Becoming a Hero (bnha x OC)

Chapter 33: A Pre-Dinner Snack

The walk was relatively silent as Izumina trailed behind Bakugou, still in shock that he'd even agreed to her peculiar offer. Bakugou's expression was hard, his eyebrows furrowed in addition to his regular scowl, as he led her around a corner.

The two arrived in front of a small ramen shop. Red Noren curtains hung above the entrance, complementing the colour scheme of a sign out front with the name of the restaurant.

"Red Hot," Izumina read, gulping as her eyes fell on the cartoon chilli pepper and fire-breathing man on the sign. "Is the food here even safe for human consumption?"

Bakugou scoffed before ducking under the curtains. "You said anywhere I wanted, so quit complaining."

Sighing, Izumina followed.

Inside the small shop, there was only a counter separating the customers from the kitchen. A single long table connected both walls of the restaurant and was lined with no more than several stools, all of which were empty due to the bizarre time Izumina and Bakugou had decided to eat.

"Make yourselves comfortable," an old man called from behind the counter before ducking into a back room, "I'll be with you in just a moment."

'He probably wasn't expecting any customers until later,' Izumina thought, feeling slightly guilty for robbing the man of his break.

Bakugou said nothing in response to the man as he took a seat, dropping his backpack at his feet.

"Shouldn't you text your parents to let them know where you are?" Izumina pulled out the stool and sat next to Bakugou before tucking her backpack beneath the table's overhang.

Bakugou scoffed. "My folks can figure it out for themselves. They don't control my life."

"Yes but--" Izumina paused as she recalled meeting Bakugou's mother as a kid. "Your mother may not be pleased with you coming home late."

"You're changing the topic," Bakugou huffed, "Your quirk... explain."

Izumina rubbed her temple. "I need to let my father know where I am, so give me a second." For the most part, Nakiro Kimino had always given Izumina complete freedom, so long as he knew where she was. Out of respect and gratitude that he trusted her, Izumina felt it was a fair condition. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent her father a quick text before checking her other messages, noticing that she had two unread notifications.

The first message was from Mina. A simple 'Hey' was sent to the class group chat to start the stream of texts, and another asking everyone to respond with their names so others could add them to their contacts. Izumina smiled to herself, earning a questioning look from Bakugou, as she responded with her preferred nickname.

The second message, from Fleur-de-lis, read: "Hello Izumi, it's Charles. I'm in Japan and am hoping to meet with you in regards to Fleur's news. Will you be free for dinner at around 7? Let me know and I can meet you at your home, I believe I still have the address from the last time I saw you."

Izumina's face fell as she recalled coming home for the first time with Fleur and Charles at her side. The hero and social worker had been dating at the time, which Izumina only learned months later, and had since gotten married. Izumina remembered how their wedding had collided with her U.A. entrance exam and how disappointed she'd been to decline. Her eyes shifted to the hero's profile picture in her phone, which she'd since changed from a picture of a golden Fleur-de-lis to the two men's wedding photo, which she'd asked them to send since she couldn't attend in person. She noted the smiles on their faces and smiled back, knowing that they meant much more to her than a simple reminder of her mother's death.