I think it was better that way.

I couldn't help but to think of the dinner I had with Kyryan, Evan and my sister. Thinking of Evan made me feel downcast again. I try to take my next bite but the image of his burnt face came up in my head. I unconsciously drop my chopsticks and it roll off my plate and onto the table. I feel like throwing up.

"Shouto?!" My sister looks up at me worriedly. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah . . ." I feel my lips quiver.

She gets up from her seat in a rush, making the chair screeches with the floor. She puts her hand on my forehead to check my temperature and I feel like a small kid all over again. She always does this when I was little.

"You have a fever, Shouto," she says, resting her hand on my cheek. "Come on. Let's put you to bed."

Gosh, she's treating me like a little kid again.

I go up to my room with my sister's company even though I can walk and handle everything myself. I don't want to hurt her feelings so I just let her. Inside, I change into my sleep attire while she returns to the kitchen to get the cold compress. I sit on my bed while I wait for my sister. A few seconds later, she comes. She urges me to lie down and I oblige, pulling the sheets up. Then, she places the compress on my forehead after brushing my bangs out of the way.

She smiles, "If you still haven't recovered by tomorrow, we might have to postpone our visit to Kyryan."

"Nee-san . . ." I sigh.

She giggles and says goodnight before leaving me alone in my room with the lights off.

I stare up at my ceiling as Kyryan is still in my head. I look to my right where my bedside table is. I open the drawer and let my hand rummage through, trying to feel the thing that I want. When I feel the sharp edge and the glossy paper, I take it out and gaze at the polaroid.

Kyryan and me.

The picture she took with the camera I bought.

I rub my thumb on her face. Then, realizing what I did, I blush. Her smile in the picture . . . It will appear again tomorrow, won't it?

A bulb clicks in my head; she carried this the whole time?! Like how I carried mine?

Look at it when you feel unsettled.

What if this photo keeps her calm? I guess I'll bring this with me tomorrow.

I stare a few more minutes until my eyes feel heavy and I yawn. I put the picture back and shut the drawer. Then, I fix the cold compress to the center of my forehead again before shutting my eyes to sleep.

She'll be okay.

I don't have to worry.